OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS AND NATIONAL EUGENICS 
41 
eases, we ought to amend our laws so 
that it will be possible to exclude more 
aliens of such low vitality and poor phy- 
sique that they are eugenically undesira- 
ble for parenthood. The law of 1907 
excludes persons "who are found to be 
and are certified by the examining sur- 
geon as being mentally or physically de- 
fective, such mental or physical defect 
being of a nature which may affect the 
ability of such alien to earn a living." 
This clause has been found to be rather 
ineffective, partly because it has been 
taken to be an economic test and not a 
physical one ; partly because of other 
provisions in the same act which largely 
nullify this section by making it possible 
to admit on bonds aliens who fall into 
the group here named. 
Now aliens of such low vitality, poor 
physique, or suffering from such mental 
or physical defect that their ability to 
earn a living is thereby interfered with 
are, in the majority of cases, highly un- 
desirable persons. They are not only 
themselves weaklings and unlikely to re- 
sist disease, but they are likely to have 
defective and degenerate children. Bonds 
will not prevent them from breeding. 
We constantly speak of the need of 
more "hands" to do our labor. We for- 
get that we are importing, not "hands" 
alone, but bodies, also. The vast ma- 
jority of incoming alien immigrants are 
potential fathers and mothers, and the 
character of (he race that is to be born 
depends upon the kind of alien bodies 
which we are allowing to have landed 
on our shores day by day. It is a tre- 
mendous responsibility which rests upon 
us. 
Conservation of our natural resources : 
how much we hear about that. Conser- 
vation of American forests is important. 
So is conservation of American coal, and 
oil, and natural gas, and water supply, 
and fisheries. But the conservation and 
improvement of the American race is 
vastly more important than all other 
conservation. The real wealth of a na- 
tion is the quality of its people. Of what 
value are endless acres of forests, mil- 
lions of tons of coal, and billions of 
gallons of water if the race is not virile, 
and sane, and sound? 
Fearfully misguided has been most of 
our so-called philanthropy. We have 
housed and clothed and fed the defec- 
tive, the degenerate, the delinquent, to 
such an extent that we have encouraged 
them to reproduce their kind in ever- 
growing numbers. We have spent in- 
creasing sums for asylums, almshouses, 
prisons, and hospitals, in which we have 
temporarily confined the insane, the pau- 
per, the habitual criminal, the imbecile, 
leaving them free, during most of their 
lives, to propagate their kind. It is a 
fact, disguise it as we will, that we have 
taxed ourselves to support institutions 
which have resulted in increasing and 
not decreasing the number of the unfit. 
We have before us an immediate duty 
of tremendous importance in caring for 
our own unfit ; in seeing to it, by ade- 
quate legislation, that the insane, the 
habitual criminal, the feeble-minded, and 
similar classes are permanently segre- 
gated, so that they cannot reproduce 
their kind to be a further burden upon 
the nation, and in enacting laws which 
shall prevent the marriage of those whose 
offspring will be unfit. 
But, in addition to our own very heavy 
burden of those who are defective or de- 
generate, we are adding every year, by 
immigration, many hundreds if not thou- 
sands of aliens whose presence here will 
inevitably result, because of their own 
defects or those of their offspring, in 
lowering the physical and mental and 
moral standards of the American race. 
Biologists admit that they have much 
to learn about heredity. But of some 
things we are already sure. Enough is 
known to make it absolutely essential, if 
the quality of the American race is to be 
preserved, that there should be a far 
more careful selection of our incoming 
alien immigrants, on eugenic grounds, 
than we have ever attempted. 
The need is imperative for applying 
eugenic principles in much of our legis- 
lation. But the greatest, the most logical, 
the most effective step that we can take 
is to begin with a proper eugenic selec- 
tion of the incoming alien millions. If 
we, in our generation, take these steps, 
we shall earn the gratitude of millions 
of those who will come after us, for we' 
shall have begun the real conservation 
of the American race. 
