Evening star., 1925-06-02
IMMIGRANT POLICY
DEFENSE EXPECTED
Coolidge Held Likely to Tell
Norse-Americans That No
Changes viii Be Made.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Stout defense of Americas imni-
grafton policy, with its so-called PRO
NordiC" foundation, is expected to be
one of the keynotes of President Cool
idge'S address al the Morse American
centennial in Minnesota on June 8.
Many elements. at home and abroad,
do not look upon the new United
States immigration laws as fixtures.
Campaigns to repeal or radically
amend them are in prospect. Those
who know the trend of Mr.. Coolidge's s
mind on the subject will he surprised
II he does not seize the Morse celebra-
ton as an occasion for saying in
positive terms that restricted immi-
grafton has become a settled Ameri
can policy. No early amendment of
that policy is in prospect. except pos
sible enactment of "selective immiGra
ton at the point of origin. The
special United States commission
which has just been sent TO Europe
will go eXhaustively into that ques-
ton.
The Scandinavian peoples in whose
midst the President viii find himself
in Minnesota. are richly favored un-
der the quota law as compared to
mon Nordic" Europe. The quotas
assigned to Norway. Sweden and Den
mark total lS,s0S admissible immi
grants. q larger number tnan are ad-
misSible from Italy. Poland. Russia
Czechoslovakia. Austria. Hungary
Spain. Greece, Portugal. Jugosla via
and Rumania combined. From these
II countries the new law permits only
1914 to enter the United States an
nually.
Were Sturdy Pioneers.
The Scandinavian leavening in our
population has been an important fac
tor in building up the Northwest
Agricultural development in such
States as Wisconsin. Minnesota and
the two Dakotas has been virtually
the achievement of immigrants from
Norway. Sweden and Denmark The
lumber industry. too. has benefited
from the sturdy stock they contrib
uted. To a considerable extent Scan
dinavians have manned the wheat
timber and ore fleets on the Great
Lakes. In 1920 there were about
,000, 600 persons of Scandina vian
stock in the United States. Mime
sofa alone had 10000 native Swedes
and 10000 native Norwegians.
1t was because of the excellent rec
ord which Scandinavian immigrants
have been making in America for
three generations that the trainers
of the new immigration laws placed
Norway. Sweden and Denmark on the
most favored nation" quota list.
President Coolidge will make no
odious comparisons in Minnesota. but
he is certain to underscore the
achievements which the race that
bred Knute Nelson has TO its credit
1t is the arrival in New York har-
Dor on October 9, 1925. after peril
Gus and romantic three months voy-
age of the Acton sloop the Restau-
rationen, that the Morse centennial is
commemorating. That ship, known
as the Mayfower of the North"
had SO Norwegian immigrants on
board This was the first shipioad
country. The Restaurationen sailed
from Stavanger on July 4. 1925. Since
then there has been a steady and
swelling stream of immigration from
Norway. That country has sent to
the United States a larger proportion
of its population than any other coun-
try except Ireland. Representative
o. J. Kvale of Minnesota told the
House of Representatives in February
that 'NOrwayS sons and daughters
here total in excess of $500 900, ac-
cording TO careful and conservative
estimates of ethnologists and his.
torians." That. Mr. Kvale pointed
out. is nearly equal TO the actual
population of Norway today The
Minnesota festivities coincide with the
successful flotatiOn of a 100000 900
Norwegian government loan in New
York
L. 5. Aid Is Given.
The United States Government is
Joining hands with the State of Min
neSota in celebrating the Morse cen
tennial. The Department OF. State
submitted Minnesotas S invitation to
the centennial to the governments of
Canada. Norway and Iceland. In addi-
ton, the Post Office Department has
issued two NOrse-American centen-
NAL stamps, Il 2-Cent and scent edi-
ton, which bear reproduction of
the sloop Restaurationen. The United
States mint, for the first time on
record, has struck a commemorative
medal in honor of a centennial. Hith-
erto, on such occasions, only COM
memorative coins have been minted
The medal is octagonal in shape. of
silver identical with that used in our
money, and approXimates a half-dol-
lar in size. 1t bears appropriate in
scriptions, Viking ship and the
heroic figure of a Viking chieftain in
fun fighting regalia. The medal was
struck under an act of Congress,
sponsored by Senator Norbeck of
South Dakota
Fourteen members of Congress of
Morse descent Joined in asking the
President and Congress officially to
recognize the centennial, They in
CluGe Senators Smoot, Bursum, Nor
beck and Shipstead. and Representa-
tives Anderson, Burtness, Christopher
son, HauGen, Knutson, Michaelson,
Nelson, WefaId, Williamson and
kvale.
Copyright. 1890