CANADA HISTORY - DOCUMENTS FRONTIER

1894 Opinion on German Immigration

My dear Sir, The past year or two this part of the Territories, have had quite a number of German Emigrants settled here, who have turned out to be the very worst and lowest class of people under the sun, and who are considered quite a nuisance, and ought to be banished from the country otherwise they will be the means of driving every respectable settler out of the place. They steal and plunder whatever they can lay their hands on, and now, they go about, under cover of the night, and cut and steal and carry away Hay wherever they can get it and are not at all particular to whom it belongs, and every settler is complaining about them. I have had upwards of twenty tons of hay cut and taken away by them, even close to my crop, and not more than one mile from my residence, all done during the night. My object in writing is to draw your attention to the facts, and to ascertain whether anything can be done to put a stop to such doings, or must the settlers submit to it. Possibly if the Police had authority to be on the look out and watch their movements by night and by day, and when caught to have them imprisoned, and made to pay damages, it may have the effect of stopping their game both as with regard to stealing wood as well as Hay. Something must be done, and that very soon. Kindly favour me with a reply immediately.