Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-01-19
CHEAP LABOR
SELECTIVE IMMIGRATION is
NOT PRACTICAL
Labor Barons Only Desire Illiterate
Uneducated ROughnecks From
Southern Europe

Cheap labor advocates want immi-
grants selected at the point of their
embarkation, and have the United
States set up examining boards to
sift out the tvne of labor best suited
for monopolized industry. This al
Turing scheme is referred to as
constructive program"
Before immigrants could be exam
ined at their point of embarkation
the commercial treaties with these
nations would have to be revised.
These treaties minutely enumerate
the duties of United States consuls.
Before the United States could au-
thorize it's consuls to examine these
immigrants or set up other eXamin
ing boards the permission of the ma
tions affected would have to be Sc
cured. This means revision of
treaties, for the United States or no
other nation would permit another
country to set up board with such
sweeping powers without it's consent.
A treaty is not revised just for the
accommodation of one of the parties.
Nations talk altruistic, but this is dip
lomacy. They act differently.
1t was recently declared by the
chairman of the house committee on
immigration that lecturers and
representatives of chambers of COM
merce and manufacturers associa-
tions cease talking about 'selective
immigration until they understand
this question"
Cheap labor advocates formerly
posed as humanitarians. They
wanted to "extend the blessings of
American democracy to the worlds
oppressed" This attitude appealed
to idealists and sentimentalists, who
were always trapped by reactions
patriotic phrases.
These employers have abandoned
this policy. Now they frankly de-
mand strong backs and illiterates.
They make a sharp distinction be-
and for naturalization.
This is summary of the position
these employers now hold: "Abolish |
the literacy test. We don't need
workers who can read. Only igno-
rant workers are contented, and
that's the kind we want. 1t is none |
Of our concern if the government |
would Americanize these immigrants. |
What We want is cheap, ambitionless |
labor; not American citizens"
This campaign is being directed by |
the national association of manu- |
facturers, which declares that the |
government should register, distri- |
butte, educate and otherwise super |
wise the alien during the period of |
his alienage."
This period of alienage will be for |
ever, as far as the employers are con-
cerned, as it suits their purpose to |
have the alien registered and dis
tributed by the government.
These employers are not backward |
in their demands. They want the
government to maintain steady
stream of strong backs and illiterates
flowing into this country that the
wages of common labor and semi
skilled will be set by the freshly ar
rived immigrant from southeastern
Europe.
The workers of northern Europe
are not wanted. They can read and
think. They refuse to be fodder for
the industrial machine. They are
not coming to the United States, as is
shown by the untitled quotas under
the per cent law. They are aware
of the merciless exploitation of these
employers, their union-smashing
policy, their spies, their gunner,
their subsidized press to arouse pop
ular fury against workers on strike,
their injunction judges and govern
ment aid to break strikes.
The northern European workers
knows these things, and is not COM
ing to the United States. That is
why a drive is being made for illit-
crates in the Balkan section of Eur
ope who are willing to exchange mas
ters in their life of serfdom.