Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-05-02
PUBLIC OPINION.
SHUT THEM OUT.

From the Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph.
To the citizen who has the good of his
country and of his countrymen near to
his heart, no question possesses more i'm
mediate or greater interest than that re-
lating to foreign immigration.
If anything had been needed to demon
strate the fact that We already have as
large population as We need in the pre-
sent state of the cOuntry's development,
it could have been seen in the rush of the
thousands to secure homes and the chance
for a livelihood in an entirely new and TO
them wholly unknown territory like Ok
lahoma.
1t may be claimed and admitted that a
considerable part of those who went there
were of the class who are never satisfied
with their condition in life, but crave fire.
quent change and fresh excitement: but
the vast majority were impelled by a de-
sire to better their chances. which have
been narrowed down by the competition
of foreigners until it is a task of no little
difficulty to large numbers in almost every
section of the country to secure anything
more than the barest subsistence, with no
opportunity to lay by store for the time
of need, in sickness or old age.
Observant residents of all our Ameri-
can cities do not need to be told that there
is an overplus of labor in all the markets
of the country, and that the constant ad
ditiOns to the ranks of the labOring class
es from abroad only serve to further de-
moraliZe wages and render the struggle
for existence more intense.
1t is the misfortune of the unskilled
American that he can not and will not
lix-a hn npl %rla ba
wages are cut down to almost the lowest
point, and for that reason is compelled to
leave the field to his foreign competitor.
In the great majority of cases the latter
has not been accustomed to anything bet
| ter, and he is able to live, and even thrive,
on wages that to a native-born laborer
mean absolute penury and want
Where shall we look for a remedy for
this great and constantly growing evil?
Is there practicable cure for it within
our reach? We believe there is, and that
it can be found in closing our doors
against any further foreign immigration.
Let our motto be, America for Ameri-
cans Americans by birth or natural-
zation: men who understand and appre-
ciate the privileges of citizenship in the
United States, and who are loyal to the
principles of our government.
If Congress has the power under the
Constitution to say that the people of one
country shall no longer be permitted to
land on our shores, has it not equal power
so to decree as to the people of all other
countries? 1t is only logical to say that
it has. Our lawmakers have forbidden
the coming of the people of China, and
we would now like to see the prohibition
extended to all other foreigners, to what
soever nation they may belong. Such
prohibition might work hardship in indi-
vidual instances, and in many cases shut
out men who would make good and use
ful citizens; but.in the aggregate it would
work beneficially for us as a nation.
If any one doubts the correctness of
this position, let him visit the Union Sta
ton in this city at the hours when emf
grant trains pass through, and observe
the character of the people who are being
added to our population at the rate of
thousands weekly. Poor, ignorant, SUI
perstitiouS, degraded, and in great many
instances criminals. or with moral sense
almost wholly lacking, there is little hope
that they ever can be transformed into
even fair citizens, and even their children
after them will be of doubtful value to
the country.
In view of all these facts, the almost
daily announcements that vessels are sail
ing for our ports with large lists of emf
grants can not be looked upon without
apprehension. Congress should take up
the matter at once, and formulate a law
that will meet the necessities of the case.
Should it do so, it will have the approval
of the best elements of our population in
every State of the Union.