Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-09-10

| Dor ullllctlOiS. we IfSt ma tnefn
In the American laborer being com
PEELED TO compete for work in Il home
market that is glutted with foreign
immigrants. We find them in the great
army of invaders which each year dis
embarks ut Ellis island. New York :
Castle Garden of the present day. We
find them i'm the impoverished Italians
and the Bohemians and the Portuguese
and in the human offscourinGs of
Europe who each year come To our
manufacturers and foundrymen and
contractors and say: Let me handle
your pick" Let me lay your asphalt
pavement" let me dig your mines"
LET me chop your wood" Let me
work in your foundries." We are for
eigners. We do not intend to become
citizens of the United States. AS soon
as we can save up little money we
intend to return to our native land and
live there But meantime we will work
cheaper than any American man can
work Why? Because our living ex-
penses are practically nothing. We will
live in dugouts. We will eat food that
buy no books and will wear the cheap
est clothing. AS result of these con-
ditions of living we can crowd your
American workman TO tie WALL
Protect American 'Laborers.
The American laborer. from this for
eign competition, must have help and
help right soon. to save him from this
condition of affairs. Our national leg
islature must give il. Shall we lift
high our tariff walls TO protect capital
and not at the same time lift high our
walls of immigration laws to protect
our native workers: Is not the Amer
lean laborcr's sturdy arm as valuable
in the sight of our government as the
capitalists pocketbook! What do you
mean by such Il statement as that!"
some one asks. Would you start an
other Know Nothing party! Would
your ballot box slogan be American
work only for the American born
American political offices only to be
held by those Graded under tie shad
ows of Mount Washington and Pixies
peak" oh. no. am not preaching
any such political nonsense. | do not
believe there ever WAS Il political party
wrapped In the swadGlin. clothes OF
SO many errors us that born in 1853
and which. with eX-presidcnt Willard
Fillmore as its presidential candidate.
swept many of our northern states in
1876 with the political cry. America
only for the American born" Ameri
can liberties and American proves;
both ON land AMI sea. miitarily and in
dustrially. have been won ana built
UP 10y Americans adopted SONS ms well
as by her native born children. Wee
there not foreigners anon. George
Washincton's mighticst companions in
arms? Baron Johann DE Kalb, who WAS
shot mt Camden in $780, AMI Kosciusko
and Lafayette and many othcrs-they
were all foreign born. Who was the
most valued statesman during Wash
ington's administration next to the
president himself! Alexander Hamil
ton. who was foreign born. Who was
John Ericsson. the inventor of the
Monitor. that revOlutionized naval war
fare and saved the American navy off
Newport News: He was II Swedish
American; he was foreign born. Some
Of our greatest merchants. like \. I.
Stewart of New York: our greatest
fOundrymcn. like Andrew Carnegie of
Pittsburg: our greatest scientists. like
AgassiZ of Harvard; our social reform
ers, like Jacob A. Riis of New York.
and the most eminent political leaders
Of our day, like Carl SchurZ. once SEN
ator from Missouri and member OF
President Hayes cabinet-they We're
all foreign born. If you blot out from
our nations history all the deeds which
Americas foster sons and daughters
have accomplished for the land of their
brightest pages.
Where To Draw the Line.
But while we. rs American citizens.
would welcome gladly into our midst
the German or Englishinan or Scotch
man or Swede and the men of any
foreign nationality who with intelli-
gence would come among us and say.
Brother. give me thy hand. for today
I would he one with you and become
an American citizen" yet today we
would not welcome the ignorant. the
idle. the filthy. the pauper. the laZza-
rOni or the criminal offscourings of
Europe or Asia. who would come to
this land, not to become American citi-
Zens. but TO stay here just long
enough TO scrape together Il few thou
sand dollars and then 20 back To the
land of their birth We would not
welcome the ignorant and depravcd of
foreign lands. who would undcrbid our
American workmen and compel our
American boys and girls To lisS IN
dugouts or as rats I'm cellar as they
live. These classes have neither part
nor parcel in the glorious Inheritance
Of freedom and equality for which our
forefathcrs fought and blcd. While we
would gladly open our gates 10 the
oppressed of other lands, we would
shut them against horde that can
have no appreciation for the precious
privilege of American citizenship and
no sympathy with our national aims
and ambitions. and whose coming Is as