The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-09-28
35,OoO,Ooo Purchasers.

With a second Liberty Loan knock
Ing at the door of the American home,
1t becomes a matter of prophetic in.
terest to contemplate recently issued
report of the Pennsylvania Railroad
regarding the attitude of its foreign
born employees toward the first Liberty
Loan. If these statistics are any critic.
rion, the degree of intensive patriotism
which inspires all our people guaran-
tees success for the nations second
great drive for patriotic dollars to go
bail for Liberty.
Out of 100. 1877 employees on the Penn
sylvania Lines east of Pittsburgh a.
s27 were born In foreign countries An
analysis discloses that nearly one in
three OF these foreign born employees
was found to be a Liberty Loan pur-
chaser. The exact number of subscrib-
ers OF alien birth was STAG, or almost
33 per cent Of the total foreign born.
This was within 2 per cent of the pro.
portion of employees of American birth
who subscribed. These Pennsylyanis
Railroad employees of alien birth repre-
sent 40 different nationalities and
members of 30 of these alien races
were included among the buyers of
Liberty Bonds. There could not be q
more striking testimonial to the effec-
tiveuess of Americanization.
The Italian race furnished the larg.
est number of foreign born employees;
and 2,725 of these men out of 1886
bought Liberty Bonds. Employees Of
Irish birth number 3,139, of whom
1,299 or 43 :per cent were subscribers
to the Liberty Loan. English born em.
ployes number 1875 and 663 of them.
or 80 per cent, were subscribers. Out
of 2,466 men Of Russian and Polish
birth. 79O or 80 per cent, invested in
the Liberty Loan.
Of the Dationalities representing the
Central Powers, employees of Austro-
Hungarian birth were shown to be the
most numerous. They aggregated 3,977
men, and of these 1,097, or 27 per cent
bought Bonds. The men of German
birth carried on the Pennsylvania Rail-
road payrolls numbered 1900 and $50
Of these, or 80 per cent, were subscrib.
ers to the Liberty Loan.
This is record we'll entitled to cfal-
lenge the admiration (and the emuls.
tiou) of many American citizens who
boast 'purer" American blood. It is
remarkable tribute to the loyalty Of
the new citizenship which we are con.
stantly receiving from f,reign shores.
Evidently, the Goddess of Liberty
greeting these immigrants at Ellis
Island-has no stauncher friends than
the sons and daughters of other lands
whom she welcomes to free America.
If such degree of practical patriot.
ism can come from the crucible of the
great American melting pot, is there
any doubt that America will prove her.
self equal to any draft which her gov
ernment finds it necessary to make
upon her resources in order to defend
her traditions. her faith, her honor, her
sovereignty; and her perpetuated de-
mocracyS If the average of Liberty
Bond buyers disclosed in connection
with the first call upon foreign born
employees of the Pennsylvania Railro d
shall be applied to the country at large
in connection with the second Liberty
Loan, there will be 35,0OO,O0O purcbas-
ers Of the second Liberty Loan Bonds.
Thirty five million purchasers can eat
up 80. 000. 900, 900 loan and still have
an appetite for more. Grand Rapids
Herald.