The record-union., 1891-07-13
AMERICAN SENTIMENTS.
The Public Schools Are Nurseries
of Patriotism.
Extracts from Remarkable Fourth of
July Grafton by Congressman Bow
ers at Escondido-some Very Plain
Talk

The Fourth of July Grafton delivered at
Escondido, San Diego County, by Con-
gressman w. w. Bowers was remark
able enc in many respects and entirely
out of the usual order. 1t was bold and
manly presentation of the present con-
dition OF this country and was full of in
terest from beginning to end. AS printed
in the San Diego Sun it occupies seven
columns of space. We cannot reproduce
it in full, but the following is the closing
portion of it:
From official reports we learn that at
least one hundred paupers and eX-con-
VictS leave the port of Liverpool each
week for the United States. The report,
which was made by special agent OF the
Government, goes on to say: There is an
agent at Liverpool who takes eX-convlcts,
sees them on the ship and pays their good
behavior money, after paying their pas
sage to the United States" And this is
only one foreign port. Just mere IL IS
proper for me to define what mean by
pauper, term that does not seem to be
fully understood, especially at our County
Courthouse. The difference between the
pauper and the poor man may be as great
as that between the beggar and The king
A large majority of the men III this
country will always be in one sense poor
men; that is, will always be obliged to
work at manual labor to support them
selves and families; will not have wealth
enough to live in idleness. The great
mass of paupers in this country are those
who nave no trade, no occupation, no
habits of industry; who do not and never
did intend TO earn their living. In the
nature of things the condition OF most OF
the European nations is such as to con-
duce to the multiplication of paupers.
The official reports show that for the
thirty days of April, 1891, 5000 immi-
grants landed at six ports in the United
States. The report says: 1.-The increase
of paupers is alarming; most Of the ltal-
ianS, Poles and HungarianS land in the
United States utterly destitute; of these
$1,000 landing in April, 13,lS8 were ltal-
ians, S,799 Hungarians and Bohemians
and 1929 Poles, total OF 25, l56 of the
destitute class, the pauper class; over 800
for every day; and we must reckon that
of the $4,000 landing during the same
thirty days from other countries we may
say 5000 are undesirable immigrants,
making over 1000 Of the undesirable
persons landing upon our shores every
day, to be burden and curse to the
country" Is not the bare statement of
the fact enough to make every thinking
American citizen ponder very seriously
over the result? But this is not all. The
Judges of our courts are every day max
ing citizens of these eX-conVicts and pau
pers, ignorant and vicious, possessing
but one qualification for citizenShip-the
same possessed by one of these oak trees
of your beautiful valley-age; and they
are given privileges denied the American
boy, who possesses every other quaEtica-
tion-education, knowledge OF the his
tory of his native country, of the princi-
pies upon which it is founded-qualified
morally, mentally and physically, in
tod hn
and immunities of citizenship by reason
of the price paid for them by his father.
who gave his life for them; but he was
not born quite SO early in the century as
the eX-convict who left Liverpool last
year. If this nation is to continue there
must be change, radical change, in
this respect.
To-day all over the union there are
organized bodies of men controlled by
persons who are not citizens of this coun-
try that absolutely dictate to American
workmen and to the American employer
absolutely making slaves of American
workmen, fixing the time and place
when and where they may work, order
ing him as a galley slave is ordered to
work. No matter if working mans
family be suffering, and he is offered en-
ployment whereby he may support them,
he dare not accept it if they forbid on
pain of personal injury if not death, but is
condemned to sit idly down and see his
family suffer. l have said that this was
a free flag. Is it while under it thousands
of white American citizens are held as
much abject slaves as ever We're the ne
groes in the South, not by their employ
ers, but by organizations dominated by
foreign adventurers who are working
this country for their own benefit? Your
boy born IN this State. Is or even u years
old, Is not allowed TO be apprenticed to
learn trade except by the gracious per-
mission of these organizations; but the
workman who landed from foreign
country last week is allowed to work at
any trade and receive wages as soon as he
lands This is the state of affairs in this
country to-day. Do you ask me if / am
opposed to workingmen's or trades
unions? | will tell you; I am opposed
10 any and all unions or organizations of
men of any condition that are subversiye
ofthe principles enunciated in the Decla-
ration of Independence, and that are en-
bodied in the preamble of the Constitu-
ton of the United States.
am opposed to and despise that Amer
Jean citizen who has a wife and children
dependent upon him for support, for ed
ucatlOn and guidance, who tamelY sub
Inits and allows foreign or domestic
royerS and adventurerS-who so far as
giving hostages to society are paupers-
to take the bread out of the mouths of his
idleness, prohibiting him from earning
an honest living for himself and family
when he has an opportunity. What right
have these roVers to oppress the women
of this country? Is organization neces-
sary? Then let those worllingmen who
have wives and children join together for
mutual benefit and protection; break the
shackles placed upon them by crafty ad-
venturers and let the rovers herd together
by themselveS-fOrm their own unions
There will be no trouble arising from Or
ganiZations in which only men with fam
7iles 10 support are admitted. Nine
tenths of the trouble and distress among
workingnen in this country has been
brought about by rovers and adventurers
men without family ties 10 bind them
Let men with families say to those who
have none: I'VE do not stand equal; YOU
have no responsibilities; you have no
thought for any but yourself; you ought
not, you shall not make my family Your
prey; you shall not rob us of our fair op-
portunitieS to earn an honest living, and
secure part of the comforts and luXuries
of life"
The American citizen is of right, and
ought TO be, q free man. / believe that
the rights Of every boy, every man and
every woman 10 learn any honorable
trade or occupation should not be abridged
by any power III this country. as ii now
is by this mass ofundesirablei immigrants,
who we may say constitute the right wing
of the army that is attacking the institu-
tions of this country, and that have de-
pressed the value of American citizenship
so cheapened it that unless turn is
sounded il will become worthless.
The other wing of the army besieging
this country is of a totally different char
acter, but is even more to be feared than
go ~ En EEa n