The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-27
SPIRITED DEBATE.
Foreign immigration
Discussed By the
Woman's Club.
ABLY CONSIDERED.
The Judges Decide in Fa-
vor Of Negative Bust
ness Meeting Talk.

The literary exercises at the
Woman's Club yesterday afternoon
consisted of an extremely interesting
debate by members of the club upon the
question: Resolved, that without far
ther restriction, foreign immigration is
a present detriment and future mem
ace to our country"
The affirmative was taken by Mrs.
E. H. Marble and Mrs. A. B. R.
Sprague; the negative by Mrs. c. H.
Brockway and Miss Alice Gordon Mer-
rill. The judges were Mrs. C. F. Carroll,
Mrs j. E. futile and Mrs. Willard
Scott. The program was in charge OF
the history committee, Mrs. Gardner G.
Whiting chairman.
Mrs. Marble opened the discussion
with the statement that never since
Rome was overridden by the barbar-
ians had a nation been visited by such
hordes as the United States. Sentiment
alists say that to exclude these litter
ates would not be in harmony with
Christian nation, and political tricks
tiers see in the two millions of immi-
grants who have come here every four
years since 1880 a political element that
can be manipulated for partisan pur-
poses. They fail to note that If our
waste areas are ever to be brought
under cultivation it will be through the
Americans, for only II per cent of our
foreign population is engaged in agri-
culture.
NO material advantages can com
pensate us for making our native land
a sewer. While the immigrants who
came here before the sixties were from
Europes middle classes, there is now
marked deterioration, and criminals
are systematically sent here from
Great Britain, Germany Switzerland
and Italy, while paupers and insane
are also exported, often to be sent to
Canadian ports and so sneaked into the
country The law by which paupers,
idiots, criminals, insane persons and
contract laborers are excluded is not
worth theNpaper 1T, is written on.
Ia The day has passed when men come
to America seeking religious and point
ical freedom They come for what
they can get out of it. While the poll
cy Of giving the franchise to the negro
may be doubted we are now giving 1t
to millions of immigrants who are IL
literate, paupers, even criminals, and
not until they have become virtually
the controlling power In politics Is
halt suggested. Education does not
help in solving this problem Tor the
Germans, the best educated of the for
their national habits
Immigrants furnish us many Grim
inals. In 1850 there was one criminal
to $500 of the population; in 1890 there
was one for every 1853 Of the popuia-
tiot While the population has in
creased 40 per cent, our criminals
have Increased 445 per cent. OF these
a large. percentage are foreign born
The liquor question is closely con-
nected with immigration, go per cent OF
the saloon keepers being. foreign born.
Mrs. Brockaway, speaking Tor the
negative, reminded the audience now
much the material prosperity of the
country has been assisted by lmml-
grants and who have built the railroads
and sewers, who formed cne-fourth OF
the Union army. She treated the SUD-
tect of the restriction of immigration
under two heads, first, is it advantagcous
to restrict it; if so, how? Not rurther
restriction was wanted, she thought
b,1t better distribution of immigrants.
II foreigners furnish more paupers,
criminals, etc, it is because they pc
1one to the poorer classes of society,
NOT because they are foreign born. AS
for the argument that immigrants take
mr. send a great deal of money out OF
the country, if labor is wealth, then
the laborer brings to TINS country
more wealth than he takes out. Instead
n closing
them for there is room for 300 mllllons
NJ neonle in this country. Even Ill Wor-
oeeter we need immigrants to raise or
derress our tracks. No undesirable pco-
pie are now admitted
Instead of lowering wages II mas i ldu
the effect of raising wages ana shoI ten Ten
ing hours. Let US build more schools
for these foreigners ard they VIII give
ne citizens of brain and muscle
Mrs Sprague in speaking for the ar
srroatfve. said: If immigration We're an
unmixed good, there would De 10 iHWs
against it. The question is not VIVA.
Immigration has done in the past put
what it is doing now, ana Wn i,l,s O u.
statutes keep out the undeslra pies. N
1870 we received six million immigrants,
a great percentage Of whom are IN
clean Ignorant unskilled. Four-ntths
Sgbo come stay in New York; are they
no menace in our slumsI
The italians, Hungarians ana Pores
-,,.o ,vort, on the roads in summer,
maintaining their squalid national Gus
4orns. live the same lives IN the cues
=, winter. Are they no menaee2 1t is
~9nt tr1ie that these people come over
bseause Americans won't do this kind
~ work The Americans viii not DO
If because he must work with the
foreigner. As for the argument that
NE need more unskilled labor, the an
s,.-a,. is-ve have enough. The immi-
grants. care nothing for our institutions
except to sell their votes, and compare
lively few go anywhere but TO Penn
s,rlvenia. New York and Massachusetts.
Not only native Americans but the bet
ter class of foreigners say immigration
should be restricted.
The last speaker was Miss
Alice Gordon Merrill, who based
aer argument on the rapidity
and thoroughness with which
sssimilation takes place. Had it not
been for the fact that the descendants
of foreign-born citizens become loyal
Americans, said she, the union could
not have been saved in four years The
n1bIic school. political rights. the alb
terte of titles. the holding of property,
the dominance Of one language-ah are
forces making for the rapid assimilation
~ the foreign element. The Anglo
Saxon makes other nations submit TO
him: he will not change. senator Lodge
saws that our race will degenerate, but
deTeneration works down from the