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Show C( Americanization" of Carbon County 191 State Committee on Americanization, stated in a report to teachers: " T h e purpose of this work is not only to acquaint the foreigner with American institutions and ideals, but also to make it possible for him to enter actively into his American life." 27 Public response to the Americanization law was favorable. T h e consensus of the citizenry was that aliens should be required to become Americanized. I n February 1923 the Salt Lake City C h a m b e r of Commerce established an Americanization committee. A national congress of the Sons of the American Revolution met in Salt Lake City in 1923 to discuss the Americanization effort. T h e national chairman of Americanization for the organization, H a r r y F. Brewer, stated: Y o u will h e a r further from this year's committee as soon as possible, b u t d o n ' t let procrastination be the thief of time a n d o p p o r t u n i t y ; the antiAmerican is on the job A L L the time, in season a n d o u t ; should we let h i m out d o us in Industry? 2 8 Americanization of the immigrant was the national vogue. W h e n it appeared that Americanization was not succeeding, residents of U t a h , keeping in step w7ith national forces, advocated immigration restriction. A. C. Matheson, director of registration, thought to propose a law making it incumbent on employers not to hire aliens w h o had not conformed to the Americanization law, but considering labor shortages a n d the absence of such laws in neighboring states, he relented. 29 Enforcement was extremely difficult, and the law7 w7as destined to fail for reasons set forth in a 1924 report: T h e Americanization law . . . has been found unsatisfactory. T h e compulsory feature is obnoxious to the foreign people. I t creates an attitude of m i n d not conducive to learning. Its enforcement to the letter is expensive and uninviting to the communities with large numbers of t h e foreign population. 3 0 Americanization was considered most important in Carbon County schools, and its "desired" results were admirable. But compulsory adherence led to problems. First, what was "Americanization" or the true prototype of an "American"? Immigrants had believed that America was a land of many peoples. Intolerance and prejudice, r a m p a n t in the 27 R. D. H a r r i m a n , "Suggestions for Americanization Teachers," Bulletin of the University of Utah, vol. 10, no. 16 ( 1 9 2 0 ) , p. 19. 28 Chamber of Commerce News (Salt Lake C i t y ) , vol. 5, no. 7 ( 1 9 2 3 ) , p. 4 ; Minute Man, vol. 19, no. 2 ( 1 9 2 4 ) , p. 76. Both these serials are available in Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of U t a h , Salt Lake City. 29 State of U t a h , Fourteenth Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Salt Lake City, 1922), p. 80. 30 State of U t a h , Fifteenth Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Salt Lake City, 1924), p. 109. |