The Chinese to the present Chinese Exclusion Act. Government now does not care particularly to have its laboring classes come to this country, but it does object to having its citizens selected by name, when other nations are not so mentioned, inasmuch as it seems to imply a degree of undesirability on the part of members of that race greater than that which applies to others. Inasmuch, however, as the Chinese and Japanese have been, within the last few years, positively discriminated against, such a law if passed now would simply continue that discrimination, with, however, the removal of the discrimination by name. There is certainly much to be said in favor of such a measure, as a positive measure of restriction. The Government could determine with almost absolute accuracy just the number of people that would come in. On the face of it it makes no discrimination against any particular race. It would apparently continue, relatively speaking, the normal proportion of immigrants from the different countries. As soon as the number were positively known in advance, the steamship companies would doubtless readjust their sailings and accommodations in such a way as to prevent serious hardship, as at first thought might seem to be brought upon them by the passage of such a law. On the other hand, there is nothing in this law which would tend to make a selection in the character or quality of the immigrants, such as seems to be in part at least brought about by either the literacy test or a test of the discriminating head tax. Discrimination in this respect is of exceedingly great. importance. The new measure proposed in the Dillingham bill limits the number of immigrants from any country entering in any one year to 10 per cent. of the people from that country found in the country at the time of the preceding census enumeration. This has the merits of the measure last discust. It will be seen from the figures already given that it would also exclude especially those classes whose competition with our laborers is particularly to be feared as lowering the standard of living. It is on that account especially to be commended. It would quite possibly reach the result, even more effectively, if combined with the literacy test. Diplomatic means should be employed to secure treaties with several countries to ensure the better exclusion of criminals and those morally undesirable, as well as to insure reciprocal action and reciprocal goodwill from those countries that, on racial grounds or for other reasons, seem to require special action. THE KEY TO APPENDICES A. Bill to Regulate the Immigration of Aliens to and the Residence of Aliens in the United States. Introduced by Senator Dillingham, of Vermont, June 2, 1913. B. Section 3 of Dillingham-Burnett bill, giving the proposed literacy test. Vetoed by President Taft, February 14, 1913. C. Mann Law for Regulating the Harboring and Importation of Women for Immoral Purposes. D. Webb Law. E. STATISTICAL. I. Present political condition of foreign-born male employees. 2. Ability to speak English. 3. Literacy of workers. 4. Visits abroad made by foreign-born male employees. 5. Occupations abroad of foreign-born male employees. 6. Congestion in industrial localities. 7. Congestion in large cities. 8. Location of wives of foreign-born husbands. 9. Industrial distribution of immigrant wage earners. 10. Weekly earnings of workers according to sex, age, race, and industry. II. Weekly and daily earnings of industrial workers according to race and age. 12. Family income of industrial workers. |