The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-03
DO WE WANT THEM7
Protest Against Unrestricted 1mmigra-
ton from European Countries.

it has been long fell in America that.
Wheh the war was over and transporta-
,'oii Facilities for passengers to America
iad become available, great masses Of
people would seek to escape the hard
conditions of life in Europe and come to
America, a land Of plenty and Of promise.
But there have ALWAYS been those who
expressed the opinion that the European
governments would place restrictions up-
ON emigration because of the need of la
Dor ior reconstruction The greater The
burden, the greater the need OF producers
to bear It, was The argument and con.
sequently strong barriers would be placed
before any who desired to leave their
country
II there was any force to this argal-
meft i has been carried away BY the
great. Political changes which have taken
place IN Europe for We see socialism
and radicalism of marked degree rising
to power, and these isms are not of the
sort that will restrict movements OF peo
pie. 1t would BE- easy to conceive the
Kaiser OF the Gar keeping their sub
leets at home, but it would be difficult to
expect the Socialists to make any such
law. Nor is it to be believed that any
OF the other European States will adopt
such policy, especially if they should
be affected by the soeialistic tendencies.
It Is reasonable to believe that large
numbers of Europeans will make every
effort to come to America as soon as
/ possible Everywhere they have been
asking American newspaper men, Off
leials and Others how to get here. The
Franeo-Prnssian war was followed by
wave of emigration to this country, and
the impetus to leave following this war
will be far greater.
/ America was little touched by the war,
and Europe sees America feeding their
peoples. They have long heard of the
tease OF acquiring a living here. Natural
/ ly, the desire to come viii be great
: Do we want Europe to demobilize into
America Following the rehabilitation
LOT our own troops. which, it Is ealcu-
lated. win be considerable problem for
our industries to absorb, do we wish
The process continued through years, not
with American citizens accustomed to
American ways, but by horde of alien
peoples whose assimilation under normal
conditions we have found to be beyond
iuur ability?
Ii our experience and the conditions in
Europe are able to foretell anything
they give emphatic warning that the
United States will have an immigration
problem upon its hands which will make
the problem before the war seem trivial
Consider, for instance, Just one phase
lnf 1.-THE poisoned minds of those who
: will flock here, ii they can There are
/, the Russians mad with Bolshevism. ans
!. the Germans sehooled in barbarsm. Dt
we want them? That is for lis and oul
Congress to say.
There is a simple way by which ",
can keep immigration down to q mini
mum, and that is to reinforce our pres
ent law with a plan which has favo
among many students of immigration
r The schemes is to permit an immigration
equal TO only a certain percentage o
those already here. Thus. if there ar
| "A million Russians in the United States
we might allow an annual arrival Of
: per cent, OF 10000. The same percentag
would have to Serve for other nationali
g ties, so hat all would be treated alike
9 And with our literaey law, all would hay
: to have certain degree of education
@ which is of distinct advantage in 4 de
!. mocfaey.
;. There will be powerful interests op
Il posed To further restriction. as the
r eombated the literary test. Newly nat
e uralized citizens. those who still have
warm feeling for the old country in
/. practical ideallsts. and certain manufat
a turers with an eye for keen competitio
G for jobs among workers-these anon
Ii Others viii oppose restriction.
; And yet, restriction viii be good IL
o them all The greatest danger in the u
i Dor situation. il in the fact that a big
&c percentage OF the workmen are so,calle
II foreigners, who are susceptible TO vii
: theories-Utica Observer.
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