7
A PRACTICAL WAY TO COMBAT UNREST IN THIS COUNTRY
THE SUNDAY OREGONIAX, PORTLAM), NOVEMBER 9, 1919.
BT CHARLES W. DUKE.
TH15 courtroom was crowded. Many
faces were upturned toward the
kindly judge on the bench, who
was speaking slowly in well-modulated
tones. At times his voice trailed
along- in even speecn, but at intervals
the tire of enthusiasm lit his face
and he impressed his points with
closed hands, tapping on the rostrum
to lend emphasis to his speech.
His auditors were unmistakably
men from many lands. Here was a
swarthy-faced Italian, dark haired,
dark complexioned, eyes that shone
with an intense interest. By his side
stood a well-knit young man whose
features were distinctly outlined in
the radical stamp of the Slav. Near
them stood a Chinaman; over there
a representative of one of the Scan
dinavian countries. Running your
eyes over the throng you could readi
ly discern the scions of many nations;
every one a foreign-born who had
come to find a new home in America.
It was the naturalization court.
These men from many lands had come
to this courtroom to swear allegiance
to their new country. One by one
they had negotiated the list of ques
tions propounded to them by an in
quisitive clerk. And what a remark-
able condition of affairs this ques
tionnaire revealed!
"From Rags to Riches," you might
style it.
Good Positions Held.
One Russian, who had been able
to make only a few cents a day in
the dark days before the even darker
Red rule, admitted a position paying
him $40 a week as a coat and pants
maker. A Roumanian agrarian, who
had been a forlorn farmhand in his
native country, proudly proclaimed '
the fact that here in America he owns
a farm and has money in the bank.
In textile mills a Persian, who had
learned carpet-weaving in the old
country, was now a skilled foreman
directing native-born workers. A
jubilant and demonstrative son of
Italy, who confessed having come to
this country 13 years ago and land
ing without a single cent in his
pockets, rejoiced over the fact that
now he owned a $6600 farm and has
nearly $10,000 in bank.
Out of nearly 300 applicants for
citizenship standing in this court
room every single one declared he
either owned his own horns or was
buying one. Morever, all but two of
this throng said that he had bought
one or more Liberty bonds during the
war period. a '
Eagerly they took the oath of alle
giance to the United States of Amer
ica. They had fled the dark corners
of the earth; they had come seeking
the light a place where they might
live free and untrammeled in the ful
fillment of their hearts' desire. A
home of their own, a decent wage in
return for their work, education for
their children, the right to work, wor
ship and play as they pleased. They
had drunk to the fill in the land of
opportunity; they had been satiated,
and now they were willing to cast
their lots forever with the promised
land. The judge was speaking.
"No man can serve two masters,"
he was saying. "If the time ever
comes for you to display your loyalty
and patriotism, you tnust remember
your oath of allegiance pledges you
unreservedly to the defense and pro
tection of the United States."
Some of the more fervent nodded
their heads in approval.
launliraat la Analysed.
"This country has been pretty good
to you, hasn't it?" asked the naturali
zation judge, remarking on the testi
mony showing how these aliens lad
prospered in their adopted country.
"It has given you a chance to make
a decent living, and if you appreciate
it, you will support it, and not allow
yourselves to be converted to the doc
trines of mischief makers and soap
box orators."
Search the whole of the United
States for the man best equipped to
deal with the problem of Americaniz
ing the foreign-born and you come
inevitably to the chambers of Judge
Joseph Buffington, of the United
States circuit court of appeals, with
headquarters in Philadelphia and em
bracing the district of Pennsylvania,
New Jersey and Delaware.
Through all the years that he has
sat in the naturalization court he has
analyzed the Immigrant. To him it
has been a rare privilege and he has
felt it a sacred trust to make the
most of his opportunities. There is
probably no other jurist in America
better qualified to touch on the sub
ject of the American immigrant than
Judge Buffington.
It was with this thought in mind
that the writer sought out the judge
Jn his chambers after witnessing the
remarkable scene in the naturaliaa.
Let's W elcome
Citizenship and
tion court. The foreign-born have
been thrust into the limelight these
last few weeks. By many authori
ties they have been blamed formany
of our economic ills.
It hai been asserted that the steel
workmen who went out on strike
were for the most part the foreign
born, who had been the gullible
pawns of the radicals or their con
spirators. In some quarters there
has been heard the cry, "Shut down
on immigration," in answer to that
cry from other quarters, "Deport the
aliens." What would Judge Buffing
ton, the friend of the immigrant,
have to say about all these things?
Well, he had very much to say.
