Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1921-12-29
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2s, 1921.
IMMIGRATION NEEDS

One of the first questions due
for consideration by Congress.
when it reconvenes on January .,
is that OF immigration and the
passage OF laws governing the
same. This country is badly III
need OF a flexible. common-scnse
policy in this respect one which
will operate towards the selection
Of the right sort OF immigrants
and AT the same time will be elias
tic enough TO allow us TO stop all
immigration during periods when
we deem such action necessary.
All OF this without working un-
due hardship upon the immigrant.
The old laws, OF rather lack OF
laws, for almost. anyone could
enter the country, which regulat-
ed our immigration before the war
were proved faulty by the large
number of undcsirables that slip
ped into this country under It's
provisions and Congress repealed
them and passed a temporary.
emergency restrictive measure
governing immigration which
went into effect last June. Under
its provision we can admit each
wear. from any one foreign coun-
try. a number OF immigrants
equal to 5 per cent. Of the number
of the nationals of that country
residing in America. Tbs 3 per
cent. annual quota is. ascertained
and divided into IL monthly
quotas and only the number of
immigrants covered by the latter
figure are allowed to enter Amer
lea in any one month, Or CON
cretely, if a nation was allowed
1000 immigrants in August and
a ship landed this 1000 on the
morning OF August /. all other
immigrants who would arrive
later during the month would be
deported.
Ever since last June | when
this law went into effect the Am
erican public has been reading OF
races between immigrants bear
ing ships across the Atlantic to
arrive in New York in time for
their passengers to be included
in the quota allowance,-those
immigrants on the losing ship be-
ing forced to rcutrn to the land
from which they came.
This method of choosing immi-
grants makes the first qualitica-
ton of American citizenship a
speedy ship and at the same time
works a hardship upon the inn
migrant, Numbers of these after
selling everything they own in
Europe i'll order to pay their pas
sage money have crossed the
ocean only to be refused entry to
this country. Refused not be-
cause they are undesirable i'll any
way but merely because the ship
they sailed on happened to be
slow and their nations quota for
the month had been filed. This
sort OF thing is neither humane
nor intelligent, and should be rec
titled at once.
If we are To limit the number
of immigrants each year from any
one country let us take steps TO
have the prospective immigrant
examined in his home country be-
fore he sails and only allow the
steamship lines to bring. over
those who are assured OF en-
trance. This would do away with
the many heart-breaking scenes
which have taken place at Ellis
Island when families, friends, and
relatives have been separated due
10 the law now in force. and would
allow the nations representatives
abroad to make 4 more careful
and intelligent selection from
among the applicants for admit
lance than is now possible. The
work could be handled easily in
connection with the Various con-
,xsular Offices throughout the
world.
1t is to be hoped that Congress
sr-N take this matter under con