The Borders

No limitation is set on immigration into the U. S. from any North, South or Central American country, and none is contained in any legislation now before Congress.

Senator Willis, big Ohio Republican, proposed an amendment to restrict passage of residents of Canada and Mexico across the borders. "What does it amount to," cried he, "to shut and padlock the front door and leave the back door open?" The Senate, 60 to 12, refused to recognize the force of his interjection. Said Pennsylvanian Reed: "This is absolutely unnecessary.* This is unwise if we are to pay any atten- tion to the Pan-American idea." And Senator Fess (from Ohio, like Mr. Willis) cautioned: "It will disturb our relations."; New Mexican Bursum added : "We had $200,000,000 trade with Mexico last year. We may have $1,000,000,000 soon." A last vain attempt to close the border was made by West Virginian Neeley: "Why shut out the golddiggers of Italy and citizens of Norway and let in the bull-baiters and toad-eaters from Mexico?" But the border terror was taken more seriously in the House. Immigration Commissioner Husband reported to the Immigration Committee that the illegal admissions on the border, were five times as great as the legal; that Canadian smugglers did regular business in Asiatics at $500 a head; that whereas he had 61 officials on the borders, he needed 486 in order to stop 75% of the illegal immigration. Representative Johnson, author of the Immigration Bill, promptly went to the floor of the House, declared that the House must vote the money to enforce its immigration ideas. An additional $1,238,000 was promptly voted to the department of labor for the Immigration Bureau. This appropriation does not affect the Immigration Law; it merely provides for its stricter enforcement. Its purpose is to accomplish by enforcement what Senator Willis desired to do by new legislation.

* He stated that last year the net immigration from South and Central America was only 4,015.