He was reading a letter as the in
terviewer was ushered Into his cham
bers. Someone had been reading in
the newspapers an address Judge
Bufflngton had delivered before new
ly naturalized citizens in which he
had excoriated "violent agitators" as
"dangerous domestic enemies.'
The letter ran in this fashion:
"Dear Judge Tou are quoted as
saying that you know all about the
wishes of the foreign workers in our
mills. Tou make me laugh. What do
you, a judge, living the easy, fat life
that men of your class do, know about
the workers? No man of your class
knows or can know, and, most of all,
don't want to know, what our lives
are or what we want."
Over the top of his eyeglasses the
judge, smiled for a moment, but
quickly took up the cudgels with the
letter writer.
"As a matter of fact I do know the
worker," be began. "During my long
experience on the bench In Pittsburg
I had opportunity to study and know
the workingman in the mills and fac
tories. These men do not know hard
times like our forefathers. The men
who founded this country bad insur
mountable difficulties to overcome.
If it had not been for them we would,
not today have this wonderful coun
try of oiys. Until they fell into the
hands of these discontented radicals
these foreign-born were contented
and happy. I have known their hab
its and desires too long to be deluded
in the belief that they are responsible
for the present unrest.
"If there is anything wrong with
this foreign element in our citizen
ship it is our own fault. Heretofore
we hay left them entirely in three
classes. First come the school teach
ers. God bless them! They have done
wonders in Inculcating principles of
patriotism in the minds and hearts of
our new citizens. No one can value
their part in an Americanization pro
gramme. Tes, and they are woefully
underpaid for their splendid work.
'Next, they have fallen under the
sway of agitaters. The greatest dan
ger to the country today is its do
mestic enemy. He is the man who
s going about preaching anarchy
and telling the ignorant that no gov
ernment is better than any one kind
of government. The agitator who
will not work and pretends he knuws
all about work and continually stirs
up discord and rioting among people
who want to work and live happily is
a yery dangerous enemy. These do
mestic enemies ought to be driven out
of the country. m
Tot Classes Shown.
"The third class is the saloon
keeper. He was, as a matter of fact,
a very much better friend of the alien
than the agitator. Very often, he
spoke the mother tongue. Now, out
side of these three classes, the immi
grant has been left very much to
shift for himself. What we need in
this country is to get right out and
get acquainted with these people
coming from foreign lands. It Is our
fault if they have fallen under the
spell of these agitators. Mix with
them instead of shunning them."
The judge grew philosophical.
"Tou know, as a people, we are in
one or two classes, each of us," he re
marked. "One class is continually
grasping for rights; the other 1s sim
ply doing its duty. But it must be
remembered that 1000 men must do
their duty in order that one man may
enjoy a right. It is our duty to teach
new citizens the ideals of democracy;
the doctrine of work and content
ment; the philosophy of success built
upon honest effort. The true basis
of democracy is self-government.
That means government of self and
not selfish government.
"Why do these people come here
from foreign lands? They come seek
ing improved living conditions and a
the Foreign Born
Complete Love for
r 1! I I A I iVs' jt.tKft-V accept payment for liberty loan cam-
I $ t J : i -l If 11
r - "5vf 7 ' " ' I l
III , ''; " I--; .
Twty-n yean watching- the
greater opportunity for their chil-
dren. Today there are approximately
14,500,000 of these people of foreign
birth in America and as many more
who are the children of those of for
eign birth. In the state of Pennsyl
vania alone there are more' than
1,500,000. In one plant near Pitts
burg there are more than 25,000 for
eign workers. The city of Cleveland
is said to be one-third Slavic
"To your boy and my boy the
Declaration of independence may be
but a piece of paper. But to these
millions it is a human document, a
beacon light that drew them out of
their wretched condition on the other
side and brought them' here. For
what? They are simply what we
make them, and if they are being led
astray it is our fault."
"Then you have an abiding faith
in the foreign-born?" was asked.
War Work la Example.
"Indeed I have," Was the instant
reply. "You have only to think of
what the foreign-born did during the
period of the war to realize how much
they love America; how they tbor-
and Bring Them to a Full Understanding of Our
Our Land of Democracy, Says This Federal Judge
aft"-
melting; pot ku taught Judge Buffing-ton
oughly believe In America. Every
J man instinctively loves the place
j where he was born and the language
In which he first heard his mother's
voice. It is only natural that a man
or woman should cherish a senti
mental, regard for the land of their
birth.
"But see what these people did dur
ing the war. Tou just beard that out
of nearly 300 appl.canta for citizen
ship in that session of the naturaliza
tion court all but two had subscribed
for liberty bonds. Stop 300 people at
random on Fifth avenue. New Tork,
or Chestnut street. Philadelphia, or
Michigan avenue, Chicago.. I wonder
if the same percentage, would hold
up.
