Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1920-10-21
AGAINST REORGANIZATION

! 1t is not easy to understand upon
what principle high officers of the
Administration object to the Ameri.
caniZation of immigrants. There has
been very general recognition of the
1 fact that the presence of large un'
assimilated mass of aliens in this
country is social, political and eco
nomic evil, which should be averted
or abated. 1t has been to prevent
/ the growth of such an evil that
many thoughtful men of liberal
minds have been inclined consider
ably to restrict the volume of immi-
( grafton; perhaps conditioning upon
/ the proportion of immigrants who
/ become naturaliZed, who learn to
use our national language, or other
tests of assimilation.
On the other hand, there are siren
uous objections to any restriction OF
I immigration; based partly upon sent
/ mental and partly upon economic
grounds. We are ourselves inclined
to doubt if there is much need to
keep our gates open to afford an
asylum to people fleeing from per-
secution and oppression. That was
doubtless a valid and important rea-
son years ago; but it surely rings
hollow now, with innumerable radi-
Gals, both native and imported, de-
claring that America is more "capit-
alistic" and despotic than the Old
World. AS for the economic grounds
there is something to be said on
both sides, with the preponderance
probably favoring the admission of
a considerable if not an unlimited
number of immigrants.
But it is incomprehensible that ra-
tional advocates of immigration on
either of these grounds should OBJ
ject to the Americanization OF the
| in-comers. II aliens come hither
| for American freedom, they should
! certainly identify themselves with
| both the letter and the spirit OF
American institutions. If they come
| hither merely for American gold,
they should become American citi-
zens so that the wealth which they
accumulate will be a part of our ma
! tional assets. Indeed, there is no
| conceivable and creditable reason for
not promoting by every legitimate
means the assimilation of immigrant
aliens into the social and political
body of the American nation.
If it be said that the Assistant Sec
rotary of Labor does not so much OBJ
ject to the Americanization of immi.
grants as he does to its being done
through the agency of the American
Legion, we must ask what possible
objection there can be to the Legion
and what other agency is doing OF
will do the work. We know that a,
the present time the work is not
being done. with any degree of sys-
TEN or efficiency. We have heard
of no other important or promising
proposal for the doing of it. And we
| do know that in several of the mos
| important respects the Legion is pc
cullarly, perhaps uniquely, well fitted
| to do il.
1t was a noble and generous and
| patriotic thought of the millions of
! the Legion and it's auxiliaries to I'M
dertake this work, and there must be
| panied surprise that the Administra-
| ton, instead of cordially and CRATE
| fully welcoming it, refuses to cooper
ata with il or to give it any encour-
! agement. 1t is a strange spectacle,
| that Of the American Government
| setting itself against the American
| ization of the strangers within our
gates. We cannot feel surprise at
any opposition which the Assistant
Secretary of Labor may offer to such
a process, because that eccentric
! Radical is known to be out OF SYM
pathy with American principles and
American institutions. But even il
the President did put Mr.. Post into
office in hope of thus winning the
Radical vote, does he think it decent
or patriotic-or even, from the most
sordid point of view, profitable-at
this time to stand for that sort of
| thing2