The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-18
PRESS ON IMMIGRATION

Two phases of the immigration question are of great interest to the press of the country at this time: The wisdom of a sharp tightening of the restrictions as pro vided by the pending Johnson bill, and the reaction of Japan to clause of that bill which says that no person shall be allowed to enter this country unless eligible to citi- zenship. Of the latter there is some evi- dence already. Dispatches from Tokio in- dicate quick indignation there over the like lihood of our enactment of special laws against Japanese immigration when under the so-called "gentlemen's agreement" Ja- pan some time ago expressed her willing ness to limit the departure of her nationals to this country. The bill itself is considered by some papers as too drastic and by others as too loose in some of its features. Under the existing law we are admitting three per cent of each national element as represented here under the census of 1910. The pro posed law would cut the rate to two per cent and take the census of 1890 as basis. The pending law would therefore be based upon a census showing a smaller immi- grant population, besides lowering the quota to be admitted. Whereas now ap- proximately three hundred and fifty thous- and foreigners are permitted to come into the country in year, there would be, under the new plan, only about one hundred and eighty thousand admitted. But in the new proposal there are exceptions" Over and above the two per cent. quota there may be admitted not only the husbands and wives, but the minor brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews of those already here.
 The side of those favoring a more liberal immigration policy is well brought out by the Louisville Herald, which says: "The protest which goes up comes from one source only. It is from those who want labor in the sense of muscles, thews and sinews for hire and have not much use for brains. These people want to know who in the future are going to be the dggers of dtches, our hew CTS of stone, our drawers of water. We have no answer ready for them But we believe that public opinion in this country IS pretty uniformly of the mind that we do not need helot class and would be better off without it. That we would have to pay for this immunity goes without saying" The Herald evidently thinks, however, that the more intelligent class should not be barred, for in conclusion it asks: Are we willing to help the oppressed on the single condition that they stay at home at home to be still further oppressed?" But even that plea is not of sufficient potency to move us to admit them too freely, for we, after all, are not to blame for their plight. The real remedy for such a condition is not to fill our country with the oppressed, but to bring our influence to bear to the end that there shall not be oppression.
 On the other hand, the Providence Jour nal remarks that "this is not the time to re- duce immigration beyond the present re- stricted inflow. American industries al ready show shortage of laborers and we ought not to handicap ourselves by adding new numerical rigors to our existing emer, gency ban." What would the Journal do then when there is a return of our former unemployment conditions? Advocate emi- grafton hence to some more favored land? Are the unfortunate forever to be globe trotters, or shall there be international ef fort to temper adverse conditions to human necessities?
 As to the Japanese restriction the New York Tribune believes that there is lack of propriety in writing upon the statute books an arrangement already provided for through diplomatic negotiations. There is, as a rule, no great amount of ink spilled by editors in criticism of specific limitation of Japanese immigration, although the New York Evening Post thinks that "to write our 'gentlemen's agreement into law would be doubly offensive to Japan, since it would announce policy of exclusion and imply she has not been living up to her agree ment."
 The New York Journal Of Commerce holds the view that the restrictions twill please the American Federation of Labor, but no one else" That is hardly fair, for there has been for some time rather pro- nounced sentiment in favor of restrictions until such time as We shall have absorbed the somewhat discordant clements already here. It is likewise said by the Detroit News that manufacturers have been demanding more imported labor, while the Cincinnati Times-Star also declares that the "pressure exerted by big employers of cheap labor has been tremendous" Nevertheless, there is underlying all the discussion a prevailing opinion that there is less harm to come from over-strictness than from letting down the bars.
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