The Washington times., 1901-11-18
IMMIGRATION MADE AMERICA,
Simon Wolf Objects to the Exclusion
of Desirable Foreigners.

|
Simon Wolf gave very interesting talk
last night at the Saengerbund Hall en-
the topic Immigration. There was a
large and representative audience. T. V.
Powderly. the Commissioner General of
Immigration, was present as the guest of
! honor.
Ths trend of Mr.. Wolfs argument was
that it would be folly and un-American to
pass laws whereby immigration of good
and desirable foreigners would be made
difficult. He said that this country was
made what it is today with the help of
the foreign immigrant. who in time of
the nations critical hour had responded
to its call. and sacrificed wealth as well
as life. In the course of his remarks Mr.
Wolf said:
1T is a deplorable- fact that there has
been : time when great men have be-
come members Of secret societies, meet
ing behind closed doors, to discuss means
to prevent Immigration. Happily, the
days of 'Knownothingism' as a political
factor are past
Il do not know whether the question of
Immigration would have reached this
amount of publicity were ii not for the
cowardly assassination of our beloved
President. But it was not a foreigner
who committed the atrocious deed. He
was an American born and reared.
Lincoln Garfield and Mckinley were
assassinated by Americans These foul
deeds were not committed by German
or an Irishman, but by men who sprung
from American soil
MIR. Wolf spoke of the two great streams
that have flowed from other lands intc
the great ocean OF American growth. the
one from the Fatherland. the Teutonic
countries, and the other the Celtic.
There can be no doubt, said MIR.
Wolf, that England. France and Italy
and other nations have enriched this
country with good and useful citizens
German and the Irish
The Celtic element has furnished this
great Commonwealth with the great and
powerful laboring clement those worthy
men of Drawn and builders of material
wealth. They have in addition another
characteristic which is strange to the
German. They are past masters in poll
tics and can give cards and spades in this
field to any American. Let il be said to
their credit that they will support their
own whenever running for office. Ger
man. when one OF his own countrymen
runs for Office does everything in his
power to defeat him"
The speaker referred TO Mr.. Powderly
as being present as the guest Of honor
and in this connection said:
Many of those who have criticised Mr..
Powderly in the past for imaginary neg
lect of his duties knew not the man He
knows what made this country. He wants
to keep out the pauper, the diseased, the
criminal But he is ever ready to extend
to the sturdy. the wholesome, and healthy
foreigner a warm American welcome.
The effect of German imm grafton can
be seen in all great undertakings in this
So far as the records show there
have been G,OO0010 German immigrants.
not to speak of those who sprang from
the loins of those Germans
The German, unlike his Celtic brother
did not remain in the seaboard cities, but
spread fout over the land into the far
West. where they devote themselves to
agriculture and build up towns and cities
The scientific institutions of our Govern
ment today are mostly populated with |
German education. He is helping to !
make the country great without rushing |
for public office
Mr.. Wolf said that the German vote !
had elected Mckinley ON both occasions I
and thereby had saved the country from !
he greatest calamity that could ever have I
oefallen 1t. Mr.. Wolf concluded his
speech with denouncinG the attempt to
nact laws restricting immigration as i'm |
prudent and un-AmeTican.
The remarks of Mr.. Wolf were well re- 1
,eived and a vote of thanks was accorded |
lim. Frank Claudy. the President of the
conveyed the thanks of the
'eciety to MIR. Wolf