Eugenics in race and state.

  • International Congress of Eugenics
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Eugenics in race and state. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    422/534 (page 406)
    406 HARRY H. LAUGHLIN born, with an incidence in institutional quotas almost twice as great. Moreover, the first generation of descendants from the foreign bom show up quite favorably in this respect, compared with the older native stock. Let us now summarize all types of social inadequacy. The quota- contributions run as follows: All of which means that, as a whole, the foreign born population of the United States is contributing to our custodial institutions one and one-third its quota, while our older native stock is contributing only about nine- tenths its percentage allowance. The first generation of descendants of immigrants show a little higher social value than our most recent im¬ migrants, but here also their quotas of degeneracy are so high as to justify the conclusion that within the last generation the inborn physical, mental, and moral qualities of our immigrants have been declining. The lesson is that in order to prevent further deterioration of the American racial values, through undesirable immigration, it is necessary to sort our immigrants on the basis, not only of personal examination, but also on the basis of family stock. In order to do this, it will be necessary to make examination in the home towns from which the immigrants come. As an economic proposition, such examination at home would constitute a great saving in money, over sending the immigrant across the seas for his examina¬ tion. It would also be much more humane. International complications could probably be avoided by enacting a law which would admit to the United States as immigrants, only persons who can and wiU supply to the American consul at the port of debarkation, family history records demon¬ strating soundness of stock—mentally, physically and morally—sufficient to meet the eugenical standard set by the American statute. This, of course, would constitute a limitation in addition to those based upon considerations other than eugenical. Second, our laws should be modified in order to permit the deportation of all aliens who become public charges. At present the law does not permit deportation after five years of residence in the United States, regardless of conduct or social or racial values. SUMMARY Native, both parents native bom Native bom, one parent native born, one parent foreign born Native born, both parents foreign born Foreign bom CONCLUSION