14 
THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM 
Military Service 
In some countries, also, where military service is com 
pulsory, the opportunity of escaping that service for 
two or three years at the time when life’s tasks are just 
beginning is a motive that helps to emigration. This 
motive, too, has an economic phase, since frequently 
the entrance upon military service would mean the in 
terruption of a steady employment that would prevent 
saving for at least the period of the service itself. 
The result of this economic pressure in the home 
country is that the United States is likely to receive 
as immigrants the most enterprising and the strongest 
of the hand-workers, whatever the occupation may be. 
Passage money from relatives in America, assist 
ance when they arrive here and the competition of 
transportation lines, however, now make it much easier 
for the weaker and less ambitious to emigrate. 
Effect of Emigration upon European Countries 
The effect of emigration upon the European coun 
tries has both an evil and a beneficial aspect. Nat 
urally the different governments do not wish to lose 
the military service of the young emigrant, and in most 
cases, unless that service has been performed, the emi 
grant is likely to be held responsible whenever he may 
wish to return to his home country, even for a visit. 
Moreover, the removal from the labor force of the na 
tion at the period of greatest ambition and energy, if 
not of skill, of hundreds of thousands of their work 
ers, can not but be detrimental, provided those work 
ers leave to become citizens of the new country. 
In a very large percentage of instances, previous to 
the war, the emigrant, after a period of a few years