The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., August 01, 1923, Page 13, Image 13

AUGUST, 1923
THE UNITED AMERICAN
13
who have proven almost unassimilable elements in aliens into the United States along our northern
the American nation.
boundary line.
At the present time aliens of all races and nation-«
The present quota, for instance, which is said to
permit an annual immigration of seventy-five thou­ alities are being “bootlegged into the United States
sand Russians, will, under the two per cent quota on in droves,” as the Ohio representative puts it and the
the basis of the Russian population in the United United States is not alone being cheated out of the
States in 1890, cut down this figure to only five head-tax of eight dollars per “head,” but it is safe to
thousand Russians who may obtain entry in any one say that the large number of these smuggled immi­
I year. As the alien population in America at that time grants are of a degenerate and deficient type, not ad-
I consisted chiefly of immigrants from the northern and admissible fzto our country through legitimate
I western European countries, it is asserted that the channels.
The liabilities we accumulate in this way are of
I two per cent law would insure that as long as immi-
I gration shall continue, the large majority of our such vast proportions that it is doubtful if it would
I immigration would come from the northern and be to exaggerate if we asserted that it would be
I western countries of Europe, of the stock of people economy to build a veritable Chinese wall along both
I that built America and have controlled and governea our northern and southern borders and station armed
I America politically and socially up to the present citizens night and day on the wall to guard against
any illegal entry. It is not the physically and mental­
I time.
ly healthy immigrant we are afraid of, but the immi­
Another feature of the bill will provide that immi- grant of numerous deficiencies and moral perversions.
I grants who are ineligible to citizenship on account of His membership in the American family is conducive
I race and color shall not obtain permaiicn; residence to general depreciation of American morals and
I in America. If this feature of the bill is adopted and American standards of living. American public sen­
I becomes law, the large contingents of Asiatics now timent will back any reasonable move by congress
I permanently residing in America though racially whether at the request of the president or the com­
I barred from naturalizing as Americans, may have to mittees on immigration to protect America against
I return to their native countries, and the statuts oi illegal and undesirable immigration. If the Canadian
I their large number of American-born children, though borders are insufficiently guarded, owing to lack of
I technically Americans under our constitution may funds, the next year’s budget when presented to con­
I become the status of their parents.
gress should certainly carry an item such as sug-
Americans by birth or naturalization owe it to i gested by the Ohio representative so that we may be
I themselves and their children to give serious consid- able to stop this traffic.
I eration to the immigration situation. An allegiance
The next congress should get down to business on
I that prompts first consideration of America’s wel- the immigration situation as a whole and cease delay­
I fare, present and future, is a bona fide allegiance.
ing constructive action in a pending matter of such
I American citizens, no matter their nationality or vast importance.
The American policy of immigration should not be
I race, who consider restrictive legislation, possibly af-
I fecting the countries of their nativity, as a personal one of doubtful language but so plainly worded that
I challenge, are either grossly ignorant or their Ameri- there should be nothing for the courts to construe.
New naturalization requirements should be enacted
Ican allegiance is a sham and a cheap veneer to the
■hyphen, which is an institution America is deter- and a reasonable uniform standard of citizenship re­
quirements should be adopted. An Americanization
|mined to get rid of.
machinery should also be set in motion under federal
I The viewpoint of an American in America should supervision and aid, whereby the alien residents and
Ite as decidedly American as the viewpoint of an admitted immigrants will receive the proper training
■Italian, German, English, French or other national in in American language, history, institutions and gov­
I his native country. He must be a part of its hopes ernment. This will enable us to abolish the present
land aspirations, granting no concession to any other, lax system of admission, without causing any serious
■if his own country’s security should thereby appear hardships to the immigrant. It will also insure on
Ito be endangered. It is only fair and just that the the part of the immigrant, an intelligent membership
■American, though broadminded and liberal, should be in the political institutions of his adopted country.
lanimated by this self-same nationalistic virtue, ap­
The literacy test law should in some way be amend­
praised and valued in all nations as the very core of ed or repealed to effect a change in the present condi­
■national life?
tions resulting from the terms of this law, under
which we are unable on the one hand to bar the
REMEDIES AGAINST ILLEGAL AND UNDESIR­ mentally and to a large extent physically undesirable
ABLE IMMIGRATION
immigrants from the cities who are able to pass the
Ip HE NECESSITY of an appropriation of $300,000 literacy test, and on the other hand facilitate the ad­
I to provide an increased force of federal inspectors mission of the mentally sound, physically sturdy and
lor the Canadian border for the next year, is said to healthy would-be immigrants from the rural sections,
lave been presented to President Coolidge by Repre- now barred because they are unable to pass our liter­
lentative Cable of Ohio, a member of the house im- acy test. This change could be effected without any
fiigration committee, if the government during the fear of accumulating a population of the illiterates of
foming year is to be able to prevent the smuggling of Europe, provided we undertook to establish a specific