"Do you know that the Czechs and
Poles in this country maintained
armies of their own on the western
front? A leading manufacturer wrote
me during the war asking whether
this was true. His employes were
contributing to a fund for the up
keep of the Czech army ' and he
wanted to know if it was on the
level. Of course, it was.
"Do you know that eome of the
THIS IS AMERICANIZATION!
"Get acquainted with your next-door neighbor, the foreign-born immigrant, and make him feel at
home, if you want to protect this country from radicalism in thought, word and action," is the advice of
Judge Joseph Buffington, of the United States' circuit court of appeals, an authority on immigration.
For twenty-five years this judge has sat in the naturalization court. Stirring the melting pot for
so long, the judge, than whom there is no etancher advocate of Americanism, knows the immigrant
from A to Z.
Out of every seven of our American population one is a foreign-born citizen and another-the son or
daughter of foreign-born parentage. America has been guilty of snobbishness, according to the judge's
observations; instead of welcoming the immigrant with a hearty hand-shake and making him feel at
home, America has neglected him. Consequently he has fallen into the hands of false prophets. These
agitators, preaching heretical doctrines, hare led the immigrant away from the ideals that lured
him to our shores.
"Mix with him," admonishes Judge Buffington. "If he hasn't started right over here it is our fault.
Teach him right and hell go right. What the foreign-born did during the war is the best evidence of
what he will do under enlightened guidance. Remember, the basis of democracy is self-government. That
means government of self and not selfish government. As a people we are all of two classes; those
grasping for so-called rights and those doing their duty. One thousand men must do their duty that one
man may enjoy a single right. Let's do our duty and be a brother to the foreign-born.'
foreign-language papers declined to
accept payment for liberty loan cam
paign advertisements on the ground
that they were only too glad to assist
in such a worthy cause without any
gratuityT Get a man buying the
bonds of his own government and you
set up a tie that binds him strong.
Millions of dollars were spent by
, these foreign-born not only in lib
erty bonds, but in war measures of
all kinds.
"And certainly our foreign-born
fought as bravely under our flag as
any other class of men. The record
of these people is beyond all reproach.
Ask men who had a chance to see
how to get out the pure gold.
them at work and they will tell you
of the loyalty of the foreign-born."
Judge Buffington, because of 'tois
life-long work with the immigrant
in the naturalization court, was se
lected to lead the campaign amdng
the foreign-born in the liberty bond
campaigns.
Fanners An Law-A a! dins;.
"Tes, I have faith in all these peo
ple," he continued. "Three-fourths
of them are people raised in agricul
ture. Figures and facts prove it
and there must be some psychological
reason for it that the agricultural
people are law-abiding, liberty-loving,
substantial citizens. For our
part we crowd the most of these im
migrants into our cities. It is no
fault of theirs. They are driven
into the narrow streets and crowded
tenements because they must be near
their employment in the large in
dustries. And there we let them stay;
there at the mercy of the agitators
who circulate among them and in
flame them all for their own selfish
purposes.
"Shall we put a ban on immlgra-
Hon? No, not to my way of thinking.
We need them. They are the back
bone of our unskilled labor. In
slavery days an ordinary negro for
working purposes was worth $800 on
the block. A better class" of work
ing negro waa worth $1500. But who
can estimate the worth of a brawny
laborer as he steps down the gang
plank at Ellis island coming here
solely to work. Cut him off entirely
and you strike a vital blow at pro
duction. Rather than bar him out
let's change our attitude toward him;
let's welcome him and look after his
welfare in a patriotic spirit. He can
be trusted.
"As to th kicker, the knocker, tEe
fault-finder with our government and
the man who finds nothing good in
this country the domestic enemy if
the country Is not good enough for
him. make him go elsewhere. Don't
let's allow them to undermine our
love of our country by assailing It.
"My advice to the foreign-born ever
has been to keep clear of any dis
loyalty and to beware of treason of
all kinds. Let him go to church and
send his children to school, and he
will find peace and happiness. Aside
from any point of religion, my expe
rience has been that the man who
went to church was the man who
bought bonds and supported the gov
ernment; conversely, the man who
preaches against our government is
a scoffer. He has lost sight of his
country because he has lost sight of
God."
