Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-19

Geneva. June 10.--Millions Of Euro
pcan workers are today anxiously and
impatiently knocking at Americas
closed doors for admittance to what they
still regard, in spite of Europe's $50
cialistic' transformation, as the prom
ised land of liberty and equal oppor.
tunities. They want to enlist in Amer.
ica's great industrial army, which is IN
sore need Of willing recruits. and Amer
ica will not let them enter. They have
waited so long in vain that they are
beginning to lose heart. and in their
disappointment and despair they ara
being driven to consider the alterna
tive of emigration to Russia, or even to
Japan, where they arc assured of the
welcome which America refuses to ex-
tend to them.
1t was generally believed that emf
grafton from Europe would be greatly
diminished or cease altogether after the
war. This opinion was based on the
natural assumption that the holoCausts
Of the battlefields would result in a crit
ical shortage of labor in Europe, and
that the newly won independence of
nations whom foreign oppression had
driven to emigrate in the past would
remove another principal cause of Euro
pean emigration. 1t is now established
that this calculation was erroneous.
The careful investigations which ] have
been making here justify the estimate
that from 5000 900 to 5000 900 work
ers at least are ready TO leave Europe
at a moments notice for America if
they are given the chance.
No Labor Shortage in Europe
Not only is there no labor shortage in
Europe in consequence of the war, but
there is in many countries an acute
crisis of Unemployment. In eastern Flu
rome economic distress is so great that
it outweighs national objections to emf
grafton even among the nations that
have regained their ancient freedom. 1t
may sound like "a paradox, but it is
nevertheless a fact that Europe is suf-
feripg more aCutely from the effects of
overpopulation today than it did in the
years before the great war.
European governments for some time
have been aware Of the surprising and
alarming circumstance that Europe,
after losing millions of men in battle.
is still dangerously overpopuatcd, and
far from discouraging or attempting to
place restriction on emigration to
America, as it was at first expected they
would do, they are anxious to facilitate
it as much as possible. Knowing that
American industries are today severely
handicapped in consequence of the stop
mage of emigration to America aud the
return of millions of immigrants from
America to Europe during the war, they
absolutely fail 10 comprehend the
negative attitude of the United States
authorities in this vital question. Re-
construction and economic recovery from
the effects of the war depend to n great
extent on the restoration of the balance
of labor power throughout the world.
It is pointed out here that America can
not fulfill her part in world rcConstruc-
ton IL her industries are crippled by
labor shortage, while unemployment
adds TO the many difficulties with which
shattered Europe is Contending. 1t
rests with America to relieve this para
doxical situation by delivering EurOpe
from its millions of unemployed workers
and re- enforcing American production
with their help, which until now has
been inexplcnbly refused.
Italy's Point OF View
A prominent italian Government Of
fetal with whom | discussed this prob-
lem recently, expressed the Italian poipt
of view as follows;
more than ever before. emigration
Is a vital question Tor Italy today. The
chief cause of the unrest that is nrc-
vailng in Italy is due to unemployment
1t Is the most natural and cxcusabIc
form of labor unrest, and has no con
nection with bolshevism, although bol.
shevism is undoubtedly seeking to Cx-
ploit Il for its own anarchic ends. Tbom-
sands of honest Italian workers, who
returned from America to Italy during
the war to fight for their country bnyo
been waiting, vainly for many months for
States and TO their old work. Tbe
| Italian Government, which ct first com /.
mitted the common error Of believing