El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-10-02
CONGRESS WILL HARDLY BE FOOLISH
ENOUGHTOBAR OUT ALIENS ENTIRELY

OPTIMISTIC view is that it is highly unlikely that
congress vii be foolish enough bar an aliens from
entering the United States On other hand the mere
fact that such plan embodied in resolution is now
on the calendar for consideration and that majority
the house immigration committee reported in Of it.
gives ground for apprehension.
Any slogan Of @AmeIica for Americans is contrary to
American ideals and policy Any congressman who rises
70 proclaim It forgets that he himself the offspring Of
immigrants and that everybody he knows either an
immigrant at some time in the past the descendant
Of immigrants. We all are similarly situated in that
respect The American people cosmopolitan in that
they from all nationaities and many races The
United States hitherto pride the open door
It has maintained for all decent peoples seeking freedom
under government and opportunity for greater ad-
vancement and happiness To cut off immigration you'd
be to deny to others the advantages which fore
fathers afforded.
AT time when workers Of foreign nationality are Ieav
ing the United States by thousands crowding every ship
to Europe and leaving factories railroads. mines and
farms crippled result the raising Of barrier against
immigration would be particularly poor policy. This
country IS handicapped labor and en-
pioy6Is are quite sufficiently har4Ssed IN trying to find
hands perform the labor that Americans commonly
avoid. They look to aliens to that worl and
to cut off immigration entirely would be to make their
difficulties infinitely worse.
The whole border district VIII be dead set against
resolution which would cut off the Mexican labor supply,
essential It is in many industries and occupations in
the southwest The farms, mines smeters and railroads
need Mexican laboTers They have fair supply but
permanent exclusion policy would that IN short
tine employers would have to look around for Americans
20 40 WORK livery W1o wants lOD
to have pro. chance at It, but how many Americans
want jobs sweeping the streets Of Fl Paso? How many
want 70 be section hands the Southern Pace7 How
many want 70 do the hard, common labor out at the
smsIter and how many want work the fields Of Texas
and Arizona and the Imperial valley Of California?
Work Of that kind is hard unpleasant and by its very
nature cannot command high wages. Americans Won't
It if they get any other kind Of work that pays
and offers better future. Employers have 70 look
foreigners the amean jobs" and for hard manual
labor generally.
The east needs them even more than we do. We en-
ploy Mexcans for certain classes Of work in the south
vest. The Mexicans glad to get the work and we
have It done and both satisfied Eastern mills
and factories use Savs Creeks Italians and aliens Of
many other natonaes The work IS to be done and not
enough Americans be found to do It Americans get
the better paid Jobs rule.
But whatever pressure there nay be for the enactment
Of legislation closing the doors immigration VII come
eastern members Of congress and their antpatl to
aliens has been cysaEed BY the steel STRIKE most of the
than 10000 participants in which said to be Of
asE blood They also claim that most Of the labor IN
fore to curb this possible of the
immigration Of foreigners who display It
But Il it is fact that the ignorance Of laboreis OF
foreign nationality lends itself readily to the Popa
patton strikes and Of anarchy, II must be
that the Of these evils IS to be found in ag
ators Of whom many call themselves Americans II j. not
considered good practice to depopulate city n order to
ire7ent disease germs from finding Judgment. t
It would be folly Of the worst kind to bar out al for
igners immigration should be surrounded BY retric-
ions Of course order keep out the undesirable ee
neuts and after immigrants into TINS country. ei
orts should be made to educate them and Asreanizs