Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-05-22
ORA WILLIAMS, EDITOR OF STATE
ADMINISTRATIONS FIGURES, GIVES
iNTEREsTiNo ADDRESS.
IOWA MOST AMERICAN
OF ALL THE STATES
Foreign Born Population compara-
4 lively Small AItho Immigrants SHOW
LESS inclination 70 Become Natural
,sfizsdstats Has More Voters Than
Evsr Average Age Increasing.
e rimes-Republican.

smercial club, Ora Williams, editor OF
the state census, made it plain that
anyone having the notion that Iowa is
state with very large foreign born
population gets the wrong angle as to
Iowa people. He asserted that Iowa is
one Of the most American OF all the
states and has a smaller proportion
Of foreign born than any Of the states
adjoining it except one. The tendency
in Iowa is to Americarize rapidly, tho
the recent immigration does not take
out naturalization papers as rapidly
as was done in other years. This is
because there is difference as to
where the immigrants now come from.
He also showed that iowa now has
more voters than ever before and that
the average age of the population is
now greater than In the past. Mr..
Williams saids .s5 t5.8
/. AT a time when there is much dis
cussion as to the characteristics of
American population, 1t IS we'll to deal
with exact figures. We can easily do
so as to Iowa by adhering to the rec
ord. I'm the midst of much boasting
and boosting as. to material things, we
can afford to loccasionally strike dn-
ferent note and consider some Of the
larger facts concerning our people in
which iowa may properly take pride.\
Iowa is conspicuously an American
state. - 81 I IS.
iowa like a sentinel stands farthest
north Of the group Of states with very
low proportion Of foreign, born. No
state north Of Iowa. nor any to the
northwest or the northeast to either
ocean, has such a small percentage Of
foreign born population.
I'm this respect Iowa takes pre-
cedence over any New England state,
or any middle Atlantic state, OF any
Pacific state. It takes precedence over
either. Of these groups or any other
group except southern states OUT
side Of the south, the only states with
q smaller proportion Of foreign born
are Missouri, Kansas and Indiana. 4
Foreign Born Not Numerous.
And 50 1t Is not true as many per-
sons have thought, that Iowa has a
very large foreign born population. II
place of birth is the test, then Iowa Is
among the most American Of all the
states. ts,. E
There is no cause here to worry
over what may be the wishes or pas
sions or votes Of any l1yphenated
variety OF Americans We have them
not. The racial hyphen Is a machine
made product. Home seekers who
come direct from lands across the sea
to the steppes of the Mississippi valley
seldom are tagged with it. Those who
tarry long enough near the big factory
hotbeds of the provincial coast belt TO
acquire the hyphen, take steps to for
get 1t as soon as they cross the Mis-
sissippi river. The Iowa climate does
not favor retention of the hyphen as
a permanent designation OF qualified
citizenship. & II a;
"a million persons born In Iowa are
now living in other states or. other
lands: but there are over a million
and a half Of Iowa born people who
are contributing OF their genius and
their strength to make their native,
state not the biggest nor the weaithiest
but the best state in which to make
and keep home. For every two Of
the expatyiates who have gone to seek
a good place to ,tlie, there are three.
who have remained because Iowa is
the best place I'M which to live.
sl"The actual number Of Iowa born
persons in Iowa Is 1,55f,914 That is
more than three-ffths OF the total.
population. It - a larger percentage
OF the population than ever before. The
increase, Of percent has been twelve
In ten years. So NJ tz rs
THE native American population Of
the state, distinguished from those
born under other flags numbers 1893, e
s97. Practically three fourths Of these
native Americans are Iowa born and
one-fourth born In other states Of The
union. The native born now number
1878 per cent Of the entire population
1.-THE foreign born comprise 11,2 per
cent Of the whole. That Is 81 per cent
less than the proportion IN the United
States. Twenty Ave years ago the
Iowa proportion was 1919 per cent.
From earliest times Iowa drew heavily
on the older states and. It was never
possible for the foreign born contin-
gent to catch up with the procession.
There Is no corner, nor section, nor
belt OF Iowa distinctly foreign.
Blending Of Races.
These facts are given plainly, and.
they may be considered without in
vidious comparisons There Is no
thought that the foreign bern resident
may not be or become as good citi-
zen az the native. but the figures show
that here we have 3 real blending Of
races into a new American race.
Iowa Is not melting pot no arbi- "A
trary 1slsinE, under abnormal heat;
rather d natural cohesion out In the
open fields, under clear skies no rich
sui = VI : So; :; s!::S
Here the process Of Characterization
goes on so smoothly that We do not