The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-05
OUR FOREIGN BORN CITIZENS.

At the summer outing of the Con necticut Sons of the American Revo- lution, Mayor Hooker of Hartford made an excellent speech upon the subject of the most effective way of enthusing our foreign born residents and citizens with the spirit of Ameri- can institutions. It Is subject which receives careful consideration wher- ever thoughtful men gather, but 1t has not yet reached stage of safety where political leaders feel that they can discuss 1t openly. Mir Rockers impromptu speech was all the more entertaining and convincing on that account.
 Mayor Hooker reminded the sons that while they might possess more of the intellectual fire. most of the material wealth of the country and virtually all of the invested capital on election their candidates for public office have to hustle for the support of the foreign born voters. He re- minded them that if it became neces- sary to appeal to the community to enlist in the army to resist an invad- ing foe, the response would come more freely from those who are too little considered and less freely from the sons themselves. Because this is 90 he rightly considers it essential to let them with less interference and op. position, introduce into the life of New England more of that freedom l of action, which conflicts with local theology He would liberalizc Sunday for one thing, confident that the re- suit would not only be moral but would lead to a better understanding on the part of the people he wishes to reach of our country and It's needs,
 
 American life which would necessarily add to its stability.
 There Is no question whatever but that Mayor Hooker has said out loud what has long been in the thoughts of the great majority. Nowhere is there a demand for a demoralized Sunday. It would not be tolerated by | the residents of the state, who now feel themselves aggreved because they are kept from cnjoyments which do not appear to be denied the more fortunate who have private grounds upon which to play on Sunday, There has too long been q disposition on the part of the leglslating part of Connec- ticut to rely upon the strong arm of tho government to keep in restraint a desire which has nothing harmful in 1t, but which has had attributed to 1t an evil character because of its secular sensation. Even to-day that feeling exists to an extent that has made 1t necessary for large communi- ties like New Haven to suspend the laws and leave them suspended, so long as the personal liberty allowed is not abused, though suspension of the law for any purpose can scarcely be said to have wisdom in 1t.
 The problem to which Mayor Hook CT referred Is, however, practical one and has to do with the assimila- ton of these people who are nearly if not quite in the majority on the voting lists, They will not be pru- dently and wisely asslmllated, if there s mixed in with our treatment of them, under the old laws, sense of injustice as 1t might be shown ill an indifference to their outlook upon lie and then training under other skies. II might he q good thing if they could be swung into line for the old New England notions of forordinatlon, predestlnatior and election but that obviously must follow, not precede the more pressing work.