The Weber Literary Journal that are insidious to our own government. People not of us become anarchists. They do not abide by our standard of law. When the light of a brighter day was beginning to shine for the untiring Abraham Lincoln, he was shot down without any warning by James Wilkes Booth, a foreigner. As the peaceful James Garfield was winning the love and confidence of his people, another foreigner, Guiteau, robbed us of our leader. And as President McKinley was just entering upon a four-year term of office, Czolgosz, a Russian, nipped in the bud the promise of his services to the nation. In Milwaukee during the last war, the German people publicly taught their children the language and ideals of their native land. Sedition was common and utterances against the government were made on every hand. Even today from this anti-American group within us proceeds much of the literature encouraging law violation. In Chicago, due to foreign influences, Mayor William Hale Thompson even refused to allow the late commander-in-chief of our armies, Marshal Foch, to speak. If allowed to continue unmitigated these evils spell disaster for American democracy. Where there is no vision the people perish. The Pilgrim forefathers in admitting all never foresaw that some day many would come here for other reasons than equality and democracy. If we want these principles to survive the threatening influence of the weak immigrant, the people must express themselves through Congress, an agency provided by the constitution, to Americanize or exclude the immigrant. The foreigner must be compelled to attend American schools. The language of America must be taught for a common language is the most effective implement in Americanization. A person thinks no further than his language. Through this the foreigner can and will partake of our ideals which is the great step to naturalization. Intelligence is the great emancipator. But it will be an absolutely impossible task to properly educate, Americanize and naturalize our foreign born population if millions forever keep pouring into our midst. A cer- 46 The Weber Literary Journal tain class always is anti-American. When the success of the war required unity of faith and action, America recognized the menace of the immigrant. She passed a selective immigration law. Now, when we do not seem to be in mortal jeopardy we forget our experience. We forget that what we are in war is a result of what we make ourselves during peace; and on June 30, unless action is taken, all will be allowed to enter. With Europe in chaos, let America beware. For the sake of preserving American ideals and the constitution, limit immigration from any one country to a certain percentage of the natives of that country naturalized up to the last census. Based on the experience of the past this would allow most of the Teutonic immigrants, who are assimilable, and reject that portion of Southern Europe that is threatening our institutions. Give those who enter an intelligence test which determines not the educational opportunities or the lack of them in the alien's past, but his ability to develop under his new environment. Then those that come shall come with the right spirit and for the right purpose and those already here will remain with the intent to become real American citizens. This will mean much patient labor and sacrifices for the American people, but it is asking too much where the future of a nation is involved? People who have not the mentality or the will to measure up to American ideals should be deprived of the power of abusing those fundamental principles upon which Americanism is based. 47