Semi-weekly herald., 1914-12-21

thrre were 10000 idle foreigners,
,aostly Hungarians and Greeks On
the Milwaukee extension men we're
paid S2.75 to s3.25 for ten hours
work. In the spring man was lucky
If he had work at all. Then the men
we're paid Sl.75 for ten hours work
and table board was $500 week.
Our correspondent gives further SAM
pies of the low wages paid the COM
mon iaborers in what we call "The
New Northwest" He relates that in
the spring Of 1913 the Rock Island
railroad shipped carloads Of Mexicans
i5r common laborers for both termin-
a ind section work, and that Valley
junction got some two hundred of
this class. These men will work IL
hours a day, seven days week, for
$50 month. Our correspondent re-
late5 that he was working in Valley
Junction in the spring of 1918. The
railroads could not get American citi-
zens for II cents an hour, the wages
paid to machinist helpers, SO they in
tfoduced Greeks who could neither
said to them. This mechanics letter
was brought out on account of the de-
bate that has been had relative to
bringing workers from Belgium after
4
member that movement was started
toward establishing bureau to take
tp the immigration problem after the
r,ar for the purpose Of bringing "Bel-
gian farmers" to Iowa. The thought
was that the Belgians knew how to
farm and that they would make the
Iowa soil intensely productive. The
| suggestion sounded good to many
rcople who had not stopped to con-
slider it in all its phases. 1t is not
remembered by all that little Belgium
is manufacturing country. Agricul-
ture is small part of the life of that
people. Such of them as farm, do it
right, and by hand cultivation bring
e,
great results.
AT the meeting of the Greater Iowa
association, recently held at Ames, the
Belgian matter was discussed at
! length. Some of the speakers knew
what they were talking about; others
were talking on general principles.
Mr.. O'Neil, a wage worker from Des
Moines, had evidently posted himself
and threw some light on the whole
proposition. We can see many rea-
sons why the American mechanic
would not like to have extensive i'm
portations Of Belgans. If they come
to this country after the war they
will have nothing. Their start in the
new life will be unfavorable and dis
appointing. Their presence would in
terfere with the American idea that a
skilled mechanic should have pay
enough to support himself and family
comfortably. The Belgian people
have afforded a shining illustration
of what industry can accomplish. Yet
they are great consumers of liquor.
In some respects their moral stand
ards are not such as are found in the
average American community. We be-
lieye this bringing in of foreign me-
chanics and laborers had better not
he entered upon in hurry. We want
those who will appreciate American
institutions and such as can be read
| lily blended in the melting pot"
Some of the mast Industrious persons
who would be brought from Belgium
would come without the slightest idea
in regard to our laws and institutions.
Of course they could learn, but until
they did they would be victimized by
"sharpers" and played upon by dema-
gogues. Their lives would be far
from happy and their experience
would make them pitiful.
We very earnestly agree with our
correspondent and we urge everybody
to go slow toward flooding the Am
eriean labor market with those who
are poorly prepared for the expert
ence that would await them. Such
foreigners as may come, after the
war of their own volition and on their
own motion, should be treated well,
made to feel at home and converted
into capable American citizenship as
rapidly as their own capability and
the law will permit