El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-06-17
IT IS A MISTAKE TO D A MI
THE STREAM OF IMMIGRATION

IT IS unwss to restrict the admission Of healthy imi-
giants who able and wiling to work America ought
to welcome the accession Of able bodied men and women
and healthy children unless the immigrants be known 70 De
personally undesirable The presumption Of title to ao1s-
sion ought always to be n the immigrants s@yoT and no
able bodied and healthy adult or normal child should De
turned back from the United States Only the diseased
defective in body or mind should be barred
Poverty should be bar, provided the immigrant Be Of
tie rizht sort physically and normal mentally. Work is
abundant All who VIII ther hands TO IT. and be who
IN America Hpauper' today nay be entirely sell
supporting tomorrow If be has the wiz to work Poverty
Of immigrants has nothing to do with their fitness to Be
admitted Nor should the possession OF given sum Of
money admit any immigrant who is not IN an respects
acceptable.
Ability 70 read ard write does not denote that imm
grant deserves admission unless al other conditions be
met and total teIacy, that is inability either to read
write N any language, should be no bar to admission
Of immigrant otherwise fitted
The idea that inability 70 read write should Of itself
bar alien from admission TO the country is taaeous
uteracy is crime and It has no bearing On the moral
physical rating Of individual iteraey among Mex
leans amozE Europeans Of less advanced states re-
fleets lack Of opportunity TO gain an education, and does
woman to reside in the United States.
nlitsracy among native Americans in the old states
white families whose American psdgrees run back Ior cen
turss is seandalously common Without considering me
negroes the percentage Of iteraey among Americans OF
military age higher than the percentage IN any European
country. uhteracy among white Americans o. military
age and among grown women is even more common among
those families whose stock has long been rooted in America
than among families Of foreign birth OF only generation
or two from foreign soil Not only among farm laborers
but among skilled iaboTers IN many trades, hteracy IS
COMMON.
Iteracy is no crime but there is an element Of Grim
inay our neglect Of the ierates, whether they be
IN families Of old American stock, among recent ini-
grants. The duty Of America is to instruct the ihterate
immigrants the language and customs Of the country
the elements Of American history and government
this duty extends Of to native Americans also, and
By limited to the young There great need
f0r schools for adults where grown and women, native
BON foreign born might Learn the rudiments Of an
branches that the children Of the better favored families
gain knowledge Of as matter Of course.
America needs millions Of lab0rers needs them right
and seriously embarrassed for lack Of them America
needs aborers the fields the railroads. in mines and
all industries, ships and wharves in forests the
ranches, and IN cities for the vide range o. tasks requiring
human physical energy at moderate rates Of pay.
Il Is shortsighted policy On the part Of the American
Federation Of Labor and other organizations TO attempt 70
dam the stream Of immigration thinking to corner the
labor market and raise wages indefinitely The millions Of
and organized il unions Of skilled workers
far dependent than they 70 realize, upo- the
constant supply Of unssd labor The skilled and highly
organized and vel paid workers disdain labor, do
not seek such work and would refuse il if offered yet IN
dusry and commerce depend upon the supply Of common
labor ast they depend mechanical power supply Of
raV materials, and the Of land.
There should be continued supervision and control Of
Immigrants for considerable period after their arrival
Aliens who do not become self supporting IN reasonable
tne, aliens who VIII not work aliens who Try to destroy
American institutions, should be dsportsd
But It gross faacy 70 hold that the ability 70 read
and write fits for American citizenship. As matter
Of fact the most dangerous immigrants often the best
educated, IN the ordinary Of the term The aliens