Judge Buffing-ton's feeling in the
matter that now engages the atten
tion of America the radical leader
cDuld not have been more succinctly
demonstrated than when, in the
course of a recent session of the nat
uralization court, he turned to a poly
glot assembly of many races before
him, and had them follow him in re
peating the following extemporaneous
oath of allegiance:
"I am noi a disbeliever in nor op
posed to organized government nor a
member of or affiliated with any or
ganization or body of persons teach
ing disbelief 'n or opposed to or?in
ized government. I am not a polyga
mist nor a believer In the doctrine of
Polygamy. I am attached to the
principles of the constitution of the
United States, and it is my intention
to become a citizen of the United
States and to renounce absolutely and
forever all allegiance to any foreign
prince, potentate or sovereignty of
which J have heretofore been a sub
ject. And I swear to Almighty God
to support and defend the constitu
tion of the United Aates."
(Copyright, 1919. by Public Ledger
Company.)
Andrew Fails to EluJe
Imogene's Watchful Lye.
lafortautc Facial Affliction of
Girl Krlend Causes Lecture.
tt A NDREW." eald Imogens, "put
1 down that book; I want to
talk to you seriously for a moment."
"I am not going to drink any more."
said Andrew, smiling. "I should cer
tainly hope not," said Imogene, taking
him literally; "you are drinking too
much now." The smile faded from his
face.
"But that was not what I wanted
to talk to you about," she went on. "I
wanted to eay a few words to you
about- that little Selby girl we met
last night at Mabel's.
"Now, Andrew, I am not a woman to
try and make her husband look small
and mean. It is not my intention to
be nasty to you, but you certainly
disappointed me very much in the
way you sidled up to that poor, un
fortunate girl last night. I know it
just made her feel awful, for she is
very sensitive about her misfortune.
"You. see, Andrew, she overstudled
when she was in college and it brought
on some sort of a nervous breakdown
and for a long time she had some ter
rible thing like St. Vitus' dance and
they kept her in a sanatorium for al
most a year and then, when she got
about again, she had some sort of
spasmodic contraction of Some of the
smaller facial muscles over which she
has no control.
"Unfortunately, she cannot tell when
it ia coming on her and what Is
doubly unfortunate is that it jerks
her eyelids and makes her look Just
like she was winking.
"You can have no idea what predica
ments it puts her in. Only yesterday
she eot on a car to go down town
and as she looked up at the conduc
tor to see if he were coming for her
fare, her face twitched and he was
looking at her and went out on the
back platform and grinned at her all
the way down town and never came
near her for her fare.
"Another day she went into a drug
store and aeked for a ginger ale and
while the clerk was drawing it out
of the soda fountain he looked at her
in the mirror and as' si e caught his
eye this same thing happened and
he smiled back at her and reached
under the counter and poured some
thing into her ginger ale that made
it so nasty she could not drink it.
"The poor girl has a terrible time.
She happened to glance at a man on
the street the other day and she mad
this same grimace at him and the
fatuous fool thought she had winked
at him and turned and began to fol
low her and she got so frightened
that she looked for some one she
knew, and as she was nervous she
winked at every man she looked at.
and she coon had seven men follow
ing her and she had to go into a
corset store and order a taxicab and
have hysterics.
"Why. Andrew, the poor girl has aa
awful time. She stopped to drop a
dime in the cup of a poor man who
had a sign I am blind' on his breast
and as she did so she looked at his
smoked glasses and winked and he
followed her for two blocks. v
"And last night you didn't pay the
slightest attention to her the earlier
part of the evening. You didn't even
turn her music for her while she was
playing the piano.
"But about 10 o'clock she was talk
ing to the little Perkins man over in
a corner and I just happened to bo
watchrhg as she raised her eyes to
you and saw you ataring at her and
she was embarrassed, and as it always
happens, her facial muscles contracted
and I was ashamed of the way you
acted. You started some foolish game
and made little Perkins it, and in lesa
less than five minutes you were in his
chair buzzing over her like a bee over
a clover blossom.
"Andrew, I am ashamed of "
"Honey," interrupted Andrew, "par
don me for interrupting you. but it
seems funny to me that you haven't
asked me for money for your new
winter dress. Isn't it about due?"
Mexico to Buy Motor Tracks.
MEXICO CITY. General J. Augus
tin Castro, formerly sub-secretary of
war and in charge of that depart
ment, will be sent to the United
States the latter part of this month,
according to El Universal, to purchase
motor trucks for the Mexican army to
be used in campaigns against the
rejels.
Circulation of Paris Papers Grow.
PARIS. According to statistics re
cently published by the Argus de la
Presse, the circulation of the leading
papers is as follows: Petit Parislen,
2.500.000; Petit Journal, 1,900,000;
Matin, 1.800,000; Journal. 1, 400,000;
Humanite (socialist). 300,000; Le
Populaire (socialist with bolshevik
tendencies), 100,000.