The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-15
The "ForeIaner" Defended.

To the Editor Of The Journal.
With your kind permission, wish to
say a few words thru the medium of your
paper to those who. like myself, are de-
scendants Of the men and women fire.
quently spoken of as foreigners
Last night CHANGED to speak with a
young man Of German parentage, young
man Of the well-meaning class who have
tasted the. Pyrean spring, but have not
followed Pope's advice to drink deep
The conversation turned to the subject Of
labor and capital; and the young man
expressed the opinion that all the agita-
ton among the laboring classes. and all
the Ills that the industrial body Of the
nation is heir to, are due to the foreign
ers, the "Swedes and other trash He
instanced the socialist speaker whom he
had just heard addressing a crowd at
Nicollet and Fourth street s, as simply
another Illustration of the fact that
the "foreigners-al lof them ignorant
are trying to break down the social and
industrial structure of our country. Now
it SO CHANGED that had passed that same
socialist assemblage; had taken the pains
to inquire the name of the speaker; and
had learned that it was a Mr. Lucas.
which does not sound like a Norwegian
or Swedish, or a German name, at any
rate. The noisy portion Of the assem-
blage, too, was distinctly Of the young
America" type.
For the information of such as have
the same false impression as my young
man, namely, that socialism is a result
Of the immigration Of "Swedes and other
trash would say that they can easily
disabuse themselves. If they will but look
up statistics in regard to socialism. In
Massachusetts, for instance, where Scan
dinavians are extremely scarce, socialism
is comparatively strong.
However, the foreigner especially the
Norwegian, the Swede, the Dane, the Ger
man and the Irish, needs no defense.
Every one who is more than superficiaHy
educated in the history of American prog
ress, knows that If it were not for these
foreigners" the United States would still
be asecond-class nation, II a nation at all
Qssmake this last statement advisedly, for
the union victory in the civil war was un
doubtedly due in large measure to the
thousands of foreigners in the union
ranks) What desire to say is this
| We, the descendants of the foreigners
who have developed this country and
made it what 1t is, should discourage sc
much as possible the SANDER of our an.
| cestry. We cannot cast much blame upor
the Ignorant persons of English descent
who attempt to lay the ills Of the coun.
| try upon the shoulders of the Foreigners
That is to be expected for the average
Englishman is, to put it plainly, so con.
ceited that, like Braddock, he cannot be
taught But that men or women, who
are themselves the descendants Of sturdy
/ honest and manly immigrants should
truckle to such ignorance, and shoul6
SANDER their ancestry to gain the appear.
ance OF wisdom In the eyes of few shall.
low and superficial people, is shameful
God bless the sturdy immigrant, be he
Norwegian. Swede, Dane. German or Irish
Let the ignorant descendant of Englishmer
1 with his mouth defame the foreigner a.
4 a laWbreaker," while he enforces Lynch
law with his hands; but let us stand firm
In the defense of the reputation OF ttos.
! from whom we have sprung.
Gunluf Guthormsen.
Minneapolis, July IL, 1908.