The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-11-29

and which ought to be further
strengthened by requiring every
alien to have passport and certlf-
cate of good character from mis- own
local officials. The literacy test,
however. would keep out large
percentage Of very objectionable
aliens, because it is the ignorant and
illiterate who are such a fertile field
IT, the irresponsible agitator; who
are destitute of resources and
knowledge Of support; who have
low standards Of living and little
ambition to seek better: who are
averse to country life and crowd in
TO the city slums, increasing the
crime, disease, misery and poverty
there. Certainly the test would do
much to improve the present infer
ior quality Of our immigration and
would greatly enhance the chances
Of the south securing the kind Of i'm
migrants she would welcome. North
west Europe is a land Of universal
education. while public schools are
unknown in southeastern Europe. If
the steamship companies cannot
bring the more profitable but less
desirable illiterate alien races from
the Mediterranean countries, they
will fill their steerage with the less
profitable, more desirable, hterate,
kindred peoples Of northwest Eu-
rope.
''In a short time you could pro-
badly settle every cultivatable acre
Of land in the south, and in the
course Of a few years quadruple the
present cotton crop and cut the price
in two. In an even shorter time
your forests could be turned into
lumber and your minerals mined.
But what is the use Of all this mad,
hot haste to develop every one OF
your resources? You are now, after
many years Of hard and Self-sacrifc
ing effort, happy, contented and
prosperous people. Why fly from
the present labor ills, whatever they
are made out to be by the selfish IL
terests. to ills YOU know not ofy
Why not leave something for your
own posterity and not jeopardize
your institutions. ideals, and very
civilization itself. by bringing in
other alien races which are now be-
ginning to cause in the northwest the
very economic. social and racial evils
which are known on the Pacific
slope as the "Yellow PERIL and in
the south as the Negro Problem?'
"Our present laws, with the. ex-
ception of Chinese and japanese ex-
clusion, are mere police regulations,
and debar merely the admittedly de-
ficient and dependent classes. What
is needed is legislation that will test
the caliber, the character and the
capacities of immigrants. Why
should we admit the penniless alien
who is forced by his ignorance and
poverty to go to work at once IN the
sweat shops and slums. Why ad-
nit the uaintelligent, illiterate per-
son who is sure. to be ignorant of
trade, lacking in resources and abll-
ity, likely to become a public charge
and sure to become tool in the
hands, Of the corrupt boss or anar-
chistic agitator-why admit the IL
literate adult when we are spending
millions ON education and make lit
eracy a condition Of our franchise
and citizenship?
"With regard to legislation, in
my opinion the head tax ought to
be further increased to ten or tWen-
ty-fve dollars; the possession Of pro-
perty or money, say fifty dollars, as
in the case Of England, ought to be
required; all assisted immigration
ought to be forbidden except where
the passage is paid by the aliens
nearest relatives; a passport Of cer-
tifcate Of character ought to be re-
ouired; and by all means all Hitter
ate adult aliens ought to be exclud-
ed. Such provisions would go Tar
toward relieving the northeast OF
its intolerable immigration evils, and
would certainly bring US a far better
class Of immigrants than the bulk
Of the new immigration which has
Just begun to come in large num-
bers from southeastern Europe and
western Asia. There is no reason to
eoo, +1,,t Tho co,,th and west WOnld