The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-04-13

ern immigrant; they pursued none Of
his tactics; practiced none of his de-
ceptions: possessed none of his char
acteristics. On the contrary, they |
were intelligent, industrious, honest,
upright, Godfearing people-the very
salt Of the earth-and yet my opponent
has had the supreme "gall" to stand
here in our presence and liken them to
horde of human vermin, whose filthy
habits and low standards of life are a
positive protest against the things that
make for civilization.
True. the gentleman has declared, in
language more emphatic than idiomat-
ic, that: "It don't make no difference
if man lives with his hogs, as long as
he is man." Ye Gods! Only think
of it! And that is a sample of his
logic. Gentlemen, have been taught
that cleanliness is indeed next to godli-
ness, and have no doubt the gentle
man himself has been taught the same,
but, be that as it may, we know that it
is second only to the power of speech
in making our distinction from the
brute creation.
Now, according to the official report
of the Commissioner General of Immi-
grafton, the Hon. Frank P. Sergeant,
during the fiscal year, ending with the
Both day of June, 1904, 812,87O aliens
entered the various ports of the United
States, of whom 1857 per cent were
more than fourteen years of age, and
of this class A6 per cent were hopeless
ly llliterate, being unable to read and
write their own language. The
dwarfed mentality of the average
alien illiterate was amply shown just
the other day when, in the city of n ew
York, out of total of 10 applicants
for naturalization, just 60, or 54.5 per
cent, were rejected because of their in
ability to speak the English language.
The court held-and l think very prop
erly so-that after having lived in the
United States for at least five years a
man that could not even speak English
, Was not fit subject for citizenship.
4 Unfortunately, all judges are not so
!, discriminating as the one in question,
, and-in any event-the mere refusal to
endow an alien with the prerogatives
and responsibilities of citizenship nei-
ther relieves us of his presence nor
absolves us from the manifold respon-
sibilities his presence engenders.
The report conclusively shows that
the preponderant immigration no long.
er reaches US from Great Britain, Ger.
many, and the Scandinavian countries
but that it comes from Southern and
Eastern Europe where the average OF
1 illiteracy is unusually high, and the
) percentage of skilled labor and stand
ards of life are abnormally low. Oh
this class Italy, Russia, Austria H un
: gary, and Greece supplied 526,936, OF
: 64.S3 per cent. 1926, or %. n per cent
: and the largest number of .any ont
!, nationality, came from Italy-sunny
!, Italy where the girls are mothers a.
! eleven years of age and Sc per cent o.
;, the males of voting age are disquali
:. fed because of their illiteracy.
3 According to the report, of the 812,
3 87Opersons admitted, only lO1 per cen
O were destined for points west of tn,
d Mississippi and north of Mason ant
y Dixon's line; the other 800 per cent re
+ naming east and north of these bounda
ries. while 525,12O, or 64.6 per cen
o located in just four states, viz: New
v York, Massachusetts,, Pennsylvania
is and Illinois, and we are safe in assum
it ing that, of this number, 80 per cen
% went to swell the already congeste
n cities of New York, Boston, Philadel
If phia, Pittsburg, and Chicago. 5O,59;
It or an Insignificant 6.22 per cent, pos
sessed more than 5000 each; sol ,53(
le or 61.69 per cent, possessed less tina
10 $4,000 each; 26O,745, or 32.O9 per CEN
y. were virtually penniless, and the er
le tire 8l2, $40 possessed only &20,9s4 ,S8;
4 Tor mean average of $25Sl11l each. I