THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM 
I 
INTRODUCTION 
The Statement of the Immigration Problem 
What is the immigration problem? 
The people of the United States stand for what, in 
their judgment, is the highest, best civilization in the 
world. Beyond question this judgment is often a nar 
row one. Few people know the best characteristics 
of the leading European nations, much less those of 
the more remote civilizations of India, Japan and 
China; but however biased their judgment may be, 
the Americans undeniably wish to maintain their 
standard, and if possible to raise it. The problem 
becomes then, How does immigration affect Ameri 
can civilization now, and what is its influence likely 
to be in the future? 
In order to solve a problem of this nature it be 
comes necessary: 
1. To fix for ourselves a standard of civilization; 
2. To secure all the facts about immigration that 
bear in any important way upon our civilization; 
3- To measure as carefully as possible the influence 
of these facts upon that standard; and 
4- As a practical people, if immigration and the 
conditions brought about by it are affecting our civi 
lization unfavorably, to suggest measures, either gov 
ernmental or social, that will prove to be a sufficient 
remedy. 
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