The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-05-14
WOULD RESTRICT
IMMIGRATION
Our Friend "Pendennis" Gives his Views
on a Very Important Question, in a
Well Written Paper Recently Read to
the Chautauqua.
UNDESIRABLEEL ELEMENT I

UNDESIRABLE ELEMENT
This paper is an argument in favor
of restricted immigration:
During the year 1918, 1897 1892
immigrants came to this country.
11,417 of this total were from Rus
sla, Italy, Austria and Hungary.
Nearly 40 per cent. of this class of
immigrants return to their native
countries after they secured money
enough for their immediate needs.
They send $3,0OO,OO0 year out of
our country. The majority of them
have no desire to become .citizens.
They do not seek investment for their
savings in this country. Their native
countries desire the benefit of their
industry and thrift.
These United States need more peo-
pie to till the soil. More of the nec-
essities of life should be produced to
fill the scarcity so apparent in the
present marketable food stuff.
There is plenty of idle land. No
need to send $500, 100000 year out
of the country. There is no better
investment than arabic land. A wri-
ter in the Review of Reviews for
April states: Besides the idle
farms in the Eastern sections 1885,
100000 acres of agricultural lands
are idle and await tillage." The
same writer states that out of a total
of nearly 100000 foreign born farm
ers in the United States.-Only
SO,793 were born in Italy, Hungary
and the slav countries" 1t is evil
dent that the majority of immigrants
now coming to this country, do not
wish to become even permanent res
idents. They reap the benefit of the
wonderful industrial development of
this country. They flch from the
Horn of Plenty. They know not,
nor appreciate the services of the
founders, pioneers and workers in
the annals of this country's great
ness. They are blighting plague
in this epoch of growing progress
and greater national enlargement.
Most of them are illiterate: the un-
fit, the delinquent, the undesirables
in their own country horde Of
vampires that sap the vital current
of our political and economic life.
They Return Home
The only good thing that can be
said of the class of immigrants now
coming to the United States is that
nearly 40 per cent. return to their
native countries.
What contrast between the pres
ent tide of undesirable immigration
and the Germans, Scandinavians,
French, Irish, Dutch and Scots, who
have made such a splendid empire
here in the Middle West.
The Germans-Teutonic to the
core; people of ste ady plodding in
dustry. Keen, jealous guardians of
personal liberty. Their history is
one great record of battles in the
cause of personal liberty. We find
them gathering in defense of Luther.
We find them rising up in arms in
the great Peasant War. We find
them hammering Napoleon at Wa
terloo. We find them uprising in
1848 against the Crowns encroach-
ments upon their personal rights.
That memorable year in the history
of the German people marks the
great Teutonic immigration to this
country. Thousands of Germans
scarcely able to understand the sim
pie commonplace English in daily
usage marched off to the Civil War
in this country to fight against hu-
man slavery. No matter what epoch
you read in studying the history Of
the German people. you find that
their dominating trait of character
has been-a keen jealous guardian
ship of their personal liberty. That
characteristic has been marked In
the laws and social rules where the
Germans have settled in this country.
There are no better citizens in this
country than the German Americans.
The Scandinavians
Since the days of Thor and the
rowing Vikings, the Scandinavians
have been the same in the inner tib-
re of their being. With them the
unseen. dimly preceived in the wor-
ship of Thor. mildly presented in
the days of Luther, has been light
to guide their worldly path. We
find them sweeping like an avalanche
from the north with Gustof Adol-
phus deep into the turmoil of war
fermented by religious moderation.
Wherever you find Scandlnavians in
this country, you will find churches