The San Francisco Sunday Call 1907 What Are Our Immigrants Worth In Dollars And Cents By: Robert WATCHORN Commissioner Of Immigration Public opinion is all wrong, or nearly so, upon many phases of the immigration question. With more than a million immigrants a year we cannot supply the urgent demands for labor. The menace of pauper immigrants is a myth. This army of workers adds enormously to the wealth and prosperity of the country. It is not the scum of Europe we are getting, but the pick of the most earnest and hardworking of its population. As to the morality of the immigrants of today, it seems to me that it compares favorably with that of our native born population. This is not a matter of mere opinion or sentiment. It is borne out by the actual statistics. Mr. Reeves' figures, it seems to me, in some respects understate the facts. He mentions $300 a year as the earning power of these immigrants. As a matter of fact these men will earn more, on the average, than a dollar a day. I think the figure may safely be increased by at least 50 per cent. Within a few days Charles W. LORHN, the New York state commissioner of labor, came to me in search of men I could not supply. He estimated that New York state alone needed 100,000 men, to whom he would pay $25 a month and board on the farms alone. Now, that does not look much like overcrowding or the impossibility of assimilating we hear so much about. Of the million, or, to be exact, the 1,004,756, immigrants last year more than 10 per cent were under 14 years, 4 per cent were over the age limit and a great proportion brought their wives. About 50 per cent may be classed as workers. But in another sense they were all workers. There were no idlers, scarcely one who would shirk his duty. And as to their morality, the average is certainly good. These immigrants are placed upon a probation for three years. Should they get into trouble in this time they are liable to be deported. Last year there were for all causes less than 1,200 deported. I question if our native born population can show a better record. The modern immigrant of today, it seems to me, is greatly misunderstood. We hear a great deal of talk about the menace of the immigrant from the south of Europe. A few decades ago most of the immigrants came from Ireland, while Germany ranked second and Great Britain third. Italy and Russia sent comparatively few. Today the situation is practically reversed. Last year we received 267,000 from Italy, 192,000 from Russia and but 24,000 from Ireland and 30,000 from Germany. From Austria and Hungary some 292,000 reached our shores. It is unfair to say that the north of Europe is no longer represented. But are the immigrants from the southern countries dangerous or undesirable? The statistics of crime do not prove it. The Italian is a hard worker. We should remember that the Latin people were highly civilized when the north of Europe was peopled with savages. The southern countries may not have progressed of late, but the impulse is still there, and with unlimited opportunities of America before them who can tell what they may not accomplish in the future? A great deal of the misunderstanding is due to the use of that term pauper labor. I have estimated that every immigrant in coming to America spends on an average from $80 to $100 for transportation. This includes his fare from his home to the point of departure, the crossing of the Atlantic and the railroad fare to his destination. In other words, they spend upward of $100,000,000 a year in search of work. Let us suppose for the sake of argument that Russia suddenly held out great opportunities for money making so that Americans by the millions were attracted there. It seems to me that 1,000,000 native born citizens might have some difficulty in raising $100,000,000 for transportation. And in addition, this army of incomers carried with them more than $20,000,000 in cash. There is of course urgent need of the restriction of immigration, but such restriction is already in force. The laws governing the situation are very rigid; they have been devised by intelligent men, familiar with the situation, working in sympathy with these people as well as in the best interests of the country. And the laws are being enforced. As the need for further restriction occurs it will receive due attention. Meanwhile the demand for laborers throughout the country is very urgent. The immigrants are adding hundreds of millions of dollars to the wealth of America, while they help themselves to a broader and more prosperous life.