Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-11-20
The a. =. A.

racing the operations of the A. p. A. in
he recent elections. Very visible signs
If this organization have been discover
ID in Ohio and Pennsylvania, and some
ess distinct indications Of its existence
lave been found in other states. In
ontest election case from Michigan in
he present congress the Democratic
itting member charges in his brief that
he A. P. A. used undue methods to Sc
ure the election of the contestant, and |
succeeded in the attempt.
These initials stand for the American |
Protective Association, which boasts of |
| large and growing membership
eT.United States. 1t has
nothing to do with the tariff, notwith-
its title; but its main objuct is
to restrict the immigration of foreigners.
Like the old Know Nothing party, the
A. P A. has its secret methods of organi-
zation and government, its signs, pass
membership. Unlike the Know-Noth-
ings in one important respect, however,
it prescrbes no religious test, and even
goes so far in its liberality as to admit
to its membership naturalized citizens
who approve of its aims. IT must be
said that there are great many natural
lied citizens who have become so in
tensely American as to be quite willing
throw the new comers from their native
shores back into. the. :. To what. extent
these citizens.have swollen.the member
ship of the A. p. A. is not known.
As to the practical objects Of this or
ganization, congress has anticipated
| them in its recent legislation in restraint
of undesirable immigration. In fact, all
parties in congress are disposed to go to
the limit of proper legislation on this
subject without any prompting from the
A. P. a. < Hence, there will.beino valid
reason for the employment of this secret
association as a partisan agency at the
ballot-box, although there are evidences
Of very decided purpose to use it for
the benefit of the Republican party.
From various causes, hostile legislation
among others, immigration from Europe
has greatly declined in recent years-a
fact which the A. P. A. finds it neces-
sary to studiously,ignore. Thus for ex
ample, in the five years from 1881 to
1853, inclusive, the. total number of i'm
migrants arriving from Europe aggre-
gated 3,037 ,594. In the five years from
1887 to 1891 the total number reached
:, 35,OO6. AS the percentage of i'm
migration declines the percentage Of
native-born population increases; and
thus the alleged dangers of foreign in
iluence upon the political. and social
institutions of the country are much
lessened. To this must be added the
consideration that the number of.return-
ing immigrants are largely increasing
every year, as the steerage lists of trans
atlantic steamships amply witness. If
this be an evil feature of immigration,
the obvious remedy is in enlarging the
for American Youths to
become skillful mechanics. Foreign
workingmen come here every busy
season for employment, especially in the
building trades, to return in the fall
with their earnings, because we create a
demand we fail to supply. The various
discouragements to learning trades in
this country mainly account for these
birds of passage.
In its spirit the A. P. A. does not
differ much from the manifestations of
race hatred that prevail in greater or
less degree throughout the world in spite
of the influences of civilization. Antip-
athy of race fills the empire of Austria
Hungary with dissensions, while in
Germany and Russia intolerance toward
foreigners takes the form of Jewbaiting.
Even IN France the cry Of "France for
frenchmen' is heard; and hatred Of
the Italians and Germans who seek em-
ployment in the Republic of Liberty
Equality and Fraternity is covered with
a convenient mantle of patriotism.
The haters of foreigners in this land
Of the free and home of the brave are
disposed to discriminate in favor of the
superior European races of Germans
English, Irish, Scotch and Scandina
vians, and to put the ban only upon the
Italians, Hungarians, Poles, Russian
Jews and other undesirable types
Whether this distinction be due to supe
rlority Of numbers or of morality and
intellect, the superior races will doubt
less appreciate the compliment. The
RUSSIAN Jews, who have been driven
from their homes by barbarous perse-
cution, appear to be the peculiar objects
of the antipathy of latter-day Know
Nothingism. This is not owing probably
so much to the poverty and wretched-
ness of thes fugitives as to the fear that
they may become Iich.
paDerinR and Painting,