Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-27
immigration
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BY Frederic j. Haskin.

Washington, ID. g., Jan H.-For years
we have been welcoming tho immigrant
TO America. Now, 1t appears, we are about
To slfew him the cold shoulder In Congress
q strong sentiment IN favor Of restricting
| immigration has developed and restrict
i've legislation seems almost certain To
| pass
The cause Of this about~face in not far to
seek. IT lies in the spread throughout
Eastern Europe Of that form Of radical
socialism known by the name Of i'olshev-
| ism The very quarters from which We
might expect our heaviest immigration are
saturated with this political doctrine, the
essence of which is that private property
| in land and the meang of production
| should be abolished, and State ownership
of these utilities should supervene.
Ihle doctrine - especially repugnant to
| American capitalists and business men.
| I hey are the ones who have supported an
| open door policy with regard to Imnigra-
| ton because this policy supplied them with
| cheap labor. American Union Labor has
always been against unrestricted lmmIgra-
ton for the same reason that capital has
favorcd it namely, that II keeps wages
down With the dark cloud Of Bolshevlsm
looming large on the horizon, these two
prime forces in our national industrial
life suddenly find themselves 1T ono m
their opposition to immigration Congress
oi course, agrees with both o. them
The immediate reason assigned for
putting check upor immigration is
that We arc threatened with n surplus Of
labor, which should not be increased The
desire TO keep out the Bolshevlsts IS also
frequently mentioned.
REsTmCTIoN DESIRABLE
From the educational and scientific
viewpoints restriction uf immigration IS
most desirable We have undoubtedly
been importing human material faster
thnn we could asrimiIatc il In one draft
there were 10000 recruits that could not
speak English How, ask tho educators,
cnn you expect 10 operate a republic
founded Upon the sovereign intelligence of
the industrial voter, when q large per-
centago of the voters cannot even speak
the language Of the republic
Anthropologists have also been point
inc oll. for some time that the original
Angio-saxon blood, which made America,
Is being diluted with other bloods, which,
according to the scientists, are 81 inferior
quality. [ pom tho presence Of this un-
educated md radically inferior mass of
population, they would blame large
part Of our sociai and political troubles
There is a good deal Of difference of
opinion aa r. whether there will be any
heavy immigration to re tTIct Onc
school II observers. led by Frederick G.
Iinwe. maintains that tho movement VII
ie he other waY that thousands Of the
fnrcgn-horn IN this country will return to
Europe. attracted by the opportunity To
obtain lands the new libcrtlcs which are
being everywhere granted the people, and
tho immense works of reconstruction
which must he undertaken there
Temporary reafr cfion Of imported
labor appears essential in fairness - our
fighters These men arc deserving of ample
opportunity to rcinstate themselves in the
Industrial field without competition from
cheap immigrant labor This point seems
To be settled
How long i viii take the United states
to absorb Its unemployed and settle
down To normal condition IL the dis
puted question The bill originally draft
ed provides for exclusion of immigrants.
with i few unimportant exceptions, for
four years After that tImc, only a small
percentage based on he number Of nat1lr-
allied aliens III TINS country would be ad-
mtted.
rLE%rY or LABOR HERE.
There j. no doubt that the United
States viii have no need Tor incoming
labor during this year The American
Federation 81 Labor goes as far as 70
predict that our uployment situation
will be sufficiently serious 70 result III
bread lines by Nay The danger 0f wide
spread Unemployment + not an inbound
Ell slrTnise. Reports from labor centers
throughout the country show large num-
bers OF unemployed as i result OF closing
of war enterprises.
There ) considerable talk regarding
the coming era of prosperity To be brought
about through the great amount Of work
70 be done. so far the country seems 10 be
waiting Tor the high cost ii everything
10 20 down. and for the actual signing 8f
peace. Increasing demands on the Julted
States rs producing nation viii employ
many more workers than ever before, bat
the call for extra labor will come SLOWLY
Students OF immigration problems are
expressing varied opinions aS 10 the type of
Immigrant that would come 10 the Uuitei
states uow II all bars on Immigration were
Il down
Some observers claim that the in.-
migrant type will change from the laborer
to the small professional man and trades
man. Undoubtedly such persons would be
amalgamated into American hfc more
readily than the day laborer. Yet the
coming OF new stock of small doctors,
lawyers and merchants all consumers
into a land already oyercrowded with
these classes would be a doubtful blessing.
Besides our point of view. the man
power situation of Europe should be taken
INTO account. War losses have cut down
the population Of Europe so that every
able bodied man Is more than ever a
valuable asset to his State Even in over
crowded Italy there Will not be Is much
as before the war. Ii Is
quite possible that European countries
may legislate 80 rs to prevent the enigra-
ton OF their Young men who have escaped
disability through war. These men are the
hope of their countries for reconstruction
II IS not unfair to Europe that the United
States should suspend immigration at this
time, some urge, for it is the part OF these
people to restore their own countries to
order and prosperity instead Of shirking
by escaping to another land
4