Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-28
AGAINST Sentiment TAFT AT DESK AGAIN
Time to Regulate immigration,
Says Mr.. Marburg.
ADDRESS ON THE SUBJECT

HOO0cSO Wv IT1c OOOJcV
Should Abandon Idea of "Home fol
the Oppressed"
1t is time for the United States to
forsake the sentimental notion that this
is the "home Of the oppressed and the
highly ethical recognition of the So
called natural right of the individual
to life. liberty and the pursuit Of hap
piness where he pleases, and to begin
the regulation Of its immigration laws
with some regard to the usefulness Of
its immigrants as producers rather than
as consumers. This was the view ex-
pressed this morning at the session of
the American Society of International
Law, at the New Willard, by Theodore
Marburg Of Baltimore. one of the speak
ers on the topic Admission and Re-
strictions Upon the Admission of
Aliens"
The modern tendency, said Mr.. Mar
burg, has been to abandon the theory OF
natural right and fall back on the matter
of social expediency in regulating i'm
migration. The speaker reviewed the i'm
migration statistics of this country in a
general way and said the great bulk of
the immigrants were coming from south
ern Europe. Only 10 per cent, he said,
came from the sturdy farming element
of Sweden, and the proportion of men
from northern Europe was being swal-
lowed up in the great influx from the
south.
Owe Much to Ourselves.
II has been the delight Of this country to
be considered the "home of the Oppress-
ed but it is time. Mr.. Marburg said, to
consider whether the oppression that gave
birth to that title any longer exists
abroad. We owe much to the world, but
a great deal to ourselves as well, he said.
We had a political test of our form of
government in the civil war, but the So
cial test was yet to come Speaking OF
the increase in the cost of living, he re-
ferred to conditions today in England,
which. he said, had to swap her manu-
features for foodstuffs because there was
NO more land upon which her people could
produce other things.
The keen competition of German and
American manufactures in the commerce
crowd England to the wall. Prices had
risen in England 4S per cent between 1895
and last April, due to the increase of nom
producing people in the country.
Judge George Gray presided at the
of the day were read by S. Mallet Pre-
vost and by Frederic r.. Coudert, the lat
ter reading paper prepared by James
Barclay. who is now in the West Indies.
Their topic was The Principles Govern
inc Nof ral 7 eli A
Under the topic Admission and Restric-
tons Upon the Admission Of Aliens pa
pers were read by Solicitor Charles Earle
of the Department of Commerce and La
Dor and Clement L. Bouve. after which
general discussion was carried on until
the recess.
Pay Respects to Taft.
At PAS this afternoon the members of
Taft at the White House. An hour later
the executive committee and the edi-
torial board held its meeting at the New
Willard.
This evening at o'clock the general
topic, 1.-The Status of Resident Aliens"
with subtopcs, will occupy the session.
Prof. Edward Elliott. Prof. Jesse s.
Reeves, Prof. J. w. Garner, Chevalier
Guido Sabetta, Frederic r. Coudert and
Howard Thayer kingsbury. The sub
topics will be The right of the alien to
participate in the social and economic life
of the community" participation Of the
alien in the political life of the commu-
nifty" THE rights and remedies of aliens
in national courts" and 1.-THE right of
the government to impose burdens and
limitations upon aliens for governmental
that is. for the benefit of the
community as whole
Senator Roots Address.
An address by Senator Elihu Root of
New York on THE Function Of Private
Codification in International Law" was
delivered at the first session of the con-
vention held last night in the red room of
the New Willard.
The senator said the increasing fire.
quency of arbitration and the pressure for
a regular court of International Justice
composed Of permanent judges have given
new emphasis to the demand for what is
called the codification of international
law.
He then gave a review of the instances
indicating the existence during the last
half century of widespread. continuous
and intense private unofficial action tend
ing In the direction of International law
The list of treatises by which nations
undertook to regulate their future con-
duct in specific directions was given as
follows: THE slave trade treaty in 1890:
the establishment of the International bu-
reau Of weights and measures. in 1875: the
convention for the International protec-
ton of industrial property, in 1888; for the
protection OF submarine cables, in 1884;
for the exchange of official documents. in
1885; for the publication of customs
tariffs. in 1890; the agreement made at
st. Petersburg for the prohibition of the
use OF explosive bullets, in 1868 and the
Geneva convention relating to the treat
ment Of the wounded Of armies in the
field, in 1884,
Binding Only as Contracts.
But mere agreements by which nations
stipulate as to their future conduct do
not Of themselves make international
law" said the speaker. They are bind
ing only as contracts generally are bind
ing. 1t is true also that the results of
private formulation and discussion Of
rules of international law, we'll known to
the foreign Offices of the world, produced
an effect upon the conduct Of nations
tending to bring about that usage which
in the long course of time would ultimate
ly be capable OF proof as amounting to a
confirmation"
New Era Inaugurated.
While mankind has looked with an
prevail upon the specific results attained
by the two Hague conferences. it does
not yet appreciate the tremendous Sig