Regarding Alan Haley’s April 11 Maine Voices column, “Demographics, xenophobia aren’t working in our state’s favor,” I take umbrage with his barroom generalization about immigrants such as my grandparents.
He writes:
“Starting in the 1900s, Maine was overrun by immigrants who spoke a foreign language, practiced a strange religion and who were believed at the time to be dirty, of low moral character and intelligence and owing allegiance to a foreign power. They were, of course, the French Canadians. Owen Brewster, our 54th governor, was elected in 1925, with the help of Maine’s Klu Klux Klan, on the very specific promise to keep this ‘popish’ element in its place and send them back to Canada at the first opportunity. There was nothing special or cultural about the economic surge French Canadians provided … .”
My grandparents were personally reputed to be neat, lawful and required no “fair amount of financial assistance.” With pride, they became naturalized citizens instructed by government manuals written in what was to them “a foreign language,” paid taxes and were notably of good will.
Their personal character and work ethic were extraordinary and appreciated by the industries that eagerly hired them. All of this is corroborated, for example, in the city of Sanford’s annals at The Sanford/Springvale Historical Society as well as by the several homes in our town that the grateful Goodalls or Jaggers gave or leased to them.
Except to add that they were economic assets, Mr. Haley’s wholesale description of their personhood is wrong and hurtful.
Here’s hoping he is less biased (xenophobic) at the Maine Department of Education when comparing Franco-Americans with the 1820 African immigrants who, he adds, became “constitutionally guaranteed citizenship” and summarizes: “We were so proud of that one act that we chose ‘I lead’ as our state motto.”
Wonder not, dear editor, about the cause and malaise of divisiveness in our body politic.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
