New Immigration Restrictions Will LImit Southern and Eastern European Immigrants, Aug. 19, 1919

From the editorial page of The Commonwealth, Scotland Neck, N.C., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 1919

New Immigration Proposal

Senator Dillingham of Vermont, in a bill presented by him to the Senate, proposed an entirely new system of restricting immigration to this country. Senator Dillingham wants to put a definite yearly limit on immigration from Europe of 5 per cent of the persons of each nationality residing in this country. The bill would also repeal all existing laws relating to Asiatic immigration. In defense of his bill the Senator from Vermont said:

“While it is believed that the percentum limit will prove of most importance in improving relations with oriental countries and especially with Japan, by removing any possible cause of friction over immigration discrimination, the primary purpose of the bill is to fix a definite limit to the future immigration of laborers, particularly from Southern or Eastern Europe, thereby preventing a possible, if not probably, repetition of the enormous influx of such immigration which prevailed prior to the war, and which prevailed prior to the war, and which the Immigration Commission found to be highly detrimental to labor conditions in this country.

“It is believed that the percentum plan will establish a limit of the possible immigration of laborers from Southern and Eastern Europe at a little more than one-third of the average annual influx before the war, but that it will not materially interfere with resumption of the normal flow from Northwestern Europe.”