The record-union., 1894-04-28
Restrict Immigration.

EDS. RECORD UNION: l am more than
pleased to see you come out with an oc-
casional item favoring the restriction of
foreign immigration. only wish you
would speak oftener and bolder upon
the subject. and that other papers would
have the sand to do likewise.
Let US stop all foreign immigration for
term OF years at least, by placing SO
high tax upon each immigrant that
none but the better class will be able to
come: put good protective tariff upon
all foreign importatiOns coming in COM
petition with American industries, then
you will see no more industrial armies
of those who desire to work. while as to
the element who will not work let them
be sentenced to serve term of years in
our navy or some similar institution
where they will be subjected to rigid dis
cipline.
| think they will then be only too glad
to turn their attention to work. This
thing of sending them up for twenty or
thirty days is a mere bagatelle for that
class OF men, who only laugh at such
sentences, and ottentimes commit some
minor otfense merely for the purpose of
being sent up to be fed IN idleness. AS
for Populist Davis idea of enlisting the
unemployed into a National Industrial
Army for a term OF years, in my opinion
1t is nonsense. Suppose such law should
be passed and three-fourths of the unem
ployed should join it, that then Congress
should pass the tariff BILL which it no
doubt will do soon, and that then busi
ness looks up within the next six or
eight months and there is an extraordi
nary demand for laborers, and all our
surplus is tied up in the army, what will
be the result? An overwhelming influx
OF foreign laborers to supply the demand;
final result, when the army's time has eX
pired they will be as bad off as at present;
thrown out of employment only to find
everything full, which brings US back to
the TACT that our first duty is to put
complete stop to this foreign immigra-
ton.
Again, l see some advocating the plan
of inducing Governor Mark ham to call
special session Of the Legislature 10 levy
a special tax to give these men work.
Why, in Heavens name, should l, who
perchauce by strict economy, frugality
and self-denial of myself and family in
times OF prosperity, have accumulated
enough to buy me little home, be sub
jected to the burden of an additional tax,
when In these hard times have all | can
do to keep my own head above water, to
give employment to a crowd one-half of
whom are not citizens of the United
States, thereby taking the bread out of
my OW Ii ulOutu. LOOh dI Tie
recent troubles in Pennsylvania. Accord
ing to one account, out of 1900 strikers
only 1000 were American citizens, and so
it is in the majority of cases. While my
sympathies are with the unemployed, [
do not believe that they should become
either a State or national charge. Let
them scatter out amongst the people all
over the United States, where each COM
munity will be able to support few; let
them live there long enough to entitle
them to vote, then vote for total restric-
ton of all foreign immigration. This, as
l said in the beginning, with the settle
ment OF the tariff question, will do more
to solve the labor problem than anything
else and enable these great and glorious
United States to once more enjoy the
prosperity with which she has been
blessed during the past twenty odd years.
So let us one and all lift up our voices
and shout total restriction and not only
shout it, but vote it.
AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.
Reason VS.. Guns.
EDS. RECORD UNION: AS your Auburn
has seen fit to reply.
your columns, to my article of