The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-26
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER %. 1920.
The Ques ton of Immigration.

me question OF immigration.
With the tide of immigration to
these shores flooding full, wide cry
is raised against immigration with a
demand that the Government at once
pass laws closing our hitherto hos
pitable doors to the world.
Chief among the advocates Of such
action by Congress is organized labor.
The reason for its attitude is per
iectly clear. The law Of supply and
demand applies the same in the labor
market as it does in merchandise.
With merchandise in excess of the
demand, the price goes down: with
The demand in excess of the supply.
the price goes up. so too with labor.
When there are more Jobs than there
are men to fill them. the wage scars
high; when there are more men than
there are jobs for them. the wage
drops to Il level that superinduces
more jobs.
Without foreign labor who will do
our work, the work that falls TO the
hands Of unskilled labor to do? Who
viii dig our bitches. run our farms,
build our highways, build our rail-
roads, dig the graves for our dead
and bury them if we shut out foreign
labor?
The American public school and
labor Of the unskilled grade are ut
terly antagonistic. The boy that goes
through our public schools. and all
American boys of whatever parentage,
foreign or American. go through them,
VIII not become day laborer. The
Dick and the axe are abhorrent 10
him. He turns his back upon such
employment and holds himself supe-
rior TO the man who thus with be-
coming simplicity earns his living.
Manual labor is foundational in the
scheme of civilization. We can get
along without books and. without
newspapers and without automobiles
ind without costly finery. but we can
not get along without aqueducts and
highways and agriculture and bricks
and mortar and without the work
that falls generally to unskilled hands
70 do.
England, France, Germany. Austria,
Italy and all other European coun-
tries, as well as all other countries of
fhe world save America, largely or
wholly produce their own labor.
america alone is pauper in this re
syect.
Ever since the early days of our
national development we have de-
pended upon the Old World and upon
our colored race for our labor. In re.
spect Of unskilled labor we are a
bankrupt people. and yet in country
" this size Il is obvious that there Is
vast work in the aggregate for the
hewers Of wool and the drawers Of
svater--for the mon ana for the
women who are not too proud 20 work
with their hands in the simpler occu.
pations of life.
Prior To 1914 the influx of immigra
tlon was large enough TO meet our
ever increasing demands for labor
But during the five years Of war i'm
migration ceased altogether and i'm
migrants returned 10 their native
countries by thes hundreds of thou
sands. Hence our shortage of labor
and the grotesque prices we are now
paying 10 the wlelders Of The pick anc
the shovel.
In view ~ our national bankruptcy
IN the matter of labor where would
we find the labor necessary in the out
working Of our scheme Of civilization
II we were to yield TO the demand OF
organized labor and shut out all immi
grafton? 1t Is certain that the mer
comprising the great aggregate forces
OF organized labor would be quite al
sick ut heart to see their sons march
ting with pick and shovel in the rank
ot the day laborer ms would any othe
body Of our citizens.
II helps ones viewpoint 70 take thes'
things home with him and think. By
50 doing he gets better understand
ing of the problems of our natIona
life Of which he Is part.
AZ immigrants, To he sure are no
iaborers. The great preponderanc'
are laborers. and every immigran
still young in years, Of Drawn AM
fbre and willing hands and right pur
poses. brings to America an asset o
very real value. We need such met
and we especially need them on on
farms.
Our old Colonial stock is CONSTANT!