The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-03-30
No immigration Holiday.

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THE New York HERALD does not
find itself in accord with Mrs. LILLIAN
RUSSELL MooRE's report to the Gov
eminent on her investigation in
Europe OF the immigrants coming to
America, wherein she recommends a
five year holiday from letting any of
them in at all. Mrs. MOORE declares
the reason for shutting them all out is
that those who have been coming
here in recent years are for the most
part mentally and physically unfit.
But were this the case, and we think
it is not the case, the remedy already
exists in the adequate, explicit laws
to exclude all such undesirables.
Obviously IL lax and faithless adj
ministration of existing laws against
undesirables let's In floods of them,
the place to begin the reforming is
not where the legislation ends but
where the enforcement OF it begins.
And obviously if undesirable immi-
grants can now slip past negligent or
corrupt officials at will, any kind of
immigrants could slip past such Off
Gals, no matter what the laws.
What Mrs. MOORE does not seem to
consider is that this country must
keen its doors open to ablebodied,
willing workers from abroad or it
will have no way to get it's manual
labor done. What THE New York
HERALD said on this question on No
vember 26, 1920, is as true to-day
as it was then and it will be as true
for years to come, as follows.
without foreign labor who win
do our work, the work that falls to
the hands Of unskilled labor to do?
Who will dig our bitches, run our
farms. build our railroads. build
our highways IL we shut out foreign
labor?
1.-THE American public school and
labor of the unslSilled grade are ut
terly antagonistic. The boy that
goes through our public schools.
and American boys of whatever par
entage, foreign or American. go
through them, will not become day
laborer. The pick and the ak arc
abhorrent to him. He turns his back
upon such employment and holds
himself superior to the man who
thus with becoming simplicity earns
his living.
Manual labor Is foundational IN
the scheme OF civilization. We can
get along without books and with
out newspapers and without automo-
biles and without costly finery. but
we cannot get along without aque-
ducts and highways and agriculture
and brick and mortar and without
the work that falls generally to I'M
skilled hands to do"
Whoever it is that discusses the
question Of restricting immigration
wants to keep in mind the ever pres
ent and pressing need of plain labor,
without which this country cannot
get along. At the same time he wants
to face the plain truth that to keep
out the criminals, cripples, paupers,
lunatics and degenerates always
awaiting shipment to our shores by
those anxious to get rid OF them calls
for no Chinese wall against the immi.
grants that are desirable and neces.
sary to our work and progress. When
the Government authorities get on
their jobs and enforce the laws against
the unfit every one Of the criminals,
lunatics and other undesirables can
be shut out. Then we shall not have
to worry about the others that come
In to work. We shall have to worry
only II they don't come in.
Every immigrant sound OF body
and sound OF mind, with a right
heart and will to work, is an i'm
portant asset to the nation. America
cannot get along without such men
America cannot have too many sturdy
men and too many sturdy families OF
the right sort.