Norwich bulletin., 1922-11-15
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Seleetive Immigration,

MT. Editor: More than 80 years ago, thoughtful and observant persons IY- ing near the great ports of entry had no ticed great change in the source and type of the immigrants who came from the south and east of Europe, instead of the northwest, and settled chiefly in ors near the great cities. Largely illiterate they did not distribute themselves intel lgently, where they were most needed, or best adapted to the work, and consequent ly were liable to peonage, semi-slavery under contract labor. Hence law was passed against admitting immigrants who had come in under contract; and as the number of those incapable of earning their own living had already become burdensome to the cities of the east, a league was formed in 1894, to prevent immigration of undesirabIes. In 1897, a literacy test bill was passed, in view of the, fact that the ilDterate nations also included the major part of the most brutal bloody, and incendiary undesir- ables. Yet people of ilhterate nations and politicians who cater in hopes of catching their future votes have fought against any restriction; even the slight | reading test, though passed repeatedly through congress, was held up for 20 years, 0hough disputed was educational, 1 both here and abroad) before congress mustered courage to pass the bill over veto, in t917. It did exclude a large proportion of feeble-minded criminal and l immoral, yet in practice was too easy to keep out fairly intelligent rogues, who
 are shrewd enough to invest a few
 weeks of study, for the sake of obtain 1 ing access to the rich plunder of Ameri- can cities; as shown by the fact that : in <19lsn of, a total immigration of 141,132, I I AJvOl115 5o1
 ability 9ameet the test.
 | For S&efeffect of the test abroad had been to Impress the illiterate peoples with tn importance of at least elementary ed. ucat4on note, for instance, the facts oi the Italian government in favor of ele- nentary schools, and for bringing Iabout the attendance of children upon them.
 And the stimulated study of imnigra. , ton for year convinced solid thinker, that quantitatiYe limitation of the new immigration was needed. The Dilling
 ham bill, based on limitation by pel cent. of those of each nationality alreadJ
 in the country, beginning in 1910 at ter
 per cent. after investigation for ter years-was reduced under Johnson leadership, first to ,, and finally passed in 1920 at per cent. fercely opposed by those who fear it, because they ar 3 conscious that they are not SO necessar, f to our benefit as we are to theirs. Al
 an expert on the question says, 9Th ! present immigration is not eager to d.
 the work which America most needs t
 have done :" but too often, to live of the country, yet through the cities, t
 which they grakitate. One special fel . of their exploitation is expressed in tn . title of recent article in Golfers: ITO f Many Retail Dealers" by whose toll upo I produce in Greater New York, cause
 that which can be bought at AT cents a
 the wharYes, to cost dollar by the tim
 it reaches the consumer. The cities nee a "delousing' of useless occupations fo l the major part of these middlemen coul
 be dispensed with if there were bubli
 makrets where producer and consume
 might meet. Yet they nu.tiply unt
 they crowd the weaker of their own t
 the wail Not producers, but parasite. ; all feed and fatten on the body of th public.
 What we need is a selection at th e port of embarkation in the old country $ those immigrants only who will be a
 asset, not liability, to the United State ,- New Haven, Nov. Il, 1922.