Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1906-04-11
IMMIGRANTS FOR THE SOUTH,
The Right of the South to Insist Upon Hav
Ing None Save the Best.

Robert De G. Ward in the Tradesman, Jul,
18th, 1905.
There are certain evils which
will follow in the train of a whole.
sale and indiscriminate distribu.
tion of alien immigrants which
the south will do we'll to consider
To scatter among our rural COM
munities large numbers of aliens
whose standards of living are such
that they are willing to work for
the lowest possible wage, is to ex-
pose our native population to a
competition which is distinctly
undesirable. Thus, the standard
of living of our American farmers
in the middle west are seriously
threatened by the competition
of foreigners. Again. the more
widely we scatter the newer immi-
grants, the more widespread will
be the effect of the competition
with the lower grade of aliens in
causing decrease in the birth
rate among the older native
portion of our population. Ameri-
can fathers and mothers, as the
late Gen. Francis A. Walker first
pointed out, and as leading au-
thorities have since reiterated,
naturally shrinks from exposing
their sons and daughters to COM
petition with those who are con-
tented with lower wages and lower
standard of living; and, therefore.
these sons and daughters are never
born The agricultural distribu-
tion of immigrants from southern
and eastern Europe, and from
Asia, throughout the south will
hasten still more the replacement
of the native by foreign stock,
which is already proceeding rapid
ly in the north.
There is not time to take up in
any detail the evidence, which
exists in abundance. of the nm
satisfactory, the unfit, the unde-
sireable character of much of our
present immigration. But there
are two opinions which so accurate
ly describe existing conditions
that they may we'll be quoted in
lieu of any other discussion. The
first is that of the late Gen. Fran.
els A. Walker, who, as superin-
tendent of two United Stats cen.
suses, had EXCEPTIONAL opportuni-
ties to study immigration and it's
effects on the American people:
''Fifty, even thirty, years ago,
there was rightful presumption
regarding the average immigrant
that he was among the most en-
terprising, thrifty, alert, adven-
turous and courageous, of the COM
munity from which he came. It
required no small energy, pru-
dence, forethought and pains to
conduct the inquiries relating to
his migration, to accumulate the
necessary means, and to find his
way across the Atlantic. Today
the presumption is completely re-
versed. So thoroughly has the
continent of Europe been crossed
by railways, so effectively has the
business Of emigration thore been
exploited, so much have the rates
of railroad fare and ocean passage
been reduced, that it is now among
the least thrifty and prosperous
members of any European com
munity that the emigration agents
finds his best strecruiting gronnd. \ X
Illustration of the ease and facility
with which this pipe line immi-
grafton is now carried on might
be given in profusion. * + X Hard
times here may momentarily
check the flow; but it will not be
permanently stopped so long as
any difference of economic level
exists between our population and
that of the most degraded COM
munities abroad"
Of the artificial stimulation of
immigration by steamship agents
there is abundant evidence, 1t is
AIo ...: