Let There Be No More Greek Immigrants (Editorial)
Saloniki-Greek Press, June 24, 1916
The columns of most Greek papers published in America are filled with defamations, denunciations and criticizms. These kind of articles keep the various communities and the members thereof at swords points. The editors use their sacred powers to start and maintain personal feuds and dissension between the Greek Church parishes.
All these evils are perpetrated in the name of Mammon. The journalistic leeches find a lucrative return from the shame and unhappiness of individuals.
If a Panhellenic union of all the church parishes in America were formed, some papers would support it; but the ones that felt there was nothing to gain, would not spare the ink when they tried to persuade the people not to support such a union.
2Today, our churches, societies, and schools are united in name only. They are each dominated by one or two individuals who have enough money to obtain courteous treatment by the Greek press.
We feel this condition is caused by the maladjustment of most of the Greeks who have immigrated to these shores. They have lost all their honorable instincts and training because of their insane search for wealth. To cure this, the source of the trouble must be removed. We believe that the source of this trouble lies in the reason why the Greeks immigrate to America.
The Saloniki sincerely believes that the Greek people should cease coming to America! We have written about the strong current that has swept four hundred thousand Greeks from their homeland unto the four points of the compass; but for the sake of emphasis, we repeat some of the points in those articles.
The Greek immigrant in America labors at least eighteen hours a day in order 3to earn a meagre livelihood. He is subjected to diseases and sicknesses that were unheard of in his native town. These sicknesses quickly kill him or permanently ruin his health.
Thousands of Greeks have shed their blood in the wilds of western America, where they went to help build the railroads of this country. Some were actually murdered and some were injured in doing this work; and others died of diseases or infections [contracted in those labor camps.]
Even the businessmen living in towns and cities have very little security. Few of them can make any claims to happiness and stability.
If these facts were known in Greece, and if these pictures could be accurately portrayed, no Greek parent would allow his son to leave the security of his village and come to America to dig his own grave.
4Although thousands of the Greeks, who had immigrated to America, returned to Greece with broken health and gave their diseases to their families, the Greek Church and the Greek Government continue to urge the Greeks to go to America where the streets are paved with gold bricks.
Their senses are dulled by the glitter of gold, and so, they allow the unnecessary sacrifice of health and life to continue. Rivers of Greek blood have been shed in this foreign land for the sake of a few dollars. If any Greek in America is content with his existence here, he is justified in berating us for printing such an article as this one.
If, however, there are 400,000 Greeks who regret coming to America, they are duty-bound to pay attention to the feelings of their consciences, and then write a letter to Greece. In these letters--destined to be read by friends and relatives in the old country--the true facts must be disclosed. Let them tell of the labor conditions and the tenement houses, as compared with the 5fresh air and healthfulness of the poorest Greek hovel. Send them statistics of the death rate, and what is even worse, the tuberculosis and social disease rate among the Greeks in America. And,finally, tell the misinformed Greeks in the little villages of the small number of Greeks who actually achieve financial independence here.
The war on unrestricted Greek immigration will be a long and hard one. Like any other type of war, soldiers will be needed. We call the Greeks of America to answer our bugle call. Let them join us in this campaign, that shall in the end be the saviour of our best countrymen.....
We must overcome the egoistic instincts that prevent us from writing and explaining the conditions in America. How can we ever help our fellow men if we write letters describing the wealth and power we each have; when, in actuality, we are laying rails and dying of disease. To do as we have described takes mental courage, but it must be done. This mental courage is even more important than physical bravery. Our Greek brothers must be enlightened; so 6that they will not cross the ocean by the hundreds, to suffer and die in a strange land.
Who are these people that are leaving Greece? They are established businessmen and home owners; who leave their fresh air and blue sky to come to America and live in unsanitary tenements, and eat canned foods. These people are bewildered, because the letters they had received from America were full of glowing descriptions of wealth and happiness. They curse those falsifiers who led them astray by their imaginative letters.
Compare this life with that life in Greece and then sit down and write the truth. Let us form a society whose purpose will be to inform the people of Greece about the fate of the Greeks in America.
