Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1924-06-20


tains that a man does not necessarily
have to be born in this country TO be
come a goos American.
Given the opportunities and adVan-
tages he should have. the immigrant
could become responsible American
citizen. In the past one hundred
years S0.ooo,0o0 foreigners have emf
grated to this country and are an in
tegral part Of our nation.
But the American Legion has
found that the melting pot has be-
come impoten,. that so multtudinous
was the influx of Europeans driven
by discomfort. that the country Nuld
not assimilate them-was. In fact.
suffering from indigestion OF immi-
grafton.
EDUCATIONAL Machinery Inadequate
to Solve Problem.
The reason for this nnasSlmilauon,
this exploitation is that while We
were admitting hundreds of thous-
ands our facilities for teaching the
immigrant our traditions and institu-
tons could handle only hundreds.
The educational machinery did not
keep pace with the influx of foreign
ers. Once here he usually learned
our ways in the hard school Of ex.
perience, many times was exploited
and made bitter thereby.
The bitterness engendered brings
me 10 the consideration of another
menace. the fertile bed for sowing
radicalism among the embittered inn
migrants. When once the foreigners
have learned their rights and priv
leges, they Immediately see what has
been done to them, and In their dor
mant hatred are not content with lib
erty but want license. This serious
fact Is more true now than IL was IN
i920--or even before the world war.
This unrest of which speak
migratory instinct, gypsy strain
call it what you will--brings for
eigners to this country still restless
and seeking for something they can
not name. Unfamiliar with our in
stitutions, and restless they wish to
mold our ideals and institutions to
suit some 'ism" doctrine that they
absorbed with their mothers milk.
They are ammunition for the pro-
fessional agitator. these foreigners.
Yet America stands by ignoring the
menace they are. making no success
full attempt to educate them, teach
them our ways and curing their dis
content by training them to our
standards of living.
Nation Must Close Gates to
immigration.
Such being the case-and no think
ing man, believe, will dispute 1t
there remains but one thing to do.
We must close the immigration
gates until we have assimilated
those now within our borders. 1t
is the sensible thing to do. II you
have indigestion you do not con-
tinue to gulp down the food that
caused it. Any physician would
direct you to stop eating until
the trouble had vanished.
That Is exactly what the American
Legion advocates. Until Congress
can work out an immigration policy
that will protect the immigrant, pro-
tect American citizens and American
institutions, we urge total suspen-
sion of immigration. II may take hve
years; it many only take one. what
ever the length of time, there should
be total prohibition to meet present
exigencies.
Settling on the number of imml-
grants to be admitted yearly from
any one country, does not settle the
immigration question. Any immigra-
ton policy should include American
cation features. If we are going TO
admit immigrants we are bound TO
educate them, for our sakes and for
their own. At present, however, no
adequate provisions,
at least--have been made to this end.
IL they had, there would be no immi-
grafton problem.
Would Have Immigrants Examined
In Own Lands.
With regard to the admittance OF
after total suspension has
been removed, the Legion advocates
the examination of potential immi-
grants in their home land. The h0r-
rible travesty Of making entrance to
the United States contingent upon
speed Of ships and the risks captain
is willing to run for dollar gam,
should be stopped. Lives are need
lessly endangered.
When a quota for country is de-
IefHfneu upOUt bciitHt NC 'h"N
have some sort Of physical, mental,
and moral examination followed by
a consular wise of passports. Thus,
only those who are desirable can sail
for this country; and no more imml-
grants will be permitted to sail than
can enter.
In all the foregoing, do not get
the idea that the Legion IS antagon-
istic to immigrants or foreigners
even though we do preach America
for Americans. With proper ma
chinery, proper restriction, immigra-
ton should after time be reopened,
because as | said elsewhere, the Le-
gion believes that a man does not
have to be born in this country to be-
come a good American.
Until we provide machinery to
teach immigrants how to live up to
American standards of living, our