The Alien Immigrant has been the subject of prolonged and bitter controversy, in which both sides have been guilty of some exaggeration. On the one hand, there are those who uphold the newcomers as an unmixed advantage to this country; on the other, there are many who denounce their advent as an unmitigated evil. The object of this volume is to put both aspects of the case before the public as impartially as I can. The whole subject is one of great difficulty and complexity; but I am not without hope that these pages may serve to throw some light on it.