Norwich bulletin., 1922-09-20
Humanity in Government
By James ;. Davas, Secretary of I.abor
ON GUARD AT THE GATES.

time IS at most a clumsy piece of f,la- l chinery and i'll adapted to our needs. It | IS time that we ourselves had something to say, if we are to continue to rely up- on alien labor for development of oI1r resources, about the kind of enigrant | to be given the privilege of taking part In our national affairs. Instead of the passport given by foreign governments we should set standard, and those quail med to be determined on the other side | giving our certificate of qualification to | those entitled to admission. To accom- plish this purpose I have ready for in | treduction at the next session of congress bill providing for the examination of | prospective emigrants giving the follow ! ing tests:
 1--Bloed, to deternube the general con | dition of health, latent diseases, etc. | z--Ph hysieal, physical inventory of | the strength and condition, brawn and l muscle, affecting. ability to earn a llv- l ing. S-Mental. that our public institutions | may not be filled with men, women and | children to whom we owe no national | duty, while our own are not properly 1 cared for. But further, still that our good American blood shall not become polluted with imbecility insanity and idi- l Iocy. We must keep the American race sturdy in mind as well as in body. 4Character; this is not least, for no matter what examination might be given at our ports of entry we could not be assured that the immigrant was not a l criminal, teacher or believer in an- archy or an immoral person. By hav- | ing our own representative verify the standing of a prospective emigrant in 1 his home community we can very nearly l determine the kind of a citizen we may | expect to make of him; and if he doesn't measure up after he gets here, all will 1 agree with me that he should be sent back to the country from which he came. l Besides the very important departure l from present laws in giving America the right to choose her own future residents I two other good results will be achieved. | First, it will prevent the breaking up of homes and families, all or part of | which might be found knadmfsssble up- Ton. arrival and second, 1t would give
 us a record of the individual upon which our programme for Americanization and education could be intelIigently based, I Better immigration should be the watch word for it means better citizenship and I better institutions.
 I In none of it's wide activities does our government come more closely in touch with the human individual than in the
 work of the immigration bureau. An amending procession of all the tribes of
 earth. old and young, rich and poor ed-
 ucated and illiterate files before the irn-
 migration officials seeking the political and economic freedom of opportunity } which all the world has learned can be } had in America. From the long valleys Of the yolga and Done, the Danube and the Pc, the Tgris and the Euphrateg ' come stFang figures, bringing with them strange gods and unknown rites. Hu- | rifY a ffQ and ffS iQ in this throng. Upon the immigration bureau rests the grave responsibility of l making sure that only those who are ? worthy of American opportunity are al-
 lowed to enter.
 ei In large measure ultimate respensibili- Ill ty in cases where immigrants are order a ed excluded rests solely upon the sec :, retary of labor. If, on primary inspee- ton at port of entry an alien is not . beyond doubt entitled to land his case e Is referred to what is called a Board of 6 Special Inquiry. From the decision of e this board in certain excluding cases, the s alien has the right of appeal, and this q appeal can be passed on, under the law a 1 only the secretary of labor himself. From
 one to two thousand of these cases
 monthly come to the desk of the secre- '- tary. To facilitate their disposition he Q has organized a, special board at Ellis e Island, the New York immigration sta = tion, where the greatest number of i'm il migrants land. and Board of Review l. at Washington, which reviews the evi # dence i'll cases appealed to the secretary 4 Under a recent law second assistaAi secretary os labor has been appointed - and his duties are almost entirely con
 fined to expediting the work of the i'm
 migration bureau.
 But upon the secretary himself rest lel the ultimate verdict. To him in the bald ali record of the evidence in these cases
 come men whose shoulders, bent beneatl
 the burden of old-age oppression in foreigl ,a countries, women bereft of all comfort !, and holding alone to the hope of bette r things in the land, of opportunity, ehil
 dren who with outstretched hands ant
 tear stained faces plead for refuge ant y a home Here, indeed, are tales to teHcl to the heartstrings and harrow up the soul
 Here must all the urgings of pity, ehari
 ty-aye of common humanity-te b Id weighed in the balance with the strict re ne ouirements of the law Here must tn
 | cold. hard legic of precedent and pre-
 eePt sometimes yield a little to h1lma a sympathy.
 In one class of eases the law canno AA be too strictly read, nor tea rigidiy er
 forced. These are the appeals of craft
 missionaries of foreign hate, and apostle " of the destruction of law and order, wh ad seek admission to America in order { a! preach the downfall of our institution
 With these we can hold no truce, wit i'd their aims we can find no synpath, he Many of these. brave in their gnenace .- all that America holds dear. yoiee the
 destructive faith in accounts of yieient fv and hate. Others seek subtly to evad '. the law and mystify it's agents. pleediH .a ltechnicaIities and striving by devlOy st- word juggling to conceal their bitter c,
 mity to American principals Here u
 duty and service of the Department Iat Labor to the nation is clear. hold tn eG no man deserves our aid and support vi .hel falls to embrace those fundamentals ul
 on which our 2ceefakhers nuil6ed tn
 us4iun. I anAzt that all AnAestcanB nu .haE hold fa4th in these things; the right
 < proAsction of fife liberty and prcpsft .A-I the rsght of contract and the right Of fl labor Upon thess principles rests |
 whole fabric of our government. al
 the happiness and progress of oar pc es pie would deny cur help to an mi lch and an nations who oppose them. a Back Of the Department of Labor in ] ant handling of this vast pFo0iam is inn
 grafton there is always the stztuto
 lynandate which imposes upon the depal ,,.z knent the duty of promoting ths welfa - E of the American wage eafnes And " 4oskSraszfse5s ff4f4 4s4f f1sss sssS rf7ssz4,f