United labor bulletin., 1911-02-09
The A. F. OF |.
WANT ACTION
Desires Restriction of I'm
migration to the US.

.'o', d. the national capital that will mr.
vent immigrants coming to the ,I,it.,
.aes 'nat nave not passed an educ.-
'ona' test The immigration commissior
uas nnaoe favorable report and il is ~.
- s me ofneers OF the Federation
~ 49, 'aVoranie action on the report
VI .he commission, which has spen+ 80.
ana made an exhaustive study ~ -
lec.- II IS urged by President con
."ae the Colorado conqressmen he 49,
70 70 give this subject favorable ro,.iS
eIon. A portion of the report of ~. -
mission is as follows. e So"n-
o..d.i1 ne oId immigration movement ,r.-
Tho r one OF permanent settlers
me new immigration fsinca 1oooN
very largely one of individnaIs Is
srdole proportion of whom annasa.S.,I
nave no intention of permanently ah.y 10y
eH residence their only nurr,e
az ~ eoiiiing 10 America being to temnar,r
- ,ahe advantage of the greater wagas
Thu TIL ior industrial labor in this countrv
imn,;,.a ~ se, is not true of all the new
iiiihi grants, but the practice is snff,o;.
~ coinmon to warrant referring 70 - -.
d 1ndracter1stic of them as class -
an uata that are available IL anne.r. tS..
-. east ~ per cent. of the new ;nmi.r,
,a. Nao' n ement returns to Europe and -
,ease 81 per cent. remains there Tb;s
cant .s - uoes not mean that 80 per
rod
competence and returned IN Nv a
among the immigrants who retnrn -
la nianentiy are those who have fai1ad -
we meH as those who have sncceas.s
.nousahds OF those returninp have -
uer unusual conditions of climate VOL
a.iu iood' contracted tuberculosis and
indns+u;Se others are injured in our
trIes; still others are the widows
and children of aliens dyinp bera rS
win the aged and temperamentaIIv ma
aNe up a large part of the aliens wbo
e'uIn 70 their former homes to rem.in,,
Up. 16, Brief. Statement. ~ eA'''n
AS a class the new immier,nts
lasey unskilled laborers coming from
,, soun,ries where their highest wage is
the Irni.a pared with the lowest wage in
ene United States. Nearly * per c.,t
OF them are males Abont "a rar .
are between the ages of Ia and az vaa-s
- consequently are producers rather
tnah dependents. They hiring tel.
money INTO the country and send or tas-e
considerable part of their earnings $40.
.lore tnah 50 per cent are ilIiterate as
m ia gu win less than per cent. of
'ne oiu immigrant class" Cd. 16)
1t should be stated howaver +ha.
nlgration from Europe is not now an
aoSoiute I economic necessity, and &c n
e eule those who emigrate to the Trnitad
9tales are lmpelled by a desire for bet-
e--.eil men rather than by the necessity Of
apins lntolerable conditions. Tbis
snOuId largely modify the natural in
eentlFe 70 treat the immigration move
ment from the standpoint of Sentiment
ana ana permit Its consideration primarily as
an economic problem (p. III
comparatively few immigrants come
without some reasonably definite assur-
.. 80 mat employment awaits them. and
~ Is probable that as a rule they know
.,e nature OF that employment and the
rate OF wages. A large number of i'm
migrants are induced to come nv ouas,
,aoor agents in this country who COM
oine the business of supplying lahorars
20 large employers and contractors WITH
tne so-called immigrant banking busj-
Hess ana the selling of steamship tickets
Another important agency in promot
ms lnilnlsration from Europe to the
United states are the many thohsands ~
steamship ticket agents and sub-apents
operating in the emigrant Furnishing
districts of southern and eastern FAurone
Under the terms of the United States I'M
migration law, as well as the laws ~
most european contries, the promotion
oi emigration is forbidden, but neyertbs-
tess the steamship-agent propaganda
uourishes everywhere. II does nor an
pear that the steamship lines as r,,,s
openly direct the operations of these
agents, but the existence of the prona-
sanda is matter of common knowIedpa
IN the emigrant-furnishing countries ana
IL Is iair TO assume is acquiesced in n
not simulated. by the steamship lines !
"eii- With the steamship lines the trans.
portat1on of steerage passengers ia n,ra
ly commercial matter; moreover ~.
steerage business which Originates q,
southern and eastern Europe Ia nac,,-
marry attractive to the eompanies as
many of the immigrants travel back ana
ior,n. thus insuring east-bound as well as
west-bound traffic" (p. III.
Ihere are annually admitted. how.
ever, very large number who come In
response to indirect assurance that EN-.
pioyment awaits them. In the main
these assurances are contained In letters
from persons already in this country who
ADVISE their relatives or friends at home
that II they VIII come to the United
States they will find work awaiting them.
on the other hand. ii is clear that there
is larger induced immigration due IN
labor agents in this country, who. inde-
pendently or in cooperation with agents
In Europe, operate practically without re-
stricuon. AS a rule only unskilled labor.
ers are induced to come to the United
States by this means" (p. 2f).
There have been established Mt a
number of our important ports societies
who, with the permission OF the immIgrn.
ton authorities send representative "a
meet incoming aliens whose friends and
relatives fail TO call for them. In case
these immigrants need advice or a place
where they can remain In safety for I
few days. these societies furnish such
aid and permit them 10 como to the
homes which have been established fou
that purpose. These societies and home,
have usually been founded by and are
under the direction OF societies connect
ed with some religious body In a mum
ber of Instances they receive aubvention,
from foreign governments. inhsmueh as
they care for the immigrants OF tho eoun
tries concerned.