OCR Text |
Show t . , 1 Educating Alien I . . , ; 'T'HERE is some ground for the criticism ap- ;I P''ed to the proposed amendments to the f Americanization laws of Utah by L. M. Gillilan, ' director of the Salt Lake part time school. Mr. J ;: Gillilan contends that the exaction of an educa- tional fee from alien residents will discourage the l Americanization movement and hamper the ef-j ef-j j;; forts of educators. . I ! He believes the fee will confuse the alien and stand in the light of the effort to build good citizenship from the material from abroad. When J the problem is considered from the viewpoint of j:; the alien who has been here but a short time, : there is some foundation for the argument. The T alien is-likely to consider the fee as a discrimina-tory discrimina-tory tax. On the5ther hand,-it is-easyi-inderstand the motives prompting the legislature to propose 'l these fees. ,Most of the aliens who come here ' pay no taxes and send a great part of their earnings back to the lands from which they came. If they are to be made good citizens they must be taught the necessity for supporting the government. It is not altogether fair to ask the citizen taxpayers to assume the entire cost of 'educating the aliens and their children. : The benefits of education accrue as muclrta the alien as to the citizenship, although It must " be admitted the country profits by wholesale i; education of immigrants. Hence it does not seem t unjust to ask the immigrant to bear a portion ! ''. of the cost of his education, since it is apparent I that he does not contribute to governmental sup- r; port through the regular tax channels. ' ll Perhaps Americanization will make taxpayers of al immigrants so that they will eventually ! . assume thei share of the expense of government. When this stage has been reached a special edu-cational edu-cational feVwould seem discriminatory and op-pressive. op-pressive. In the meantime, however, it is well j; I; to teach the, immigrant that the costs of govern-1 ; -m niciii iiium uc uuruc ttua uiat ciuzcnsnip is not a ;:: gift but something to be earned and won. We :i must not burden the alien with discriminatory laws. Neither should we place the whole burden ! ; ofjmmigratJo! jndAmerlcanizatipnonJhose ; t who have achieved citizenship. |