The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-02-11
MR.. AIKEN SPEAKS
ON IMMIGRATION
Before National House of Repre-
sentatives When Bill Was
Considered

In the House, Representative Aiken
made speech which, though short.
explained very clearly the attitude OF
the people of South Carolina on the
immigration question. Mr.. Aiken
said:
Mr.. Speaker, while the section of
country that have the honor to rep
resent has not as yet been affected by
undesirable immigrants, the future
may hold greater dangers from un-
restricted immigration there than in
any other section of the southland, or
perhaps of the United States.
South Carolina is the second cot
ton on-manufacturing state in the Union.
The people who operate the mills are
our neighbors and friends, bone of
our bone and flesh of our flesh. They
are descended from the sturdy races
OF northern Europe and their fore
fathers helped to wrest the country
from British tyranny. Our people
may not be spoken of in terms OF
caste or class. We are one people,
loving the country that we have built
up from savage wilds, respecting the
laws OF the land, growing in wealth,
and looking ever forward for better
things, intellectually and morally.
MIR. Speaker, we do not want these
ideal social and business conditions
to be disturbed by the influx of q lot
of undesirable foreigners. Already
| certain sections OF this country have
been overrun by large foreign ele-
ment, SO large that foreign ideals
and foreign issues have displaced true
American principles, and fed and fos-
tered socialism and anarchy.
or couree,, / would not close the
door absolutely against the intelli-
gent, well-meaning immigrant. This
would be inconsistent with the prin-
ciples on which this government was
founded. Furthermore, such a step
would not only be impracticable but
impossible, The comfy of nations re-
quires that our alien laws be reason
able, as the laws of other nations
must be reasonable toward us.
If England should enact law pro-
hibiting any American from taking up
residence within her borders, ws
would meet the insult with arms. But
England may very reasonably pro-
| hibit the lame, the blind, the insane,
the pauper, the anarchist, yes, and the
illiterate, of this1 country from be-
coming citizens toflher domain. And
why? Because they become a charge,
sas .ee ssessts= sests= citizenship They They
become Hlsss-5ersf of the peace. They
become tools in the hsnGs of aesaEn-
ing mem to drive honest labor out os
employment. This country, then.
should npttpermit the illiterate hordes
of Eurbpette drive our own good peo-
pie out Of employment. 5a7Hl 4
The one mainiif atuEes silfi which the,
DIN naertdiecusston' differs from the
present ian i5 fttte t5st5;ph iiiiteFs5y,
and In my Judgment this Is one of the
strongest5f features offtheib bill. The in
teliigenti foreigner ise7ots. willing to
WORK at starvation wngeaS IT is the
tlliterate,hciass those who have not
the intelligence to depend on their
Wits, Who could be ihaFded like cattle
into QUIZ factorieR,t ,to drive; our home
labor that WEI need to dread most
and may add further, that it is the
iiiiterate class of foreigners from,
whom our foreign criminals come.
! i've IN . saetio- the eos:atEy
where fully half the people are me-
groes, Tine crime Tor Rhitf so many
negroes pay the death penalty outside
the law is accountable. believe, in
large measure to the ilIiteracy OF that
race Negroes with smattering of
education commit forgeries, but they
rarely assault white women. It is a,
question with our psople. then,
Wiietiler4iil ID better 70 educate the ne
gro and elevate the character of this
offense or leave him an ignorant brute
prone to- that greatest toffense which
means his; death at tise hands of the
SoheS Win hlslueaS Of anarchy and
There lis nothing so sacred to the
southern white man as the honor OF
the southern white woman; and be-
lieYing that In giving the negro some
education we lessen tiilis. br1tal fen
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