Evening star., 1926-12-05
BY WILLIAM RUFUS SCOTT.

- ECRETARIES Kellogg. Hoover
and Davis Of the State, Com
merce and Labor Departments
- are proceeding with the task
assigned to them under sec
tion II of the immigration act of 1924.
calling for rearrangement of the
quotas Of all countries privileged to
send emigrants to the United States.
The law specifies that they shall sub
NIT their report to the President in
time for him to proclaim the new
quotas on or before April ] next year.
Just when the three secretaries will
finish their task is not apparent now,
although the expectation is that they
will place the required data in the
Presidents hands before that date. 1t
Is proving to be a somewhat difficult
undertaking.
Under the law at present the quotas
are fixed by estimating per cent Of
the number of foreign-b born individuals
Of each nation in continental United
States according to the census of 1890.
In the revision now being made, 1t Is
stipulated that the quotas shall be de-
termired on the basis of national
origin" using the census of 1920 az
a basis. The present per cent of the
1890 census allows $4,000 to enter an
nually from all countries. while the
number who may enter on the pro.
posed 1920 census basis will be cut
to 10000.
May Reduce Dissatisfaction.
1t is evident. therefore. that foreign
nations will derive little satisfaction
from the change. 80 far as total ad'
missions to the United States are con-
cerned. but there may be some as.
suaging of injured feeling by the new
quotas. For instance. the use Of the
census of 1890 in fixing the present
quotas stirred up considerable criti-
cism on the ground that northern and
western Europe thereby were favored
at the expense Of southern and eastern
Europe. The British Isles. Germany,
the Scandinavian countries. etc. had
larger quotas proportionately than
Italy. Austria, Hungary. Greece, and
the other nations to the south and east.
BY taking the 1920 census as a basis,
larger quotas probably Will be as
signed to tho Latin and eastern Euro
pean countries. inasmuch as the larg'
eat immigration from those areas came
after 1890. Latin, spokesmen charged
that the 1890 census was selected In
the first place for the purpose of CIV
ing preference to the Anglo.Saxon, or
what are loosely referred to as the
Nordic races, in northwestern Europe.
races which predominated IN our I'M
migration up to 1890. Various for
eien born groups In the United states.
and societies and organizations COM
posed OF such individuals, passed
strong resolutions against the 1890
census basis.
900. 900 Actually Enter.
Should the President by next April
I proclaim the 1920 census basis for
quotas. this objection will be largely
met. but. as shown. about $4,000 fewer
immigrants will be admitted than
under the existing system. Only a
repeal. or radical revision, by Con-
gress Of the immigration act itself
will let down the bars to immigration
to the extent that some foreign
countries would like to see done. Yet
the adoption Of the 1920 census basis
doubtless will heal injured national
pride by removing the assumption
that, in admitting aliens. the United
States considers those from one sec
ton Of Europe preferable to those
from some other section. There may
remain. nevertheless. objection to the
new quotas on other grounds. as 1t
seems impossible to satisfy every
foreign nation completely.
While 1854, 600 is the maximum an
nual immigration allowed under the
1924 law. more than SOC. 900 aliens en-
tered the United States last year. The
excess is accounted for in the pro-
vision THAI Canada. Newfoundland,
Mexico. Cuba, Haiti the Dominican
Republic, the Canal Zone and the
tndependent countries Of Central and