The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-02-01
ALIEN BILL
is ADDED TO
Senate JAM
Measure to Restrict Immigra-
ton Ought to Come Out Of
Senate Committee Prompt
ly, says Mark Sullivan.
IS A PERMANENT PLAN
BY MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON, D.. c.. Feb. Ito
the almost hopeless jam in which the
senate is involved one more important
bill will be added this week. The bill
to restrict immigration ought to come
out of the senate committee promptly.
This committee has had custody of the
bill for more than six weeks that have
elapsed since the bill passed the house
on Dec. 12.
The bill that will come out of the
senate will be utterly different from
the bill the house passed The house
bill aimed at meeting an emergency,
and provided for a practically com
plete suspension for one year, during
which it was planned to draft another
measure which should express our
permanent immigration policy.
Permanent Plan.
The senate bill will assume that
there is no emergency, and will eX-
press permanent plan for regulating
immigration. The principle of it is
wholly new and consists of limiting
the immigration from any one country
to five percent, .of the number of i'm
migrants of that nationality already
here.
The intention is to change the one
sided character that our immigration
has had in recent years. Previous to
20 years ago the bulk of our immi-
grants came from western and north
ern Europe. England. Ireland, Wales,
Sweden, Norway, Germany and Den
mark. Recently that source of immi-
grafton has been eclipsed by increas-
ing quantities from eastern and south
ern Europe, Russia, Roumania. Aus
tria, Italy, Servia, Greece and Turkey.
Five Per Cent Rule.
The senate bill taking as a basis
for example the large number of per-
sons of British stock already here,
and permitting five per cent of that
number to enter in one year, would
make room for as many immigrants
of that stock as are likely to wish to
come.
But in the case of the countries of
southeastern Europe, the five per cent
rule would admit many fewer than the
number who would like to come. For
example, from 1910 until 1916 the
average imm grafton from Russia was
-l1,UUU ne I'VE per cent rule WOulu
reduce this to sc, 600 year. Similarly
the annual immigration from Italy has
heen 221,O00, and the proposed rule
would reduce this to $4,000 in any
one year.
Involves Debate.
Regardless of the merit of this SEN
ate bill the effect of introducing
wholly new bill is likely to be the
passage of no bill at all, as the con-
sideration of the senate bill will in
volve several days of debate. Fur
thermore, since the Senate's bill is so
completely different from the house
bill already passed conference be-
tween the two houses will be neces
sary. That will consume time. The
necessity of repassing in each house
whatever may come out of the con
ference as compromise will consume
more time.
Since fewer than 27 days of the
present session now remain. and since
the calendar of the senate is already
crowded with bills that have earnest
advocates, the likelihood is that the
whole subject of immigration will be
thrown into the discard This delay
on the part of the senate is the sub
ject of much blame from the advo-
Gates of the bill in the house.
The house wrote the bill. debated
it, amended it twice. and passed it all
within six days of the opening of the
session on Dec 6. In more than eight
weeks the senate has made no pro-
gress except the holding of few
days hearing by the senate commit
tee In the house the demand for the
bill is overwhelming. In it's final pas
sage the house vote was 293 to Al.
Copyright 1921 by the New York
Evening Post, InC)