Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-08-10
A Protest Against Foreign Immigration.

Protest Against Foreign Immigration.
From the San Francisco Argonaut
OF the men composing the mobs Of strikers
who have been taking human lives and Destroy
ing property during the past fortnight nine
tenths are foreigners. A naval officer now in
San Francisco, who was United States inspector
of steel at Homestead year ago, says that he
was obliged to take interpreters with him dur
ing his tour of the yards. 1t il about time that
this country put stop to the admission of
these murderous scoundrels II Americans
are to have their property destroyed, the lives
OF their employees menaced and the laws Of
their states set at defiance by gangs of ruffanly
foreign workmen the Americans had better
move out and let them have the whole country
to themselves.
Congress hesitates or delays to act in relation
to European immigration; the character of the
immigration that has predominated during the
past twenty years Is every week becoming more
intolerable and every seriously threatening the
future condition of the republic and the public
weiware. Uniformity in popular sentiment on
the Pacific coast upon the immigration of Chi
nese, without division Of party politics, has SO
wrought upon Congress that the evil has been
quite abated. The immigration Of Chinese to
the United States had its beginning in California
on the discovery Of gold, and has all the time
been directed to the Pacific coast-mainly to
California, but lately to British Columbia, on
account Of restrictive laws and exclusion de-
clared against the Mongol race. The immigra-
ton from Europe was more or less a subject Of
popular contention in the early years Of the re-
public, according to the nativity Of the immi-
grants and agreeably to the race prejudices of
communities. The immigration prior to 1870,
however. was very different from that which has
since come end Is now overrunning the entire
country, although the larger portion seek and
infest the great cities and manufacturing dis
tricts. The country in the early period needed
immigrants, for the expansion Of agriculture
and occupation Of the vast wild lands, for
mechanical employments and for every manner
Of labOring pursuits. Immigrants Of hardy
nature were mostly needed. Their skill in
trades, their willingness to labor, their adapt
ability to every kind Of employment, we're ruling
considerations. Until the immigration Of Ger
mans In considerable numbers-as late as 1870
from Europe there had come mainly English
speaking immigrants, from Great Britain and
ireland. The great work Of the Erie canal in
the twenties, the construction of railroads in
the thirties and ever since spurred immi-
grant-shipping agents to activity and the
condition Of the peasantry Of Ireland and
the poor Of Germany furnished supply to
the demand. Thousands came of better
clnsses-persons Of means, skilled mechanics
and many bred to agriculture and useful
pursuits. But the immigration Of the past
twenty years has been yearly increasing in num-
bers and in debasement. European immigra-
uon 70 America was formerly OF the manlness
and spirit, Of the bone and sinew, Of the dis
tinctive nationalities. The mass Of immigra-
ton now is Of classes degraded at home and
rank nuisance in this country; the noxious scum
Of communities, the vile and criminal Of the
land Of their nativity. They are ''aided" by
parliamentary provision or deported by vigor
Of the law. A burden or q pest in their own
land. they are dumped upon American shores
and cling to cities as offensive fungi, or spread
throughout the country weeds to the injury
Of wholesome growths. The influx is becoming
intolerable and IL alarming. This objections
BILE immigration is as bad as that of Chinese in
itself; much worse in contemplation OF the
future. The ballot rules. Chinese ore for
hidden the ballot. All from Europe
are admitted to the governing machinery.
OF nationalities from which only few hundred
yearly immigrated to the United States prior to
1870 hundreds Of thousands have since
swarmed, and every year, every month. every
week and daily the inpour Is increasing in pestif
erous volume. Some weeks ago in New York
harbor there were landed from four steamers
In one day, from a. many ports in Europe, o
total OF H. 9S Immigrant than 500 of them
English speaking, over 5000 from Mediter-
ranean countries, of alien race. The United
States does not want such immigrants. It is
time to stop the drool and drivel about this
country being San asylum for the oppressed Of
every nation, kindred and tongue" It is
rapidly coming about that the Oppressed" are
the Americans who own property. They are
being told by tho rsbble Of foreign laborers
that property owners have no riehta