The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-08-24

with the mfrom Southern Europe habits
and customs out of harmony with those
of the United States. They think free
dom means license. These men and
women, for the most part, come of poor
stock. They never will make good ctti-
Zeus They constitute a turbulent and
disturbing element. They swarm about
saloons and figure in the criminal rec
ordS.
There was a time when this country
was proud of the quality of the immi-
grants who anne here. From Northern
Europe came men and women who have
done their full share in making this a
great and prosperous country. No fault
can he found with most of them. But
that class of immigration has been
dwinoling for years, and in it's place we
are getting too much of the scum of
Southern Europe, and it is not desirable.
Changes have been made in our immigra
ton laws, for the purpose of keeping
out the criminal and the vicious, but
more drastic measures are needed.
The Old Fourth of July spreadeagle
oratory about this country being the
asylum for the oppressed and distressed
overdone the business and now politi
clans and statesmen, always looking
for votes, are afraid to do what every
body knows should be done. This stream
of low grade foreign immigration should
be Checked 1t is a menace to good gov
eminent and is a positive detriment to
the workmen of this country, ror these
immigrants will do work for wages far
below what self-respenting Americans
can afford to take for their families are
to be cared for and their children prop
erly educated
BELOW AMERICAN STANDARD.
Not only do these foreigners work for
small wages, but by living rar below
American standards they are able to
save money and carry it back to Euro
pean countries. They come here to get
money and not to become citizens. They
do not harmonic with American institu-
tions. They reduce wages and in many
cases make the operation of the protec-
tive tariff farce One idea of the tariff
is to protect American labor, and yet
while the steel industry is highly pro-
tected under the claim that it is done
to protect American labor, the commits
sioner of labor asserts that of the 300
100 men employed by the steel trust, 60
per cent are foreign born.
According to a writer in Everybody's,
In the recent strike in the Lawrence,
Mass, mills, $4,000 workers were in
volved and twenty seven nationalities
were represented. This is a highly pro-
tected industry, protected in the inter-
est of American workmen, and yet for
eign labor had beat down the wages I'M
til the average wage of an adult worker
was 1925 week. You will find many
of our big mills in our large cities
swarming with foreigners, working for
low wages, and you will also find that
these fellows are from Europe. OF the
S136.O16 immigrants who came here from
1900 to 1919, 6,075,SO0 were from the
south of Europe, from whence come our
illiterates and undesirables.
Would it not be better TO put up the
bars? In what way can this country
profit from such an influx? In what way
will it not be injured This immigration
adds to the poverty, misery and crime OF
our cities. 1t adds enormously to the
drink bill of the nation. 1t is most
serious menace to American labor, for
Hot oHlS 10 lhose men tdhe lne places
of Americans in mines, mills and factor
les, but they reduce wages and make it
impossible for home workmen to care
for their families in way to insure the
building up of a good, intelligent citi-
zenship; and so in the end government
is weakened, for it's strength depends on
the high standard of its citizens.
The old order changeth. New condi
lions require different treatment. Years
ago foreign immigration was a blessing
to this country. Today much of it is a
curse. Let us be brave enough to apply
the remedy by putting up the bars
against the hordes of Southern Europe