The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-07

is no inducement for him to go some
where else. It is true we may, from
this source, establish n small colony
here and there. but manifestly that
will not meet the situation which con-
fronts us. Where then are we to look
for these needed requisites of Drawn
and muscle? There is but one answer
abroad. In Europe there are n
I lenty and to spare, ready and anxious
to quit their present environments in
search of larger liberty and higher
wages.
The only remaining question then
is. will these foreign farm laborcrs
and home seekers come to the South.
can we induce them to come and arc
they of the kind and character we
want and can with safety admit into
our citizenship. l have no hesitation
in answering these questions with ;ln
emphatic yes. Last year Germany
sent to this country forty-six thousand
of her people England and Wees.
thirty-nine thousand. Scotland. eleven
thousand. Ireland. thirty-siX thousand,
Norway. tWenty-three thousand
Sweden. twenty-seven thousand Fin
land ten thousand. Northern Italy
thirty-fOur thousand. and Austria
twenty-five thousand of German de-
scent Most of these people are farm.
ers and laborers they have been train
cd to work, they are hardy, industri-
GUS and thrifty. They are possessed
Of the sturdy virtues indigenous to the
farm. / know there is Il wide spread
apprehension among our people, that
we could not assimulate these people
that they would destroy the prevailing
homogeneity of our people and Inject
into our body polite an element of So
cial. political and economic disturb
Iance. This is. in my judgment, a
groundless fear.
I'm the first place. immigrants from
these countries are not an ignorant
people. According to the statistics
furnished by TIE Department of Com
merce and Labor the rate of illiteracy
of these German immigrants VINO
came last year. was only eight per cenr.
that of the Danish. Swedish and Nor
weEian only seven per cent. that of the
Austrian of German extraction. only
four per cent. that of The Irish only
three per cent that of the English ana
Scotch only one per cent. of the Fin
three per cent and the Northern
Italian. / speak not of the Southern
italian. only thirteen per cent. In
view of these facts, until we have r.
duced our rate Of illiteracy. we can
hardly object TO these immigrants IN
the score Of ignorance
In the second place, these people
are not heathens. They are, as a rule.
deeply religious. They are peaceful.
laW-abiding and orderly. Those who
speak a different language quickly
learn to speak ours. They rapidly
adjust themselves to our habits ana
customS-throW off their old allie
glance, come under our flag fall in
love with our institutions. mix and in
ternarry with our people, are aSSim-
Hated. Amerieanized, and the next
generation shows scarcely a trace Of
the nationality of their origin.
I'm the fourth place, their advent
has been followed by no such results,
as many of our people apprehend in
the other States in which they have
settled. Massachusetts is still q sturdy
old commonwealth, yet thirty per cent
of her people are foreign born Twen-
ty-one per cent of the people OF New
Hampshire. twenty-five per cent of the
people of New Jersey, thirty-one per
cent of the people of Rhode Island
twenty-six per cent of the people of
Connecticut, tWenty-four per cent Of
the people of Wisconsin, twenty-eight
per cent of the people of Minnesota.
twenty-five per cent of the people of
Michigan are foreign born.
J These great States have not been
corrupted, debauched, or revolutioniz-
ed by this enormous influx, though
they have had to take it as it came
and could not select the kind they
would have as we may, but they have
received it and assimilated it and
these newcomers have contributed
and are contributing their part in
making these States great in all the
elements that go to make a people
happy, prosperous and powerful.
/ But will these foreign home seekers
and wage carriers come? Yes, if we
will go to Europe and Castle Garden
after them and let them know that
we want them ana that We have what
they want AT present most of them
who come to our shores by way of
Castle Garden have already been be-
spoken by some one else and we cam
not get them. The balance dispense
and are gone before we can reach
them even if we We're to try. But if
the bill / have introduced in Congress,
anr which has the hearty endorsement
of the Commissioner of Immigration.
and has received q unanimous report
from the Senate Committee on Immi-
grafton, becomes q law, rs | believe ii
will, we can establish our agent i'll
Ellis Island and he will be entitled to
see such Of these immigrants as we
may want and to put our case before
them before they pass out of the
gates and are lost in the crowd.
'But there is another and perhaps
surer and better way to get these
people, and that Is to go to Europe
after them That will give us larger
field to pick from and we can choose
from the whole body before they have
been picked over and culled, so to
speak There are in North Calonina
today and all over the South. hun
dreds of far-sighted and enterpris-
ing business men and farmers who
would go or send to Europe on their
own account after such of these la
borers as they may want and need
and cannot get here, but our immigra-
ton contract laws forbid them to
do so. In other words, it is not law
full for them to do this. What that
law. however, declares no individual
or association or individuals may do,
it expressly permits State, through
its agents to do. North Carolina can
send agents TO these countries of Eu-
rope to solicit in our behalf and to
advertise our advantages and attrac-
tons and inducements. If we shaE
send our representatives there to ten
these people. ground down as most.
OF them are by high taxes, low wages
and oppressive military exactions--
longing for larger liberty, better OPP