The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-04-26
RESTRICTIONS NEEDED l.
IMMIGRATION LAWS.

Il
The exas Siftings has very slg-
nificant cartoon as frcntispiece TO i'S
edition of April 81. In the distance IL
a shin coming in, ireighted with emf
grants. Under it il the sign, "Scum
of Europe coming to America wnere
we can raise HI and very Tree"
Interpreting between that on an I'M
mense bed is Coxey's srmy "march-
ing on and below that 70 picture
of tour friend, Governor Hogg," but
the main part OF the whole thing is
the immense bedstead, marked " n
Gle SANS bed,n in which are hun
dreds of faces Of roughs yelling at
Uncle Sam. whom they have incontl-
nently kicked out Of bed.
The picture teaches a Lesson when
we have long unheeded simply be-
cause whenever we have attempted to
correct our immigration laws q few
religious fanatics have taken the ad-
vantage of religious prejudice to per-
vert the movement to an attack on
the Catholic church.
The best kind OF our foreign popu-
laliOn are in accord with the native
American sentiment of protection
against our land becoming the dump
ing ground Of European paupers The
best of this foreign element is "a in
dignant as the native il in receiving
into our borders competition OF this
kind of foreign element in all oppor-
tunities for work. This Objectionable
population Is not only pauper:zed and
entail the. burden OF support OF the
larger number of them upon the
eleemosynary institutions OF this
country, but even those who have the
honesty to offer to do work have from
their habits of lie been enabled tOI
live upon herring for dinner in a
fence corner and are content on 80 lit
tie that they can successfully compete
with the most industrious native Ia
bOrers.
We have been unable all the time
to inaugurate any movement by which
our native labOring men can be re.
lieved from this competition from the
fact that when any attempt has been
made to do so the sentiment created
by such efforts has been taken ad- !
vantage of by religious iaLatiCs and |
run into the ground to the disgust OF
the people and tho defeat OF the orig |
inal purpose. The reason why we
cannot enact protective immigration
laws we think we have made plain.
The necessity for the existence of such
laws Is obvious.
1t is perfectly Legitimate for a gov
ernment To protect IFS Iaboring classes
from the competition of such nations
as the Chinese and all others VINO can
live on less and receive less pay than
our native laborers, such as the ltal-
ians or the Poles, who are
making such disturbances on
our railroads. Yesterday we read
in the dispatches OF the Poles hacking
to pieces sheriff and his deputies
with their picks.
There must be stop put to this.
There must be restrictions thrown
around immigration that will free us of
this class of citizens We have no fear
of offending the valuable part of our
foreign born citizens. They feel this
thing just as keenly as any native.
born citizen does and they know that
we are not aiming at their privileges
in the advocacy OF more stringent
laws upon immigration. They know
that those to the manner born respect
their citizenship just as the citizen
ship of their native fellow citizens and
they know it is right and just that
laws should be passed to prevent
Europe dumping its worthless and
poverty-stricken classeJ upon us,
However poora man may be il ne is
honestly desriOus of work to benefit
his condition, lot Us receive him and
give him work, but if he comes from
nation of paupers and vagabOnds and
comes to "raise HI" let him be i'm
mediately sent back by the steamer
that brought him over. We do rot
want such class of citizens, and the
congress of the United States must
protect us from them.
THE Missouri, Kansas and Texas is
one Of the nnnst enminnnl and hest |