The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-06-16
BY WEsTBRooK PEGLER

NEW YORK.-Always a champion of I'm.
popular and losing causes, find myself skep.
teal of President Roosevelt's notice to Con-
gress that 1000 European refugees will be
brought to the country Immediately and con-
fined in a vacated Army camp and his as
surance that, when the war is over they will
be repatriated. This nation has immigration
laws adopted for the purpose OF excluding I'm.
desirable persons. These laws have been ad-
ministered insincerely in recent years and
evaded often, as in the fragrant case of Mrs
Earl BroWder, an active, alien communist pos.
ing as harmless and non-political housewife
The people of the United States are the sole
authority on desirability and yet, in justice
to them, it must be admitted that the provi.
sions which they have adopted for their own
protection are extremely liberal and more Sc
than those Of the other countries in the fam
lily OF more or less free nations on our side
Of the war. Nevertheless, even this gener-
osity has been flouted openly in recent years
by the admission of individuals in the guise
of visitors who were legally ineligible to settle
here when it was known that real conditions
would make it impossible to deport them, re.
CARELESS of their active conduct, or their at
titude toward the American form of govern.
ment.
Past performances in many fields instinc.
lively suggest that the promise that these ref
ugees will be repatriated after the war and
meanwhile restricted, will not be kept. Past
performances suggest also that once a prin.
ciple has been conceded by the importation
of 1000 European aliens with no pretense that
they are eligible or suitable for permanent
residence here, the number that will be
brought in later will be limited by shipping
facilities, individual pull exerted through per.
sonal friends and organizations within the
United States, and public tolerance. The latter
will be weak and leaky barrier against the
immigration of communists and others who
won't like our way of living and doing, and
will do their damndest to make us live and
do their way; and against continental crooks
who would be no asset to any nation. The
public tolerance operates through Congress
and Congress is beset and bedeviled by prop.
uganda and pressure which attacks as fas.
cist and bigot any man who, in the interests
OF his own country and his own people, under
takes to restrict immigration to those who have
something to offer. 1t is almost heresy to
say that not all immigrants and refugees are
ennobled by their sufferings abroad, but there
is nevertheless much biographical data to
prove that many who came here shortly be-
fore the first World war for asylum from
European tyranny did not join the native
American youth in destroying those tyrants
but Joined alien groups and movements and
tried to destroy the American system instead.
The whole, native public is not organized to
counteract the pressure on public men exert.
ed by the organized pressure groups which
call the United States melting pot but, in
reality, have in mind something more like a
Central Park of the entire world where any
one may enter as a matter Of right.
The United States is, in reality, an exclll.
sive organization. It has rules Of eligibility
and like most of our unions, reserves the right
to reject applicants who do not inset certain
requirements. These restrictions are unjust tc
no foreigner, because no foreigner, has any
rights in the matter If he is admitted tc
residence, and, later, to citizenship that is q
privilege, not right. The United States can
decide to exclude all immigration if it comes
| to that, and to restrict the right to vote and
hold public office to natives and, i believe
should do so.
| Obviously the first 1000 are to be just a
sample because 1000 refugees, more Or less
| in southern Italy would make no appreciable
difference in the problem of feeding and gov
erning the region. But to this country the
difference could and probably will be great
with other thousands following on with the
conditions of their immurement gradually re-
Taxed and with carefully selected distress cases
Haunted in the public eye in an appeal for
sympathy and unwary kindness, an Tor the
purpose Of revising the law retroacdvely tc
confer legitimate immigrant status on unse.
lected thousands with complete disregard o.
the legal standards of desirability.
| OF course this is all based on an assuHptDn
that there will be not 1000, but many tnsu.
| sands and that. once they are here, tnat WI