The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-16

mine owners preferred not to pay liv-
ing wages to American workingmen,
and sent their agents to Hungary and
other countries where the standard Of
living is as low as in any place which
has a claim to be termed civilized By
various methods these agents induced
tens of thousands of these serfs to
come to this country They were put
to work in the places of men who were
attempting to support their families de-
Gently and to send their children to the
public schools These imported drudges
We're not deemed worthy to be called
by names, and were branded with
numbers. In the place of the Ameri-
can home, these men were permitted,
II not encouraged, to establish a sys-
TEN so immoral that a description of
1t would be revolving. Like swarms Of
locusts they spread over Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and in every
section where mining is am industry.
In eYey community they speedily wip-
ed out the customs and traditions Of
American labor. Native born miners,
as well as those of English, Scotch,
Welsh and Irish extraction had been
receiving and honestly caring from $3.50
to 50 day for this most hazardous
and exacting toll. Their places were
taken by human beings who were in
duced to work and die for a dollar a
day or less. When one looks back to
those days-and it was not many years
ago-it is easy to account for the sur
prise and rage of the mine owners that
1t was found possible to organize these
goths and vandals into labor unions
ana TO infiict upon organized capital
the most crushing defeat in it's his
tory. 1 have unlimited contempt for
the men who cut the bikes which let
in this flood of degraded foreign labor,
q ND hn alofY, hot laU1,r
ions are un-AmeTican.' For the sake
of merely temporary advantage they
did not hesitate for one moment to
poison permanently the springs of their
nation. To gain a few miserable dol
lars they opened a Pandora's box from
which countless evils are pouring"
| That is a strong indictment, but l
cannot say that it is unfair" said
Judge Sawyer but the mine owners
are no longer importing these men.
Some other influences must be at work
to account for the enormous increase
in this class of immigration"
There are several but one of them
is even more despicable than the mine
owners" continued the colonel. 1T
| seems almost incredible, but the facts
are fully set forth in a recent govern
mental report. After a CAREFUL inves-
tigation the immigration Bureau has
proved that the cause of the present
the desire of the great Transatlantic
steamship companies for the increased
revenues derived from the traffic. 1t
has been learned that sections OF
Europe are honeycombed with a sys-
tenn of secret agents of the steamship
companies. Emigration is induced
through flattering and lying descrip-
tions Of the United States and of the
wages paid. 1t has been learned that
in hundreds of instances priests,
preachers school teachers and even
magistrates and police officers are the
regularly paid agents of the steamship
companies. These hirelings are aided
by the agents of American contractors
and employers. They are also assist
ed by the support of foreign executives
and administrations who are only too
glad to be rid of a class which is
either a menace or a burden"
1T is a serious problem, a most
serious problem" exclaimed Judge
Sawyer, after a few moments of ST.
lence. 1--WE shall not realize how vital
this issue is until something happens
to disturb or check our long era Of
prosperity"
There is nothing more eloquent than
figures in this connection" declared
Colonel Monroe. II am one of those
willing to admit that they are inhu-
enced by race prejudice. I am preju-
| diced in favor of the races which
| founded this country, and from whose
| brains and hands have come all that
is glorious and uplifting in our civili-
| cation. l have no ambition to aid in
| the assimilation of Chinese, Malays
South Sea Islanders Slavs and other
races, which by reason of tradition or
climate, have neither sympathy with
nor understanding of our institutions
or customs. This prejudice may prove
that l am lacking in a fine altruistic
spirit. or that / am selfish and bgoted,
but | must plead In defense the fixed
ness Of opinion which comes with ma
ture age, coupled with an undimn-
ished acuteness of the sense of smell
But / was about to call your attention
to some striking statistics which have
recently been given out, showing the
sources of immigration. l have ar
ranged a few of them in table
Glance over it, judge; you may find it
instructive, if not entertaining.
Postmaster Jenkins looked over the
judges shoulder while he studied the
following table showing the immigra-
tion from the countries in southern
northern Europe:
Southern Europe.
Austria-Hungary -. ..........20 oil
italy ....... .................... 230 ,622
Russia and Finland ............1 S6,O93
Northern Europe.
Great Britain ................. 6S 947
Sweden and Norway ........... 70489
Germany ..... .......... 40,0S6
France k......... .... 5,57S
Denmark ........ ....... 1853
Belgium NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 345O
Netherlands .......... ...... 3,99S
Total 49,. .................. 1893, 7Os
Il can see our finish" observed
Postmaster jenkins. IN never call
Flanagan a foreigner again."
Copyright, 1903, by Frederick Upham,
Adams)