The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-03-08
IMMIGRATION BILL,
By FREDERIC ]. HASKlN

the situation IN the literacy test.
The literacy lest would have barred
more than 20per cent. of the immigrants
in the last few typical years. But the
tide of immigration is made up OF
streams OF many different races. Just
where will the effects of the new pro-
vision be most sharply felt?
Half dozen European nations have
given the United States by far the
/ greater part of its present population,
either as direct emigrants or as the
descendants of emigrant5. OF al
nationalities that have gone to the
making of this country, in point of
numbers, the British stock stands easily
first. In the last century there have
been eight million immigrants from the
United Northumberland, Ireland and
Scotland-out of a total of 80 million.
So one-quarter of all our immigration
has come from the United Kingdom.
More than that the bulk of it came
early, reaching its high-water mark
more than sixty years ago, although it
has been the most constant of any of
the many streams. But the greater
part of these BritIshers have been
Americans for a good many years; they
have had time to multiply on American
soil. The part of the nation that they
form is thus even larger than would be
indicated by the fact that they lead all
other nationalties in the immigration
statistics.
The people of this stock will be little
affected by literary test, if more of
them choose to come to the United
States in the future. Out of $4,000
English who came to this country as
immigrants last year, there were only
100 who could not read and write.
After the British, our leading immi-
grant stock is the German. Like the
English, it came early, and has had
time to establish itself and increase in
the United States. German immigra-
ton was at its high point back in 1853,
and again in 1852. Altogether, almost
$500, 600 Germans have come to this
country, and it is obvious that what
was once German stock forms a large
part of the present American stock.
Should relations between the United
States and Germany after the war be
such as to encourage immigration, the
literacy test will mean little to the
Germans. Out Of $4,000 VINO came last
year, only about 100 were illiterate.
Somewhat later than the British and
German tides came the Scandinavian.
Beginning about 1865, the annual immi-
grafton from these countries rapidly
mounted, until more than two million
have arrived. People of these nations
will be affected by the literacy provision
not at all. Out of 20. 600 Scandinavian
immigrants who arrived last year, only
fourteen could not read.
But immigration has changed vastly
in the last two decades. No longer do
Englshman, German and Scandinavian
constitute the bulk of it. Now the
stream comes from three other coun-
tries-Austria- Hungary. Russia and
Italy. In 1894, Italy sent 10000 emf
grants. In 1914, she sent $4,000. In
1894, Austria sent 81, 900. In 1914 she
sent 278, 600. In 1894 there came from
Russia 10000; in 1914, there were 255,-
600. A literacy test would hit these
nationalties hard. Out of "a, 600 South
Italians who came in 1916, 10000 could
not read. Out of 600 Russians, more
than 1000 could not read. Out of Is
600 Hebrews, most of them Russian,
1000 could not read; but there is a
clause in the new law admitting those
who leave their own country on account
of religious persecution which would
probably have allowed most of these
Hebrews to enter.
Another spot where the literacy pro-
vision will make itself felt is among the
Balkan people. OF 5000 Bulgarians,
Serbians and Montenegrins admitted
last year. 1000 we're iIliterate
Broadly speaking, it Is plain that the
literacy test will not tend to bar the
older stocks that made the American.
The British, the Scandinavia, and the
German, who between them gave the
United States almost half its total i'm
migration, and gave the bulk of it
many years ago, so that the descend
ants of the immigrants have multi
plied-these nationalties will be prac-
tically untouched by the literacy test.
But such immigrants in the last twenty
years have been largely replaced by
others, so that while the size of the
stream has increased, its character has
changed. And immigrants of the new
er races who have been making the
bulk of the stream for the last two de-
cades will be widely affected by the
new test, large numbers of them de-
barred by it. The test has been criti-
cized for injustice, it has been charac-