The Colorado statesman., 1924-04-05
POLITICS BLOCKS
NEW ALIEN BILL
coNeREsSMEN FROM THE BIG
CITIES ARE AFRAID OF THE
FOREIGN GROUPS.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK


tnnt legislative matter and no impor-
tnnt "investigative" matter 10 come
before congress this year ha4 been or
can be removed from the field of par
tlsan politics. Partisanshlp has run
Rmuck in the rooms OF the investigat-
ing committees. Now II seems that
politics, Irrespective of party, Is play
Ing rather high hand in immigration
legislation.
The deuce of the thing us II member
has put It. is that the immigration
measure has come to plague party men
In presidential year. Seemingly, II
the thing could be put off until next
winter. the Johnson bill, drastic as 1t
is, would 90 through both houses with
out trouble Now. both parties are
afraid of losing votes in the presiden-
tlal election II their representatives
and senators shall vote virtually alb
solute keep ont" clause into the i'm
migration restriction bin.
with Fall. Doheny. Sinclair. Daugh-
Prty and some others In the limelight
of unpleasant interest, congress seems
to have forgotten all about the immi-
grafton legislation and the imperative
necessity Of doing something quickly.
The present law governing the matter
will expire in little more than three
months.
Threat Of Foreign Blocs.
Charges have been made directly In
the lower house of congress that "for-
elgn bocs" in nm American legislative
chamber are working against the inter
ests of the country. OF course the re-
tort has been made that the foreign
hlocs are really the truly American
blocs. because. as their spokesmen put
II. they stand for that for which Amer
lea is supposed to stand. the making
nf this land Il home for the oppressed
from everywhere This has n certain
kind of sob in 1t which appeals to
sentlmentallsts.
1t has more than sob in 1t, II has
thrent in 1t. The New York delega-
tion virtually solldIy is opposed to the
Johnson bill for restrictive lmmigra
tlon. Delegates from some of the other
northern stntes having big cities with
in their borders also are almost snlidly
opposed to the Johnson bill. II seems
hardly necessary to explain the reason
for the opposition. Members who rep
resen: the big city districts fear that
If the naturaliZed foreigners in their
baIiwicks vote sOlidly against them
they can't come back to Washington
as members of the Sixty-ninth con
gress.
So-called progressive Republicans in
congress are divided on this immigra-
tion subject. Some Of them who nre
communistic in their idens know that
with unrestricted immigration they can
get support for the cause of commu-
nism Some Of the others. however,
have racial feeling which they say
nothing about. which nevertheless
probably moves them to support of the
Johnson plan.
Speaking Plainly About Races.
There has been much bitterness
shown in congress because of the un-
doubted fact that If the Johnson meas
ure shall become law, the numbers
of the southern and eastern Europeans
who can get into the country under
the present law will largely be de
creased, while men and women from
the northern countries can continue to
come in considerable numbers.
There IL considerable plain speaking
about this northern and southern Eu-
rOpean matter not only In congress- but
from the public platforms In Washing
ton. Men in public life here have been
bold enough to say that the southern
races are not wanted and the northern
races are wanted. Courage seems TO
hny In IN N
some years ngo didn't dare to speak
their minds on the subject. Senators
and representatives in congress. and
public men generally who come from
the states and the districts where the
NorHc races are dominant. are stating
their views openly.
- II takes something like nerve prob
ably for some of the men who are
pressing the Johnson bill to stand up
and tell representatives of certain peo-
pies that many OF their races are not
up to the American standard and that
the fact has been proved by the failure
OF those already here TO progress prop
erly along American lines However.
this thing Is being said End said with
freedom. and Mt times with abandon
1t IL something new to hear this kind
OF tnlk In the city of Washington.
The charge is made specifically that
hundreds OF thousands of immigrants
that have been coming into this coun-
try for the past ten years have come
here with no thought Of Amerlcanizing
themselves but with the obvious in.en-
tion of remaining foreign and un-Amer-
lean. When the dny comes to debate
the Johnson biil in congress there will
be plain talk. Opinions will be ex-
pressed which, II voiced twenty years
ago. would have been certain to de-
feat the speakers for reelection.