New Mexico state record., 1921-03-04
By EDWARD 3. CLARK.

BY EDwAhO .. SlAhN.
Washington-The flood of immigra-
tion is to be damned, temporarily at
least The damming will be accoIn'
pl!shed, no matter which bill, that OF
the house or that of the senate, con
gless finally shall pass.
1t is possible, of course, that the
legislation may not get ON to the stat
ute books as the result of action 10y
the present congress, but IT is known
that if failure shall meet the attempt
10 pass the measure and TO have II
signed by the President before March
4, 1t will be taken up again ana
pressed for passage as soon as the
next congress assemblies in eXtraor-
binary session.
An act of the house of representa-
tives known as the Johnson bill con-
tained provision TO stop all imlni-
grafton for one year. When the bill
reached the senate opposition TO the
total stoppage provision developed
Instantly. The senate committee on
immigration refused to sanction COM
plete temporary prohibition of iin-
migrants by vote of five to four. and
then the committee proceeded to adopt
an amendment which IL Is said makes
the measure even more drastic than
II would be with the Johnson provision
Incorporated.
The senate committee proposes 10
put o per cent limit on incoming
aliens. This means that immigrants
from any country shall be admitted
only TO the number Of per cent of the
total Of the number of aliens now In
the United States from the particular
country affected.
Percentage Plan Has Good Chance.
For a long time Senator Dillingham;
OF Vermont has been the advocate of
this percentage limitation. He has
held that under his plan no nation
could complain that another nation
was being favored and that with the
per cent limit immigration would be
SO checked that the Amercanization
OF the lncomers would be an easier
process. For n long time the senate
has been thinking on this percentage
limitation.
OF course it may be that the senate
friends of the johnson absolute pro-
hibitlon clause will be able in open
senate TO reject the per cent limit
provision and secure the adoption of
the house proposal, but today 1t looks
as If the percentage plan will he ac-
cepted by the senate and that the
house will agree thereto.
There has been much bitterness over
this immigration legislation. 1t has
been charged, for instance, that the
senate did not desire absolute and i'm
mediate prohibition of immigration be-
cause the great corporations of the
country had declared that under the
provisions Of such measure they
would not be able to get labor to carry
on their activities.
To offset this charge the senate op-
ponents of the house provision for cut
ting of all immigration temporarily
declared that the per cent Limitation
would go farther In keeping out i'm
migrants than the Johnson provision
itself This answer TO criticism had
for Its basis the fact that the 8 per
cent limitation concerns itself with
all prospective immigrants, while un-
der the Johnson measure there were
provisions which would admit some
or the dependents and members of
the families of immigrants now In this
country.
Country Demands Restriction.
II became apparent in the senate
that because of the great problems of
Americanization, and because of things
that happened among our nlien popula-
tion during the time we were at war.
the country was In a mood to demand
drastic legislation. II seems possible
that If the senate had not come to a
realizing sense Of this condition IL
would have refused to sanction even
the per cent limitation. and would
have cOntented itself with putting cer- /
tam restrictions on immigration in
addition TO those now existing. but
restrictions which the house has main-
ldihtu nun AiIS HlSl NOulu III no sense I
restrict.
From the very first there WIS n
sharp difference of opinion between |
the two houses of congress on the sub. !
ject. Under the . per cent Limitation |
clause which the senate committee has
reported the general feeling is that the
flood Of immigration will be damned
and that the small leak in the dam
will not be enough to 'let much water
through"
Pray for Pleasant March q.
Inauguration day is, SO TO sneak
just over the Potomac hills. the crests
Of which will be watched at dawn
by the residents of Washington for
the signs of weather." for most good
weather comes from tho
In which the hills lie.
of course, as everybody knows. there
are to be no great doings on Inaugural
ton day except the greatest of all do
ings, the induction into office of n
President of the United States. How
ever, the good folk hereabout are pray