Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-11-09

ally or economically undesirable until
now there are some thirty legal rea-
sons of one sort or another why an
immigrant may not be admitted. The
first Chinese exclusion law was also
enacted in 1882 and subsequently
there has developed a policy of re-
stricting, or in large measure pro-
hibitin2, all Oriental immigration
Restriction Needed.
The peoples of Europe and Asiatic
Turkey, however, continued to enjoy
unlimited access to the open door?
provided they met the various tests
prescribed by law, and Europe always
furnished more than 80 per cent of
our immigrants. Following the ad-
vent of southern and eastern Europe
as the chief source of supply, our I'M
migration grew to unprecedented pro-
portions, and with this development
came a widespread and insistent de-
mand for restriction. Statistics show
ed that about one-third of the i'm
migrants who come from these sources
were unable to read in any language
and, accordingly, the so-called "liter-
acy test" became the favorite weapon
of the restrictionists. The exclusion
of illiterate aliens was agitated in
and out of Congress for twenty-five
years and three presidents, Cleveland,
Taft and Wilson, vetoed bills which
so provided, but in 1917 it was added
to the law over President Wilson's
veto.
Following the World War, the de-
mand for further restriction became
so intense and unmistakable that the
House of Representatives responded
by passing a bill suspending prac-
tically all immigration for a period
of fourteen months. The Senate was
move conservative, however, and sub
stituted the Dillingham; per centum
limit plan, which finally prevailed
and the so-called quota law which
has provoked. such widespread inter
est during the past year, went into
effect on May 10, 1921, and recent
legislation has continued its opera
ton until June 80, 1924.
Briefly stated, the Dillingham; act
provides that the number of aliens
| of any nationality who may be adj
mitted to the United States in any
fiscal year shall be limited to three
per centum of the number of persons
Of such nationality who were resident
in the United States according to the
census of 1920. Nationality" is de-
termined by country of birth, and in
effect the law applies only to Europe,
Asiatic Turkey, Persia, Asiatic Rus
STA, Africa and Australasia.
To Limit Influx.
The admitted purpose of the law
is to limit immigration from southern
and eastern Europe, without interior
ing with the normal movement from
the northern and western European
countries, which in immigration par
lance include the British Isles, Scandi-
| navia, Germany, France, Netherlands,
Belgium and Switzerland. Prior to
the war 100000 or more immigrants
| were admitted from the first named
sources in a normal year, but under
the Dillingham; Act only 158,200 may
be admitted annually from such
sources. On the other hand, the
normal annual immigration from the
| older source was only about 100000
prior to the war, but the per centum
limit law will permit $4,000 to come.
During the fiscal year only about
| 100000 immigrants aliens were admit
ted, but ending June 80, 1922, south
ern and eastern European countries
used more than 95 per cent of their
allotted quota, while the older sources
named sent US less than so per cent
! of the number allotted to them.
Of course, it was inevitable that
the operation of a law which arbi-
| trarily held back hundreds of thou
sands of intending immigrants should
| result in hardship to many individ-
| uals, and severe strain on the ma
chinery of the immigration service
However, the Enthusiastically hu-
| name action of Secretary of Labor,
Davis in temporarily admitting total
| Of $500 excess quota immigrants as
measure of humanity;the patient
| and unremitting work of our immigra-
ton officials at ports of arrival, and
the splendid cooperation of American
consular officers in Europe, made a
humane and effective administration
of the law possible, and, while the
| quota law has its faults, it is doubt
full whether by any other method the
purpose of Congress could be so eff
fectively carried out with so little
hardship on the immigrants con-
cerned.
]