The New York herald., 1922-04-02
Why Europe Leaves Home

Mr.. Roberts brings out very clear
ly that the vast majority OF thi,
threatening flood is Jewish, whether
it. comes from Poland and is admit
ted under the Polish quota" OF our
present percentage law or from the
great reservoirs of the farther south,
via Fiume, or across the continent to
French ports. It is misleading to
label it as Rumanian. Jugo- Slav.
Czecho-Slovak, &C., as far more than
a majority of 1t is Jewish. "The
report" says Mr.. Roberts. that
million Jews are seeking To come TO
the United States is ex-
tremely conservative" And under
the present classifcations they are
coming, as fast as the law lets them.
under the title of Poles or Ruma-
mans. or even Turks and Austrians.
There is no doubt about Mr.. Rob-
erts's facts here.
In conversation with NJ. Jacques
Chapira, head of the Paris office OF
the Hebrew Immigration Aid Soci-
ETY., Mr.. Roberts reports that Mr..
Chapira declared America could
take In fifty million more immigrants
and never notice them." He further
quotes MIR. Chapira as saying:
America must keep her doors open
for the sake of humanity. The Statue
OF Liberty signifies that America
offers protection to those who suffer
| in other lands" &c.
But-does it? Mr.. Roberts retorts
TO this and other similar arguments
that it is pure fiapdoodle." In
elegant. maybe: but 1t tells a good
deal OF truth. He adds:
I'VE are not obligated to take in
these people any more than we are
obligated to dig half the unexploded
shells out of the batuefelds OF Eu-
rope and bury them in our own farm
lands for our own plowshares aISf
harrows to explode"
| He also punctures such inflated
assertions as that recently attributed
to Mr.. Paul Warburg. who Is quoted
as saying that .the strongest and
best man material of Europe comes
here" There was a time-flfty
years ago-when that was true, but
Mr.. Roberts is justified in replying,
as he does:
''This is emphatically not
true to-day. The emigrants who are
passing through the northern Euro
pean ports are, as far as the great
majority of them are concerned. the
weakest and poorest man material
Of Europe.
And after they get here, even
under the most favoring circum-
stances. they remain a parasitic
growth.
! Mr.. Roberts proposes remedial
legislation aimed to regulate the in
now so as to select only those actu-
ally ut and those whose work is
needed here. It is an Ingenious pIan
that might work. especially IL &c
could be lifted out of the realm of
party politics. But with things a,
they are. 1t needs violent optimist
to foresee any such relief.
Remaining chapters Of the book
deal picturesquely with the exodus
from Bolshevist Russia. the unhappy
lot OF the refugees and their Door
outlook. He also deals vigorously
with Constantine OF Greece and with
the existing muddle there. He has
a poor opinion Of the modern Greek.
/ Finally he tails off the book with
"a bit of pure prohibition propaganda.
much of which Is simply sheer nom
sense, and most of which has not
even the redeeming virtue OF being
funny. His pictures of England as
drowned in beer and Of Scotland
overfull OF Scotch are mere gro
tesques. $40
The book as whole, however. win
amply repay study. 1t is fortunate
that it has already had a wide peri-
odical circulation. and one may hope
that the book will carry still fur
ther, 1t is intended to arouse dis
cussion. 1t will excite angry ami
mosities. But it may, conceivably
have some sound influence in tbe
making Of better restrictive immi.