The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-12-25

ton of immigration from southern
and eastern European countries,
more than doubled the proportion
OF the old time immigrants in the
movement, but otherwise the law
can hardly be said to have con-
tlbuted greatly toward a con-
struetlve immigration policy.
However, it seems to me that it is
safe cornerstone upon which a
more constructive policy may be
erected, for, by limiting numbers
beyond what might be called the
danger point, it has in my opinion,
opened the way for legislation
which will make possible better
selection of immigrants when there
is a renewed demand for alien la
Dor in the United States, as there
must be when the expected revival
of industry becomes a reality.
"The war as | have said, reduced
European immigration to a mini
mum and with the exception of
the fiscal year 1921, when some
what more than 100000 immi-
grant aliens were admitted there
has been nothing like a revival of
the pre-War movement. In the
meantime very large numbers of
former immigrants have returned
to Europe 50 that during the past
eight years tire has been COM
paratively small addition TO the i'm
migration working population in
the country. In view of the fact
that our labor in the past has been
largely performed by Europeans
it seems reasonable to suppose that
there will be a continuing need for
such labor in the future, and it
seems entirely reasonable to be-
Geve that when the demand for
immigrants comes again, and that
demand can be supplied only to a
very limited extent by southern
and eastern Europeans, the induce
ments will be such as to attract
immigrants of the Older or Nordic,
stock to the limit permitted by the
quota law. This, as already point
ed out, would result in a prepond-
erance of northern and western
Europeans in the incoming tide but
even then the number who could
respond to any demand in the
United States would be restricted
to Il comparatively small part of
the number who came during pros
porous years prior to the world
war. If there is a demand which
honestly exceeds the available
supply it would seem only right
that some provision be made for
supplying such excess demands and
such an addition would, it seems
to me. make it possible to develop
constructive immigration policy
based on q selection, not onl " to
meet the industrial needs ~of the
country, but also to permit OF a
quality selection which would con-
tribute TO the upbuilding, rather
than to. the possible undermining
of American citizenship, ideals and
institutions.
at is quite impossible to say
what effect, if any, the Dillingham;
law has had on the movement of
aliens out Of the United States.
This outward movement has con-
tinued in much the same proper
tions as in other years. The num-
Der leaving the country during the
fiscal years was 198,712. The total
number OF immigrant aliens adj
mitted the same period was 3O5,-
$50, leaving a permanent addition
to the population through immigra-
ton and emigration OF only no.
844.
"A casual inspection of the
statistics relative to the distribu-
ton of immigrants by states for
the past fiscal year indicated that
considerably large proportion have
gone to the western and agricul-
tural states than was the case for
many years prior to the war. This
il due, of course, to the increased
proportion of the Older type of i'm
migration in the movement for it
is a well known fact that while
the more recent immigrants have
largely congregated in the cities
and industrial districts the north
ern and western Europeans have
always become widely scattered
throughout the country and that a
far larger proportion of them have
found their way into agricultural
activities. If this trend continues,
as it promises to do, immigration
will in a corresponding degree be-
come less of a problem"