Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-24
REORGANIZATION
Big Mass Meeting Wednesday
Evening at State House
Philip Davis of Boston De-
livers Stirring Address

ivers Stirring Address
That Maine with a population of
76S, 900 has two out Of every three of
its inhabitants either foreign born. or
else are the sons or daughters of pa
rents of foreign birth. was the state
ment made by Philip Davis Of Boston
at an Americanization mass meeting
held in Representatives hall, in the
State House, Wednesday evening un-
der the auspices of the United Amefi-
cans Of the State of Maine.
The audience consisted of members
of the Legislature. State officials and
citizens of Augusta, and the meeting
uganda and to preach Americanism
much as was the big American Le-
gion meeting in New York at which
General Pershing was the speaker.
One of the features of the program
was a concert given>by five of the
best known professional musicians of
Maine, consisting of Selden T. Crafts
musical director of the Portland and
the Lewiston and Auburn Maine Music
Festival choruses; Mrs. Joseph w
Whitney. soprano; Mrs. Martha Halves
HILL contralto; Ernest J. Hill, tenor
and Harry +. Merrill. bass, all OF
Portland. They rendered a program
of classical and popular numbers
which We're enthusiastically applauded
Hon. Charles e. Quincy, president
of the Senate, presided.
Mr.. Davis gave an impressive talk
along characterization lines. In part
he said:
Newspapers published by I. w. w
| in English and almost every important
language spoken in this country, in.
Guiding Chinese, Spanish, Hungarian
Bulgarian, Finnish, Yiddish, Swedish
and Italian, are preaching anarchy and
, open revolt la Russia, not merely
against the government but against So
ciety as a whole. The appeal is tC
the laboring class as against every
body, including merchants profession.
ais and farmers.
One of the arch leaders of this move
ment said at n mass meeting on the
night of March &c, 1917 after the
breaking off Of diplomatic relations be.
| tween the United States and Germany
Il am going back to Russia to over.
throw the provisional government and
stop the war with Germany and allow
no interference from any outside gov
eminent. ] want you people here to
organize and keep on organizing until
you are able to overthrow this dati.ned
rotten capitalistic government Of this
country"
A recent report on propaganda by
Congress thus traces our un-Americar
propaganda to a German bolshevik
conspiracy abroad and to the brewing
and liquor interests bac kof German
propaganda here in our midst. Any.
one who wants the evidence can FIND
it in three volumes dealing with the
"brewing and liquor interests and Ger
! man and Bolshevik propaganda" It is
entirely natural that this propa ganda
should be pushed with greatest vigol
among the foreign elements in our
population. According to the govern.
ment report, no state in the Union is
\ immune from it's SIMS ter influences.
Here in Maine. with population
OF 76S,Q00 according to the census OF
1920 counting the native born of for.
eign parentage, two out of three be
long to the so-called Immigrant
population. Counting those born or
! the other side, however, 1870 of thu
population of the State of Maine is
foreign and it is among the recen
newcomers that propaganda is push
cd hardest. Particularly in the
| larger cities. And it is significan
! that the urban population of tn,
i State of Maine is increasing, and tn,
rural population is decreasing, thu
favoring propaganda. In 1910, ther'
were $4,000 farms in the State O
Maine, as against 1920 in 1920
General conditions, both domesti,
and foreign, unfortunately favor tn,
arguments of the agitator and Civ,
! much color to his appeal This il
true of conditions in Maine at tn.
present time. He is the old Satan il
new disguise, always sure to appear
when times are hard enough. Oul
| iAN"Nti' uhC''pi'' iiCiit 10 MS CREATES
asset. More recently, therefore, hi
has been able to bring confusion into
the counsels of industry at home ant
internatioralism abroad. But this
country and this State should be able
to recognize him as the real mischief
maker regardless of his new garb.
Our first object is to learn tC
recognize the propagandist. regard