Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-14
Our Alien Problem in War

= ERMANY has honeycombed America with
~ spies. There is said not to be town
Of 5000 population in the country without
its informers; every industrial community
with its output of manufactures. is kept tab
upon. And tho Kaiser's propa ganda is pass
ing either openly or secretly from mouth to
mouth where 1t does not appear III print.
Innocent Scandinavian sailors have carried
tons of mail matter to Germany since the
beginning of the war. The government has
destroyed wireless stations, but they spring
up again like blockade stills, and rush news
is daily cabled to Berlin by way of Mexico
and South America.
To meet this German espionage the United
States government has organized and is de-
veloping one of the ablest Secret Service
systems in the world; it is tightening the
censorship on all cables, and is stopping all
other leaks it can discover. But this Ger
man danger is one that reaches beyond the
power of the Secret Service and censorship
to grasp. 1t springs from our alien problem
in this war.
There are in this country 100000 per-
sons who are either foreign born or are the
children Of foreign parents. Over 100000
OF these persons first the light in Europe
A large per cent Of these latter cannot speak
English; most of them are distributed among
the industrial centers of the country. They
are from all the countries of Europe now
at war, and they are a restless. shifting
element in our population. Many of them
drift from place to place looking for work
and for better wages. They have not been
in this country long enough to feel pa
triotically attached to it. With the excep-
ton Of those who have come here from Ger
many, the war does not deeply enough in
terest this alien element for it to take sides.
Many of these aliens can, therefore, easily
and often lnnocently be Influenced by Ger
man agents to help further the ends of Ger
many in this country, just as Scandinavian
sailors were induced to carry German mail
without suspectfng the motive of the senders
The chief danger of this element, who is
to-day largely employed in turning out NUM-
lions, building camps, loading steamers for
Europe and mining and transporting coal, is
to be found in the event that this country
should suffer calamity or setback in war
or should it suffer shortage of food or be
cursed with serious strikes These men and
their families, under such stress, would al
most certainly become finder for German
agents, and our muniton factories might be
crippled or destroyed. number Of them
have already been blown I'D in mysterious
ways
Tho National Americanization Committee
OIL New YORK has suggested what seems to
be practical solution of this alien problem.
1t is the organization of central intcli-
gence bureau for aliens with two co-ordinated
services. One of these services would cover
the distinctive activities of spies plots, vio-
lations OF laws, censorship and the carrying
out OF official orders-the repressive phase
OF the work. The other service would fur
nish information to aliens about the war in
such a way to conserve industry. 1t
would coordinate instructions to aliens about
enlistments. and it would direct the many
efforts now being made to Americanize
aliens and inculcate loyalty and love of their
adopted country.
The war has already created many new
bureaus, but there does not seem to be one
more needed than this.