Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-12-07
GERMAN EMIGRANTS.
DISTRACTIONS PLACED IN THEiP
WAY BY THE GOVERNMENT.

/ Not Always an Easy Mattar to Get Away
| from the Observation-Disclosures for Official
/ Unsafe.
! The constitution Of Germany adopted in
! 1871 sounds ike q liberal one. Il promises
/ that all men shall be equal in the eyes OF the
! law: that all shall have a vote for their par
/ hamentary representatives; that they shall
/ be at liberty TO print newspapers and hold
/ political meetings. and in nearly all respects
/ be regarded as responsible citizens Of con
/ sJitutional Country All these promises are,
however, of no avail II the administration is
not favorable to carrying them out i'll lib
eral spirit The right TO change ones place
/ Of abode, to seek work, to travel TO
/ emigrate, is one which We look upon as
/ natural TO ell free men. The German
| constitution appears to permit free emigra-
ton As a matter of fact, the government
( Is able to make 1t exceedingly unpleasant for
any one trying to leave the country between
/ the ages Of II and %, unless be gets a GER
tlflcate to the effect that he is not leaving II
/ order to escape military service. man
cannot emigrate while be is with the colors
/ nor while be is liable as reserve. Conse-
/ quently, though the constitution says that
the government shall place no distractions
in the way of ernigrants, practically some Of
the best years Of Germans life are so
hemmed in by the law that he may find il
impossible to leave the country, except bv
stealth And this often happens For III
/ stance, in 1872, of AZ, IO7 who left Prussia
/ only p. 400 had legal right TO do SO granted
( by the authorities. The rest made themselves
liable, If caught, TO years Imprisonment or
fine OF $50
HARSH LAW
/ In 1884 the police Of West Prussia forbade
the posting up OF printed matter likely 20
encourage emigration, and all railway sta
tons were guarded by special policemen 10
intercept any that might be suspected Of
leaving the country before having fulfilled
ali their obligations under the law. This law
operates very harshly il many cases. Sup
pose, for instance, family wishes to break
up its home IN Germany, and begin anew IN
the western country IN America They can
al get permission, perhaps. except one lad OF
Is. who IS liable for the army. The family
feels that to is TO meet with more aCri-
cultural loss, L-rhaps ruin. To go without
the assistance Of the strong arms OF this lad
would De dangerous. The authorities claim
him for at least three years of barrack life,
perhaps for several years after that In such
case need We De surprised if many an am
bilious youngster escapes in disguised
And now we are told that there are many
ike him who take TO the new world hatred
Of official control of ali kind, such q feeling
as lies at the bottom Of much that passes for
Communism aud Socialism. The German
ernigrants as rule merge into the people
VIII
ths new language and speak it in preference
TO their own. In America the children CT
Germans feel aggrieved if you take them for
anything but Americans In every wav they
seem bent upon forgetting their Fatherland,
its laws and, above all, its oficialism. ShouIi
a German return to visit his people within
five years of his emigration, even though in
that time had become naturalized as citizen
OF the United States, he would Immediately
be pouncsd upon by the military authorities.
punished, and sent to complete his years Of
barrack life
A GOVERNMENTAL REASON
The governmental reason for this harshness
IS that the state claims right TO the military
service OF its whole population in return for
the education it has provided up to the time
Of reaching military age. This reasoning is
logical, but one sided II a man wishes to
eTnigrate IL is because he can better himself
somewhere else. For the state 10 prevent
such a man from leaving is therefore 70 make
o disconteuted sub Jet who IS not adding to
the national wealth, tGt, on the contrary.
likely to become public burden In Eng
land the government does not discourage
emigration. Consequently we see every
year shlploads Of men returning with their
families, who have been 20 seek their for
tunes in other countries and come back peri
odlcally 70 pay visits, spend money and
strengthen the trade and social relations be-
tween the mother country and her orshoots
Germany forces the best Of her emicrants
20 sneak away like thieves and makes il L
crime for them TO come back In 1881 the
number Of Germans punished for atternL ring
10 enigrate without the permission of the
government was l5.4lL At the close Of the
year 1882, L, 1918 people were reported as be
ing held on this charge alone Is it strange.
then, that Germans tho world over think
little Of their fatherland-or when they do,
think OF it as Of parent whose harshness has
led them 20 run away, and whose uuforgiv-
ing nature makes return home dangerodsi
There are in the United States nearly 2, 900,
600 people Of German birth. Yet one NAV
travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific and
hardly suspect 1t, so completely have they
Incorporated with the Anglo-Saxon life
which they find there They do not herd IL
Solouies In the desire 70 perperuate their Gus
toms. religion or language On the con
trary, with the characteristics Of q self TO
liant hardy rsce, they strike ous for them
selves, acquire Land, cultivate the habits most
likely to make them successful in trade, ard,
IS g rule. soon rise to positions Of relative
Importance in the community.
In 1851 more than 100. 900 Germans left
their country to find new homes ID America
OK the l69, oS4 Germans who ernisrated IN
1852 By way OF Hamburg, Bremen and Stet-
tn. les $sS went TO the United States TIE
present rate Of emigration, though about
half this number, is Still large enough 70 &C.
nland very earnest attention On tee part Of
the governnen--PoUltney Bigelow il New
York Times
The Original Cantilever Bridge.