The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1919-06-09
Necessary AUGMENTATION Work

Secretary MOtrlSoH ol the -N'@i
ran Federation of Labor said num-
Der Of profound and pertinent things
IN his statement at Washington, d.
C.. Yesterday on the mb,-throwers.
Perhaps the most significant para
graph was the one in which he spoke
of the necessity for characterization
As the true remedy for that state of
mind which believes in violence as
a means OF remedying grievances.
"Americanism must be more than a
shibboleth," said Secretary Morrison.
1T must mean education, opportuni-
ty, and social JUSTICE for all. We
must vitalize our declarations and
Our beliefs that injustice has no place
on American soil. In this soil bomb
throwing will wither and die
We often talk glibly of American
ization" without realizing its deep
est implications. The word has be-
come, as Secretary Morisson sug'
sests, a meaningless shibboleth. q
catrhword, which we repeat, as we
repeat SO many other words Of large
meaning in current use. thoughtlessay
and c4kelessiy. Doubtless we really
mean characterization" the giving
Of an. American atmosphere and a.
American education to our foreign
born and their children. But do w
do this? Have we really set our
selves 10 this vast and delicate task
We. must remember too that before
we can really. educate our foreign
born. into the belief that our institu'
tions are not instruments of oppres'
sin but gates to liberty and happi'
ness we shall have to engage in othel
tasks for the amelioration of social
conditions: better housing conditions
for workers, the eliminations of rem,
and food profiteering, and general
welfare measures of many Other
kinds. Then too we must have .
stringent educational propaganda t.
counteract the false propaganda o.
the radical press which speaks to the
foreigner in his own tongue. This
press is engaged in an unremittine
effort to convince its readers that the
Government of the United States is
but another huge machine designed
for the exploitation of the poor for
the benefit of the rich. Let the for.
eign-born know something of on,
history. of the elasticity of our sys.
TEN of laws. of the opportunities fol-
social improvement through the or.
Derby course of law. and these agi
tators will have small scope for the
dissemination of their propaganda.
One of the duties of Americaniza.
tion work which is urgently needed
IT the present time is to show The
foreigners how social wrong nay b.
righted. without resort to direct &C.
tion." through the orderly processes
81 legislation by the use of the bal
lot We must remember that these
people have been used to life OF
oppression and exploitation in Their
own countries: they are used tc
thinking of Government as chan.
mel OF injustice. The propaganda.
of unrest who preach to them here
tell them that our government is no,
unlike the others. 1t is the bushes:
of AUGMENTATION to show thes,
misguided and ignorant people thu
truth. We owe it to ourselves as Z
measure of protection from thes.
dangerous outbreaks but above al
we owe il to them to correct the er.
rors implanted in their warped ant
ignorant minds by men who never
tire of preaching lies about our his
tory and institutions.