Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1906-04-18
IMMIGRANTS FOR The SOUTH.
The Right Of the South to Insist Upon HaV-
Ing None Save the Best.

lug N0nG Sdve Inc bcSl.
Robert De c. Ward in the Tradesman, Jul!
18th, 1905.
That thousands of our imml
grants are not healthy and fit il
proved beyond question. That
many are not honest and indus.
trious is shown by tho fact there
are now 1885 aliens supported
or confined in the charitable OF
penal institutions of our coun.
try, of whom 20,485 are insane
and 9,825 are criminals.
1t is evident that much of our
present immigration is as unfit on
the farm as in the city; that it is
of low vitality, poor phsique, very
ignorant, often diseased, mentally y
deficient and of criminal tenden-
cies; by reason Of it's much lower
standard of living entering into
unhealthy competition with Amer
lean labor.
The people of the south are now
in q position to exercise deter
mining influence upon the charac-
ter of the future American race.
The railroads are ready to distrlb-
ute over the Southern states many
unhealthy, shiftless and unfit
aliens from northern city slums,
and are planning to carry Oh this
distribution on a vastly larger
scale, by taking the newly-arrived
immigrants directly from the
steamships. If such a wholesale
aud indiscriminate distribution
is allowed to 60 on without a
protest on the part of the south,
our railroads, and the trans-At-
lantie steamship lines and Euro
pean governments will have good
reasons to congratulate them
selves. But the people of the
south must realize that such dis.
tribution IF undesiaa Le aliens
will not give them the labor they
need +; will injure the quality of
the American race of the future !;
will spread more widely the evils
which result from exposing our
own people to competition with
the lower classes of aliens. Hence,
the south must become a strong
supporter of any reasoable measure
of futher selection of i'm migration,
for it cannot fail to see that the
continued influx of hundreds Of
thousands of unhealthy, stiffness
and unfit immigrants is burden
upon and a detriment to the
whole country.
Obviously, intelligently directed
distribution of desirable immi-
grants is most essential, but the
immigrants must be sent where
they will find work which they
are physically and mentally fitted
to perform. This country needs
and wants none but honest, in
dustrious, intelligent, healthy and
fit immigrants. ANY reasonable
legislation which shall improve
the quality. physical as we'll as
mental, of our immigration, and
leduce the quantity to the point
of proper assimilation, should be
supported. Our immigration
should be amended, and there
should be addition to the excluded
classes.
THE HEAD-TAx SHOULD BE RAISED.
A head-tax of so cents on each
immigrant was imposed by act Of
congress in 1882. It was later
raised to 81, aod the act of March
8, 1908, increased it to So. This
money is paid by the steamship
companies, and is simply addeo
to the price of the passage ticket
The immigrant himself knows
nothing of the payment. The
head-tax Is paid into the the
United States treasury, forming
what is known as the "immlgran'
fund" and is spent iu maintain
ing the immigration service
This head-tax should be increased
to $25. The chief reason for ad
vocating such an Increase is tba'