The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1922-07-03
immigration Question
One OF Nation Most
Important Problems

found to be substantially true, and
as a result we have now on our
statute books a restrictive law which
will permit to come into our country
q maximum of $4,000 people in one
year. 1t is the administration of that
law which makes the task of the
Secretary of Labor a difficult one.''
America Is Loser.
Davis says that there is no doubt
but that the change in the type OF
immigration of the last few years is
a distinct loss to America.
Some of our greatest figures" he
says, have been immigrants who
performed, in return for the privilege
of citizenship, the most brilliant and
useful services to the nation. They
have been great soldiers and pup
tains of industry, like Andrew Car
negie; great financieTs and phf1an-
thropists. like the late Jacob H.
Schiff- 1t has happened in my own
case to enter at the United States i'm
migration station at Ellis Island and
40 years afterward to be charged
with the responsibility of directing
all the immigration stations. To this
day no one knows which one of the
thousands of newcomers streaming
into the country every year will turn
out to be some heaven-sent genius
who will bring great ideas for the
improvement of our land
1t is the belief of Secretary Davis
that the poverty and depression else
where in the world, as a result of the
war, would have sent to America a
tide of immigration Overwhelmingly
greater than anything that stands in
our past records.
This deluge OF stricken people,
accustomed to lower standard of
accept almost any wage, would have
been a grave danger to our country
at any time" he asserted.
cat a time of business depression
and unemp1oyme such as we have
had in the past year and a half the
danger would have been colossal.
Danger Is Averted.
Fortunately the danger was seen
nearly in time but not quite. The
danger itself was avered; the tide
of immigration was cut down to the
safety point. But the law itself had
to be drafted in some haste. Had
sufficient time been allowed certain
elects in the law might have oeen
foreseen and corrected. These need
ed corrections now are being added
that a great threat TO the country
has been warded off in time"
Davis explained that the so-called
three per cent law derives its name
from the fact that it limits the immi-
grants for the year from any foreign
country to per cent of the total
| number of people of the same nation
atty who are already in America, as
determined by the census of 10.
Scores Steamship Company.
The Labor Secretary scored Ger
| tain steamship compa MES who, in
| their greed to secure immigrants
| fagrantly violated the law.
Two and sometimes three com
peting companies have each at times
| packed ship with a full allotment
of immigrants from some nation," he
said 1T is obvious that only one
| shipload of these immigrants could
| be landed, and the rival ships have
raced across the ocean. each speed
| ing to make sure of being the first
| to arrive, and of course the only one
| to land it's allotment of aliens. 1t is
| equally obvious that the immigrants
on the beaten ship or ships. after
| perhaps having sold their homes and
| invested their all in a ticket t.
| Amer must be turned back tic
| Europe, homeless and without d
penny"
According to Secretary Davis, some
of these cases of the deporting ~<of
| aliens are genuinely distressing
| Wherever he could Secretary Davis
! stretched a point. as It has been his
aim to administer the law humanely
| and to let the doubtful alien stay II
| this country whenever it was posi-
BILE without violating the laws. But
| in countless cases, he pointed out
where an alien is subject to deporta-
! ton. the d .stressful circumstances
| surrounding the case have beer
worked up for the express purpose
| of stirring public synpathy and fore
| ing the Secretary of Labor to STRAIN
| the law and withhold deportation.