The Washington times., 1938-12-03
Immigration


are many of those victims of tragedy for to hope
to be able to take them all in, much as we'd like to if
could
We think our immigration laws and rules ought to be
re-examined from purely selfish viewpoint. Are they
really the best interests of the 130000000 people
in the United States? Are they helping are they
hurting us? If they are helping let's keep them But
if they're hurting let's get up the energy and broad
mindedness to revise them, and do it promptly.
The United States made its first for drastic i'm
migration reduction in 1917 1t cut immigration further
bv the immigration act of 1924 We are operating
under the quota law of July l. 1929 which limits total
yearly immigrants about 153900 and specifies the
number that may in from each foreign country.
The Oriental exclusion act of 1924 replaced Theodore
Rooseves "gentemen's agreement" with Japan to bar
immigration from Asia.
Ever since the United States began chopping down the
"aen tide" as mortified immigration reformers used to
call it. we've had our doubts of the wisdom of that policy
These doubts keep growing stronger
were we and stronger and more disquieting.
o. c-Io We're made more dubious than ever
W. O"''' by what Dr. Isador Lubn, Federal Com
missioner of Labor Statistics said day before yesterday to
the new Temporary National Economic Committee which
says is going investigate monopoly but seems to be
setting out to investigate everything
Dr. Lubin said that our population is slowing down
Frances by about 1860 Yet productive plant is
reared to meet ever-ncreasing consumer demand
And there we think must be to some of our
present troubles Were smart after ALL to cut down
the "alien tide?
We can't throw open the gates to Chinese and
japanese immigration; that seems settled But how
about European immigration?
It is fact that this country
Better nuns grew most rapidly and most hap
po++or of ~ PLY when the Pats, Mikes,
Brdges, Yettas, Stanislavs
Dmitris and Guseppes rolling in via Ellis Island
in half-million and million lots per year. peak year
was 1907, with a total of 1,285,349) They with
shawls over their heads and sometimes burlap bags
or sabots their feet. What forced to grow
that the newcomers in no time wanted American hats
and silk stockings, and watches, and all the other
things Americans in such profusion.
Those things had to be made in increasing guam
titles; hence tremendous industrial expansion in
those decades. And those people, we believe, were
the cream of Europe. The European upper classes
weren't the cream of anything. The immigrants were
the people who had the ambition energy and usually
youth to haul out of their stuffy homelands and go
after better lives in new land
The results were magnificent. New York city, for
illustration, always the great Melting Pot You
hear it said nowadays that the Jews, who comprise
through their wide holdings in department stores,
hotels theaters and If that is true, the only
answer know of is So what? So New York city,
by we-nigh universal consent, is the greatest and
finest and most beautiful city in the world today.
We keep believing that it might be the wsest step
this country could take to repeal drastcaly modify
the laws that came out of the wartime and postwar
alarm the "alien tide" To let lot of people
come in might reJuvenate the country. Certainly it
would bring in of those hungerng stomachs
and questing minds which used to keep jumping to
fulfill their desires and demands-and used to keep
new ideas and hopes fermenting all over the
United States
country like person, is old when it stops having
new ideas and hopes matter what it's age on
the calendar 1t stays young long keeps sweat
ing out new ideas and new hopes. And ideas and
hopes most generally brought in by new people,
From the New o News