Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-05-15
HASKIN TELLS O
MEXICAN STEELWORKERS
Daily Letter by Frederic ). Haskio

WASHINGTON, y. c.. May 15:-
Is the shortage OF unsEilled iaDor In
this country, to be relieved by the
Immigration OF large numbers OF
Mexlcans, who will settle in the
great Industrial centcrs OF the East
and add a new element TO the
strange mixture which is our pop
uIation?
The question is suggested by the
etatement of Eugent L. Grace, presi-
dent of the Bethlehem Steel Cor
poration, that his company has al
ready employed a thousand Next
can laborers and has found them
highly satisfactory. Judge Gary states
that the United States Steel Corpor-
alton is also employing Mexicans.
Moreover, these indications that
the southern republic is sending US
Large numbers OF immigrants is borne
cut by figures supplied by Immigra-
zion Bureau of the Labor Depart
ment. 1t is learned there that for
nearly a year. Mexicans have been
crossing the borde" in increasing
numbers. Last February Sab Mex
leans crossed the border in search
of work in this country, and that is
nearly five times as many as camo in
the same month u 3ear previously.
During the six months ended last
0St|AllbNAF Itlf4tE LMGlNG AAiOI-
sand Mexican laborers were admit
ted to this country, which is ten
times the number thai came in dur
ing the same period of 1921.
1t is evident that If the increase
continues at this rate, there will
soon be a considerable Mexican col
ony in the Eastern United States.
The Importance of the Mexican
Iabor supply to thu great industrial
= tHnTTF M mics fG DIM 10 Tsas faat &haF ~,
restrictive clause in the immigra-
ton law which limits the number
OF immigrants to be admitted from
any country in one car to three per
cent Of the number Cf that nation
ality already here, does not apply to
the MeXicans, or to immigrants from
ans other cGuntIy in the Western
hemisphere. &le restrictive clause
was aimed - the South European
countries, from which the United
States has been drawing most Of it's
immigration for more than a decade.
The demand that immigration be
limited grew largely nj of the ex-
citement over the alleged spread OF
radtcalism in the United States,
which began during the war and is
still the subject OF much discussion
by patriotic societies and by the De-
partment OF Justice. The gist of the
red excitement is that foreigners in
tected with BolsheVism are pouring
into this country and are spreading
| discomfort and evolutionary ideas.
IL is widely believed by the public
that this is true.
Largely i False Alarm
On the other t3rd. a report made
5y q subcommittee of the Senate
Judiciary Committee on the activities
Ct the Department Of Justice in hunt
ing reds, conveys the impression that
the red hysteria" is largely a false
alarm. The report shows that out of
ten thousand arrests made by the
Department. less than a thousand a
liens were convicted Of belonging TO
radical organizations. and the report
indicates that in the opinion of the
committee, headed by Senator Walsh,
of Montana, most OF these were per-
Bectly harmless persons. IL is a no
toriOu5 fact that none OF the red
concentrations which have been
frequently advertised in the news
papers, has ever come of.
Whether this excitement about the
reds has any real basis in fact, or is
merely a political red herring. it
certainly had much to do with the
passage OF a restrictive immigra-
ton bill by Congress. The restric-
/ tive legislation was OF course sup
| ported by the LABOR organizations,
which van as little labor imported
IS possible. 1t also was given a
misunderstanding character by the
claim that the Eastern and Southern
EUROPEANS YER peoples of inferior
blood, and that the high class Nor
dic stock OF the true American popu-
lation must be KEPT pure and un-
sullied.
As long as there was plenty of
I common labor in this country, all
Of these arguments for restrictive
I Legislation went uncnallenged, but
with the recent return of prosperity.
large employers of labor seem sud-
denly less concerned about the dang
er Of importing bolshevism and bru-
rettes. They find themselves with
many orders on hand, and quite un-
able to get enough common labor,
at the price they ave willing to pay.
In this situation, they have started
"a vigorous agitation for more i'm
migration. Labor they must have,
even though its politics is red and
its hair black.
But labor was strong in the last
Congress and the bill reported to the
House was ven more restrictive
| han the law now IN effect. The fight
\ has been suspended until the next