Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1914-07-03
Immigration FACTS
COMING rHRoNGs NOT ALWAYS
m HARMONY WITH OUR sys-
TEN OF GOVERNMENT.
FLOCK TO BIG COMMERCIAL cENTERs
In Many Gases They Increase Social
and Industrial Evils-lmmigratlon
Laws Should Be Drawn Tighter
and Enforced to the Letter.

The population of the United STATES
has always comprised a large lhmi
grant element and it may be assumed
that these foreigners lat least until
thew are thoroughly assipiiated) are
not in harmony with our system o.
government and national ideals IN
NAV have retarded the highest pohti-
cal development of the nation. III
considering the political results OF I'M
migration there are three principal
facts to be considered:
First, the larger portion are maies
and therefore largely exercise tne
right of franchise and that quickly
and after their education has been
largely completed in foreign countries.
Second, In recent years the imml-
grants have tended to crowd into the
larger cities where they colonlze ana
vote for employment. This assem-
hing of immigrants into foreign quar-
tiers OF the cities is obviously bad; IL
increases social and industrial evils.
Third. it is asserted that with the
immigrants come undesirables n an
archists and that, with the freedom o
speech granted, they exert an undue
and harmful influence.
But, in fairness, it must be admitted
hat the evils we now complain OF mo
heir root in economic conditions n
were we to shut off immigration, we
should have the same evils and PROD
lens to contend with. Socialism and
anarchy, for example, are due to IN
equality of wealth, shutting the doors
of opportunity to the poor, etc. II the
economic conditions here are sound,
how can a socialist or anarchist, argu-
ing from his European experience, IN
fiuence us? We have a government
which assures equality of opportunity
and a fair degree of equity in the dis
tribution of wealth, though our expert
ence is demonstrating to the world
that equity in the distribution OF
wealth does not necessarily follow
from equal opportunity.
So. while immigration may intensity
existing evil conditions, it does not
cause them and we can not get rid of
them by restricting immigration.
Social Results of immigration.
1t is often argued that crime, vice
and mortality are greater among the
lower classes than among the well-to-
do and that these are therefore IN
creased by immigration. Inasmuch as
there are no comprehensive statistics
on this point, it is a safe argument to
make. But common sense indicates
that crime and vice are either heredit-
airy or suggested by the social or econ
omic conditions that man finds him.
self in. Statistics do not show more
crime and vice to be hereditary in for
eigners than in n%aturals; so again the
conditions in our land are to be looked
after. Where food is cheap and SAM
tary regulations good, mortality Is not
high and does not follow especially
among immigrants.
On the other hand, it is pretty well
established that pauperism and Hitter
acy do result largely from, or are in
creased by, immigration.
But the most important social con-
sideration is of course the extent to
which the immigrants may be success
fully assimilated. UP to rs years ago
there is no doubt that the a~ssimilating
process worked we'll Except of course
in the matter of oriental immigration),
three great forces of assimilation be-
sn~ 4Io @,.hlso cr.hna1 M Yrio 90 and
political suffrage. But during the last
few decades the tendency to colonize
in foreign quarters in the large cities
is restricting assimilation.
No civilized nation of today would
undertake to entirely prohibit immi-
grafton, or even to suspend all immi-
grafton for any stated period, so the
only practical policy is the restriction
and regulation Of immigration.
Our laws at the present time, in gen.
eral, discriminate between paupers
and criminals on the one land and
the desirable classes on the other. We
have commissioners of immigration
whose duty it is to look after the i'm
migrants and inquire into their finan-
cial condition and character. The re
jected are returned to the ports from
which they embarked at the expense
of the ship owners.
Another restriction upon immigra
ton into this country is the contract
labor law, which requires that any
person contracting his labor in the
foreign country shall not be admitted
This law was passed at the instance
of the trade unions to prevent striking
miners being supplanted by imported
laborers. It was also intended to pre-
vent the o~vercrowding of the country
with unskilled labor from Europe. OBJ
viously the tendency of this restric
tion is to maintain higher wages fol
native unskilled labor, which is desir
able not only from a social point o.
view, hut also from the industrial
viewpoint as it enhances the laborer'i
purchasing power.
A third restriction is the Chimes,