The Savannah morning news., 1903-08-16

what did you think of the preachers
sermon last Sunday?" asked Judge
Sawyer of Col. Monroe. HE certainly
country is and should be a refuge for
the oppressed of all nations. and in
his denunciation of those who would
restrict immigration. From what you
said last week 1 should assume that
your views are not in harmony with
those of the parson."
Hardly" said the colonel, with a dry
smile. with all due Difference to the
clerical orator. / dispute his premises
and dissent from his conclusions. This
country of ours is not a refuge for the
maintenance of foreign paupers nor a
reformatory for the vicious classas of
degenerate nations. We have assumed
no such contract. The widest dreams
of the most Utopian social reformers
are sane and practical when compared
with the assumption of those who as
sert that we are in duty bound to well
come and 'assimilate.' as they call it,
the human sewage of the world"
The preacher knows of your views
on the subject" remarked the Judge. 81
was talking with him recently, and he
said that he thought 1t was strange
that man who is as liberal as you are
on all other subjects should be so in
tolerant on this one. l did not think
IL necessary to come to your defense -
i had occasion to call on the
preacher last night" said Col. Mon
roe, and after a talk on a purely bust
ness matter he brought up the topic of
his sermon. He said that God had
created man in His own image and
placed him on this earth, and that he
was free to live in any part of it., re-
CARELESS of the likes and dislikes of
those who happened to be in the ma
Jority in any particular section. He
said that an all-wise Providence had
planted the instinct of freedom in the
hearts of men, and that we should
share our heritage of liberty with all
who approached our shores. / asked
him if he thought God created mosqui-
toes. He seemed a bit shocked, but
answered that he knew that God Gre
ated mosquitoes, and did 1t for some
good reason not apparent to our finite
minds. Possibly and even probably
the mosquito was created to test our
patience and our faith in the wisdom
OI lHe creator OF all Things.
THE parson waved quite earnest in
his defense of the mosquito. though l
had not said a word against the poor
insect" continued Col. Monroe, his
keen eyes twinkling with amusement.
- Explain TO me, parson.' said 1,
when he paused, why 1t is that since
God has created the mosquito and
given to him certain instincts, among
them life, liberty and the pursuit of
mankind. that you have placed mos
quito frames over your windows? BY
what pretense do you interfere with
the mosquito in his natural right to
obtain the sustenanee his instinct leads
him to crave? More than that, / no.
tice that you have poisoned paper
scattered about your rooms. and that
hundreds of flies have already suffered
a horrible and untimely end. Why do
you interfere with the plainly revealed
plans of the Creator of these crea-
tures?"
What did he say?" asked POST
master jenkins. 81 don't see how you
dare talk to a preacher that way"
He didn't say anything worth re-
peating," answered Col. Monroe. 1.-THE
trouble with our preacher is that he
knows little or nothing about the
classes of immigrants which are pour
ing in by the millions. They do not
come to Lincolnville. They do not set
tie on the farms, or assist in develop
ing new sections of our country. There
are exceptions, of course, but a large
percentage of the immigrants who are
now arriving settle naturally to the
bottom of the slums of our great
cities"
There is one argument in favor of
the immigrant, regardless of his ma
tionality or his poverty" observed
Judge Sawyer. ut seems to me that
only the more virile of any country
have the stamina and ambition to
break away from the associations and
traditions of their fatherland. and face
the certain trials and problems Of a
new country. 1t is the more sturdy
of our own race that undertakes the
dangers and hardships of the frontier,
or braves the frozen ridges of Klon-
dixie. In the same sense, it is only
the more daring of the peasants of Italy
and Austria-Hungary who start al
most penniess for what to them is an
unknown country"
THAT sounds very well, but the facts
do not bear you out, Judge" returned
Col. Monroe. 1T is an insult to COM
pare the men and women who blazed
trails through the then unknown West,
with the servile and ignorant hordes
The former were builders Of nations;
the latter will destroy this one unless
checked. Any one who cares to study
the history of the development of this
country will be impressed by the fact
that all of its strength has been de-
rived from the sturdy people who sail
ed from Northern and Central Europe,
and that with rare exceptions nothing
has come from Southern Europe but
strains of weakness. Incidence, and
viciousness. Until the present era 1t
has been our good fortune that the
influx from the northern sections of
the Old World has so far outnumbered
those from all others as to make it
possible to maintain a reasonably nigh
standard. 1t was natural that the Ger
mans, Danes, Swedes, Norwegians,
Scotch, Irish, Welsh and English
should seek a new home in this coun-
try. Their ancestors discovered, found
ed, settled and fought for the indie
pendence of this nation. Moreover,
It is one of natures laws that immi-
grafton moves on geographic lines
from East to West, and in turning
their eyes in this direction they obey
ed a controlling instinct"
"Then why do we witness this move
ment from Southern Europe?" asked
Judge Sawyer. There must be some
valid reason why these millions are
crowding into immigrant ships"
There is a reason; In fact. several
OF them" replied Col. Monroe. THE
movement was started by large EN-
ployers Of unskilled labor in this eoun-
try These employers We're then en-
gagged In fierce competition for control