The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-05-30
IMMIGRATION
CONFERENCE
CALLED TO MEET IN PORT
LAND NEXT WEEK TO DEAL
WITH COMING IMMIGRA-
TIoN PROBLEMS FROM A
LABOR STANDPOINT.
(By f. p. Marsh.)


ance to labor along the entire Pacific
coast will convene in the city of Port
land next Thursday, when representa-
tives of organized labor come together
to discuss immigration problems Incl
dent to the opening of the Panama
canal. The call was issued by the
unionists of Portland and it was in
tended to confine the conference or
ignally to delegates from Trades
Councils. The interest shown was so
great, however, that invitations were
and representatives of state fedora
tions, A. F. of L. organizers and inter-
national officials with headquarters on
the coast will participate.
There have been several conferences
called to discuss immigration but the
coming meeting is the only one to our
knowledge where the subject will be
handled strictly from a labor view
point We are not interested in an
academic discussion of the problem
The thing that concerns labor is the
probable Cutting of the labor market
by the dumping of hundreds of thou
sands of foreigners upon our shores by
transportation companies and land
boomers. Can we assimilate the horde
and maintain the present wage and
other working conditions, or will labor
on this coast be dragged to lower
level than it has yet known? All dis
cussion, all speculation upon the sub
ject, inevitably leads to that one
query. We hear music about our abil-
ity as a nation to assimilate the races
that come to our shores, making of
the second generation good American
citizens. Anyone who has watched de-
velopments in the industrial centers
of the East, ought to begin to realize
that there is a limit to assimilation.
Uncle Sam isn't rich enough any more
to "give us all farm" While a GER
tain percentage of the immigrants
landing in America during the past de-
cade has been diverted to the land,
the major part of it has been drawn
into the vortex of industry. AS a re-
suit we have our labor problems and
our slums. The incoming prospective
American citizen must be looked upon
either as an asset or liability. If he
aids in the development of our re-
sources, either agricultural or indus
trial, places his children in American
schools, adopts American ideas and
customs, he becomes an asset. If he
is made a slave to some industrial cor
poration, herds in slums, he becomes
can standard of living
With employers all up and down the
coast crying fer cheap labor, you may
picture to yourself the likelihood of
the Southern European, landing here
without a penny in his clothes, being
able to do very much to protect him
self from exploitation 1t is evident
that without help he will be made
wage slave in some industry or wage
slave on some colonized tract of land.
and either condition will be conducive
neither to his we'll being nor our own
future prosperity.
There are several things that or
ganized labor can do during the next
few months. First concerted pres
sure can be brought to bear upon con-
gress to strengthen the immigration
laws so that only the physically and
mentally fit shall be admitted An H.
lteracy test should be one qualifica-
ton. Only the physically sound should
be allowed to enter. Statistics gath
cred in> the state of New York some
months ago show an alarming increase
in the number of inhabitants of homes
and asylums for the mentally and ply
sically defective and a surprisingly
large percentage of those inmates re-
Gently arrived foreigners. An entire
reorganization of the immigration ser
vice seems necessary and congress
! S1OuIu pIONlut lls cttOilds iuthNhNhN III
formation should be given the prospec-
tive immigrants as to the exact condi-
tions that obtain on the Pacific coast
Transportation companies are paint
ing wonderful pictures of the climatic
conditions, richness of the soil and
other resources, but never a word
about the high cost of living which OBJ
tains universally. They ought to be
truthfully informed upon every phase
of conditions so that they may come
with their eyes open as to just what
they may expect. Outside of organized
labor we have heard of no agency at
tempting to acquaint those who may