River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-08-13
Foreign immigration.

The question OF regulating Foreign
immigration to this country is of spe-
clal interest To the people of the West
ern or Northwestern states where "A
great number of our foreign-born pop
ulation have found new homes. For
eigners coming here to take up and
cultivate new lands and to locate per-
manently and become useful and law
abb ling citizens of the United States
have always been and still are well
come additions to the enterprising
population of the great West, and upon
the whole there is no objection to the
German aud Scandinavian newcomers
who come To till the soil and create
new and permanent homes for them
selves aud family. If all Immigrants
were of that class no regulation of
immigration to the United States
would be asked for or thought of for a
century to come, neither are any pres.
ent laws or rules for regulating immi-
grafton aimed at this desirable and
useful class of immigrants. The Scan
dinavian and German immigration
have been and still is an important
factor in the development of the re-
sources of the great and growing
Northwest, and the restrictive meas
ures lately adopted will not, and is
not intended to, diminish the influx of
this Industrious and loyal class of i'm
migrants who will continue to come
and to be assimilated by the American
common wealth as IA component part.
But III the latter years an entirely
different class of immigrants have
commenced To arrive at our shores
and ask for admission on equal terms
with the hardy and thrifty Northern
eTs. The dusky Italian with his hand
organ and his Malta civilizations, the
lazy and unwashed city refuse from
Southern Europe, the fugitive from
| justice, the criminal pardoned on con-
dition that he shall leave his native
country, the assisted pauper who can
not or will not work for living and
in whose language the word "home"
has no equivalent, have all come and
Knocked at our doors and demanded a
chance To enjoy life at our expense.
The bulk of this class of immigrants
are extremely illiterate and ignorant
and nearly as Objectionable as the
Chinese. because they do not come
here to become American citizens and
to take their share of the duties and
responsibilities of citizenship, but
simply To make some money, one way
OF the other, and then return to their
native land. 1t is no wonder the
American people and the American
Government become alarmed and have
adopted more stringent measures for
regulating the landing of immigrants.
At best these Italian, Arabian or Hun
garian immigrants are nothing but
common day laborerS and naturally
flood the country and cities in search
of employment as such, and the direct
end immediate consequence is de-
preston of the labor-market and
downward tendency of wages, until
point is reached where wages are en-
tirely inadequate to the wants of the
native laborers or those from the Ger
man and Scandinavian countries, who
are used to decent and comfortable
living.
The influx of Russian Jews also
threaten to assume dangerous proper
lions on account of the recent whole
sale explosions and constant persecu
ton of the Jews in the Russian en-
pire. These people are natural ped
dlers from the cradle to the grave,
and this country is certainly not in
terested in acquiring any great influx
of them. To some extent they come
under the head of assisted immigrants
and are entirely destitute, having lost
what they had in Russia and their
fare being paid by contributions from
Jewish bankers and merchants on
both sides of the Atlantic, and in case
of sickness and inability to find en-
ployment at once many of them may
become public charges upon arrival to
this country.
Experience teaches that in several
European countries the authorities,
while against the emigration of indus
trious and able-bodied workingmen,
are not opposed to have their crimi-
mails and paupers shipped over here to
live at public expense. While the
European authorities may not actually
be engaged in shipping this class of
emigrants to America, they do not
prevent them from going and give
their tacit approval to local societies
established for the purpose of weed
ing out Objectionable individuals and
sending them over here to get rid of
them.
Another danger, which, however,
is of less magnitude, is the frequent
arrival in this country of people who
are too old to earn livelihood for
themselves and whose passage is paid
by relatives in Europe with the evil
dent intention that other relatives in
America shall take care of them, and
in frequent cases the American rela-
tives may be entirely unable or I'M
willing to do so.
An impartial observer will under
the circumstances find the more
stringent measures adopted for the
regulation of landing Foreign immi-
grants at our seapOrts as laid down in
Secretary Fosters circular of June Srd
well timed and necessary. While the
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