New-York tribune., 1919-01-30
Labor's Wall


The cornerstone Of new nationalism
Slipped gently into place this week under
the trowcl of the House Committee on
immigration Liberals will call it cX-
clusonism. There hal been many hear
inss and much prognostication. Talk
angcd from panc-cries over unemploy-
ment to the assertion by the Director of
the Federal Employment Service that
most of the 100000 Austrian and Ger
man prisoners held in Italy were tugging
AZ the barbed wire in their eagerness to
flee across the water to America. Final
t., the committee agreed upon and re-
ported to the House bill placing a ban
for four years upon the immigration of
labor. The Oriental has long stood out
side the Golden Gate Now the Occi-
dental watches the completion Of Ameri-
can labors Chinese Wall
The men who have broached the new
aatioualism-S Samuel Gompers and the
delegation of the A. f. Of L-are now in
Europe discussing international legisla-
tlon and agreements of various sorts
They have refused to nave anything to
90 with the large radical labor elements
which, headed by Arthur Henderson, are
o meet With Socialist delegations at
Bcrne. Perhaps it is just as well not to
try to explain four-year exclusion act
10 "internationalists. But it won't be
much easier to explain it to the so-caled
conservative labor leaders with whom
the Americans are associated. George
Nicoll Barnes, labor representative on
the British peace delegation, has prompt
ly registered his objections That
American labor is not International
minded is no new discovery 1t never
was
Labor itself, and the Congressman who
back the bill, have very definite ideas
about exclusion. Men like Commissioner
Lynch of the New York State Industrial
Commission. believe that America should
be protected from the added load of
million immigrants year in the coming
years of reconstruction TO them the
immigration ban is simply an insurance
policy against eventualities. With many
labor leaders, however, restriction on
immigration goes deep down to an old
theory Capital, they have long main
tanned, has been protected by the tariff
wall. The tariff has kept up American
prices as il developed American indus
try. Labor claims-and has long claimed
the same protection that the manu-
facturer has had. If prices of manu-
facturcd articles are to be kept up by a
.2rfT 1C,it;11. fox =.
rot the price Of labor
There Is one source Of opposition to
nc measure that VIC think utterly un-
sound. That is the argument of the in
'ernationaliSt that some sort of Joint
control Of labor movement will result
from the Paris conference which this law
might contravenc. Not for an instant
mould this country consider the yielding
OF control over this domestic question to
any international body Whatsoever. TO
90 so would be to surrender a power
"hch might become of vital concern to
our national safety, and is already. in
the minds of many, as the present pro-
Poseo legislation shows, needed safe
guard.
one point we think all can agree on.
nat IS that the question of nationality.
or Americanization. is not one that we
can AFFORD to take chances on. 1t is not
necessary to show to certainty that
dangerous cross-currents will be set Nm
Wy continued immigration to justify
'ne proposed la" If probability Of
confusion. of weakened patriotism. cx-
'Sted that would be enough.