South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-07-10

of war have caused emidemics Of
d. sease and starvation Growing
babes and children have been I'M
dernourished and improperly cared
for, resulting in physical and mental
cripples. Hearing Of the better con-
ditions IN America, they decided 20
abandon their own countries-to
shirk their responsibilities and seek
a better condition which the sturdier
character of the better peoples of
their races helped 10 build up in
our New World in the years gone
by.
"a little more than a year ago u
became evident to observers here
that these lowest types OF the coun-
tries OF Europe and Asia were pre-
pairing to move, almost en- masse. TO
America. Men and women afflicted
with typhus. leprosy, favus ring
worm, venereal add other loathsome
diseases. were brought TO our gates.
There were hopeless cripples and,
worse still, imbeciles and idiots. In
designations of the reports of the
millions Of people of the slums and
ghettOes of the Old World coming
this way were made by congress
and found 10 be substantially true.
and as a result we have now on our
statute books a restrictive law
which Will permit 20 come into our
country a maximum Of $4,000 peo-
pie in one year. Il is the admins
tration Of that law which makes the
task OF the secretary of labor a
difficult one"
America il Loser.
Davis says that there is no doubt
but that the change in the type Of
immi gratiaon OF the last few years
is a distinct loss to America.
some Of our greatest figures" he
says, have been immigrants who
performed. in return for the privi-
lege Of citizenship. the most brill
i1nt and useful services 10 the ma
ton They have been great SOL
diers and pubHcists. like Carl
Schurz; great captains Of industry.
like Andrew Carnegie; great fuau-
ciers and philanthropists like the
late Jacob H. Schiff IL has hap
pened in my own case TO enter az
the United states immigration sta
tion az Ellis Island and forty years
afterward 20 be charged with the
responsibility OF directing all the
immigration stations To this day
no one knows which one of the
thousands OF newcomers streaming
into the country every year VIII
turn out 70 be some heaven-seut
genius who VIII bring great ideas
for the Improvement Of our land"
III is the belief Of SeCy. Davis
that the poverty and depression
elsewhere I'm the world. as a result
OF the war. would have sent 10
America a tide OF immigration over
" helming,y greater than anything
that stands in our pas. records.
This. deluge of stricken people.
accustomed 20 a lower standard OF
life On other countries and ready TO
accep- almost any wage. would have
been a grave danger 90 our country
at any time" ne asserted.
At a time Of business depression
and unemployment such as we have
had i'm the past year and a half the
danger would have been colossal
Danger l. Averted.
Fortunately the danger was seen
nearly in time. but not quite The
danger Itself was averted. the tide
OF immigration was cut down 20 the
safety point. But the law usslf had
20 be drafted in some haste Had
sufficient time been allowed certain
defects In the law might have been
foreseen and corrected. These need
ed corrections now are being added.
We should congratulate ourselves
that a great threat 20 the country
has been warded of in time"
Davis explained thar the so-called
three per cent law derives its
name from the fact that it limits
the Immigrants for the year from
any foreign country 20 per cent
o. the total number 81 people OF the
same nationality who are already