Among the many important problems before Congress is that of immigration, which should have been passed upon by the last Congress, but because of Senate filibuster and other parliamentary technical difficulties, its business failed to be completed. The government issued a proclamation to stop immigration completely until the Peace Treaty was signed. There was also a motion before Congress to halt immigration for four years. It was only accidental that this bill was not passed by the last Congress.

The present Congress will deal with the immigration problem in a new light brought about by new and astonishing facts of recent discovery.

The last five months saw a huge emigration movement afoot in the various 2emigratory circles. According to reports from all over the country, a million emigrants will leave America as soon as possible. At the present time, hundreds of thousands have already applied for emigration permits. In New York alone, tens of thousands of emigrants are waiting for ships to carry them to Europe. Reasons for such emigrations are easily explained. Many go to seek lost relatives or to claim legacies, others believe that in this period of reconstruction there will be more labor opportunities for them in Europe than in America. Still others are returning to their old homes where they hope to find more freedom than ruled there previously, and many more return, curious to see what Europe is like at present and what they can accomplish there.

Without a doubt, many Poles, Russians, Italians, Czechoslovaks, and Hungarians will return in great masses to Europe, and Jews too. Of the latter, some will go to Europe, others to Palestine. With Europe as 3their destination, will go the radicals. To Palestine, nationalists and conservatives. Of course, many Jews will sail to Russia to seek their families and should a worthy employment opportunity present itself they may remain a long time. We do not claim that Jews will actually emigrate in such large groups as other emigrant bodies, but it is certainly definite that the emigration movement will encompass huge Jewish circles.

These facts and possibilities are no longer unknown to Congress, therefore, it must now consider the immigration problem from a different angle than previously. The strength of the American Federation of Labor, with its radical immigration policy, may influence Congress in regard to limiting this immigration. Still its influence is not so powerful that it can make Congress close its eyes to shut out these new matters. Congress cannot accept a policy that would lead to a deficiency of labor in the land. When half a million workers leave America, then a deficiency in labor must occur 4which will affect American industry in its exportation program to other countries. America is today the sole large industrial center in the world to which all of Europe turns for industrial aid. All Europe today feels the need of American machines, American textiles, American leather, etc. Commercial life in Europe cannot be reorganized so easily without the aid of American industry. Therefore, to keep American industry in full operation, America must have sufficient workers.

We see that a lack of workers not only affects America alone but also the entire world. Congress cannot close its eyes to such facts and must therefore change its entire immigration policy, and instead of limiting immigration will have to expand it.

The calamity of limiting immigration is not so great today as it was three months ago when emigration had not as yet assumed such great proportions.

For us Jews this fact is one of great importance. If America does not limit immigration, and we cannot see how limitation is possible, then hundreds of thousands of Jews from Eastern Europe, especially from Poland and Rumania, may migrate to America. They will come even if the Paris Peace Conference secures the agreement of Poland and Rumania to give Jews full citizenship and national rights. After living five years in a "Hell" they cannot possibly believe in an "Eden." It will be a difficult task to prove to Polish Jews that Poles will no longer carry on pogroms against them. Of course, there will be many Jews from Russia and the Balkan states coming to America.

What such an emigration movement in Eastern Europe means for our national politics in Palestine is not hard to conceive.

Should America close its doors to the unfortunate Europeans, millions of Eastern European Jews would have only one haven to turn to-Palestine. But 6Palestine is not yet prepared or able to accommodate hundreds of thousands of immigrants a year, even if improvements were carried on at the rate of our American speed.

We must now do our utmost to take advantage of the psychological moment to create liberal immigration politics. We hope Congress will see the horrors of reactionary immigration politics which the American Federation of Labor has cast upon it, and it will take its stand in this problem making it a credit to America, a good for all of Europe which waits for the great accomplishments of American industry, and a good for the Jewish people.