The daily gazette., 1879-06-07
Foreign COlOni zatiOn fn the United
states.


The New York Herald unqualifiedly
condemns the projects of Irish coloniza-
tion in the Western States which have
been so Systematically and persistently
urged of late. Archbishop Hughes, it
says, strenuously objected to the idea of
building up Irish towns in the West. In
public address he said ! scout the no.
tion Of towns strictly Irish. Talk not to
me about an Irish. town. Five and thirty
years ago heard some of my countrymen
buying and selling in the streets of Pitts
burg in the Irish tongue, and was glad
to hear it., for it revived the memory of
the few words ofthat language learned
in childhood. But suppose they succeed
ed in forming settlements exclusively
Irish. Why, by and by they would be-
come as distinct as Mormons." The
creation of religious colonies of citizens
of foreign origin is impolitic in every
point of view. 1t is hostile to the har-
monizing genius of American institu-
tions. 1t betrays an offensive spirit of
exclusiveness, an indisposition to surren-
der foreign prejudices of race and relig-
ion, and distrust of or hostility to the
mass of the. American community. If
people emigrate to this country, it is ex-
pected they will become American citi-
in fact as well as in name. BY the oath
of citizenship they sever their allegiance
to the Old World. They do not come
here to be Irish, Germans or Italians,
but solely Americans. To hold aloof
from the people among whom they have
cast their fortunes, to jealousy avoid con-
tact with them, and to live and deal ex-
clusively with those of their own faith
and stock, is little els, than setting up a
pretension of superiority of blood and
orthodoxy that cannot fail to lead to the
most mischievous consequences.
If such schemes of colonization had
beer instituted in the beginning of our
colonial. and national existence, aud
persisted in to this day, we would he a
iantiguated political, RELIGIOUS, and race
anirnosities Of Europe, instead of the no.
mogeneous nation we now are. This IS
a New World in every respect. Politi-
cally and socially we have inauguarated
a new era. Under the shadow of our
free institutions all men enjoy perfect
civil and religious liberty. We are
equals before the law, and no one is
superior to another. There must be a
fusion of races and traditions, or we can
never be a purely American nation.
This desired result cannot be attained if
antagonisms If orisin and creed are to be
perpetuated, and the feuds, which for
centuries have bathed Europe in blood,
are 10 be transplanted 10 this virgin soil.
If any one is ashamed to call himself All
American, let him go back to the coun-
try from which he ,,came--to the hovel
which he shared with his COW and pig
to starvation wages and smoke-begrlm-
ed cottage on the Rhine and Danube
to galley -slavelike labor in the malar'
ious plains u Italy, with the naked earth
for bed. "a L,I.,i..,..I .... -....,
The United States cannot become the
nation It W As destined 10 be by the saga
cous statesmen, who founded it if we are
not people with like ssympathies and
purposes, and If we do not forswear the
errors of past history and unite together
to form a new community on the basi:
of modern ideas. Englishmen, Irishmen,
Germans. all have good qualities they
are ten-fold better, however, when they
are cemmia iagled.s All great nations art
! the fused result of divers and adverse
| bloods. N'I' r."