Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-12-11

bticel sovereignty OF the country
They are ignorant of our institutions and the
principles upon which they are founded oil the
great interests of the country and the questions Of
policy which divide our people; OF the candidates
for Office, and their capacities, views, fitness and
former course Of life. Instead Of being qualified
20 aid in the great and difficult business OF uphold
ing the most complicated structure of government
that ever had existence and OF successfully admin
istering it for the good and happiness Of the PEG
Pile and its own perpetuation, they constitute an
uniformed, unrcasoning, and TO great extent Inn
moral power, welded almost universally by des-
pcratc and proHgate men, who by this agency, be-
come enabled to carry into success their own bold,
mercenary and pernicious purposes; and to defeat
those which the wise and the good devise for the
benefit Of the country and the preservation oil con-
stitutional liberty. We cannot, with any safety
continue to admit with such lavish liberahty those
ever coming and ever increasing masses OF iInni
grants into full political partnership, ana snare
with them the sovereignty of government we
ara Taught this truth no less by nature and reason
than by fact and experience. Let me give an II.
Illustration. There is no member of this body, and
probably no man in Kentucky, who II placed any
where on the earth in a civilized community, but
who could aid in upholdng and advancing the civ
ilization of that country
He would have general knowledge OF the modes
Of thought and feeling, Of the manners and customs
istering to them, physically morally, and intellect
ually appcrtaining to civilized life. All this he has
been learning, every day of his life, from his infan-
cy. In these respects, he would be qualified to
perform his duty with the members of the new 30
ciety of which he had become member But,
bring among us a son Of the forest, Wyandot or
Chippewa, and how would he get along in per-
forming the part in our society and civillza-
tions He would be in state Of utter and savage
- Al INN
having been born and having lived in ignorance
and degradation Of despotsms, without mental or
moral culture, with but vague consciousness OF
human rights, and no knowledge whatever OF the
principles of popular constitutional government,
their Interference in the political administration Of
our affairs, even when honestly intended would be
about as successful as that of the Indian in the arts
and business of civilized private life; and, when
msdirected, as II would generally be, by bad and
designing men, could be productive only Of mis-
Chief, and, from their numbers, of mighty mischief
The system inevitably and, in the end, will fatally,
depreciate, degrade, and demoralize the power
which governs and rules our destinies.
freely acknowledge, that among such masses
of immigrants there men of noble intellect, OF
high cultivation, and Of great moral worth--men
every way adequate to the difficult task of free,
popular, and constitutional government. But the
number is lamentaby small. There can be no con-
tradistinction between them and the incompetent
and vicious; and their admission would give no
proper compensation, no adequate security against
the latter IL they too were allowed to share pop
,ilar sovereignty. The country would be governed
just wisely and well by the native-bosn citi-
zens alone by which this baleful infusion would be
wholly excluded.
propose, Mr. President, before close, to make
a more particular application of these general
views to the points Of my proposition; and, in the
meantime, as having general but important and
interesting bearing upon it, will present some
statements and tables Of immigration and popala.
ton, the most recent and most authentic that !
have been enabled to command from the limited
sources of information within my reach. Though
by means full and entirely satisfactory this ex-
animation has convinced me that the great body
Of the people, and, indeed, Of intelligent men, have
no information or belief, approximatng the truth,
Of the fearful and growing number Of immigrants,
Of their general destituton and pauperism Of their
ignorance and generalization, and of the vices and
crimes of very many Of them, and of the enormous
frauds which, through them, are perpetrated upon
the elective franchise. AT least such was my stu
alton, and to the mass Of the American people
this whole subject seems to me to be sealed
book.
In 1890, the white population in the United
States was 3,l72,4e4 The rate Of increase as
certained by tho latest and most reliable calcula-
tons, upon the principle of compound increase, Is
about 239 per cent. by which the population
would be doubled in somewhat more than twenty
nine years Make an estimate by this rule upon
twenty-nine years, and In 1910 there was white
population Of II, l0465e. But the census returns
show white population of Ia, 1879, ais in lS40 so
that there were then in the United States upwards
OF four millions Of persons, immigrants in their
progeny During the decennial period indicated
by each Of the named years following, / present
the aggregate number Of immigrants 1900, 1907
sos !; 1910, 229,766; 1920, 1921, 1904; 1880, 4s4,-
4el; 1910, s62,040. Since 1910, the rate and
aggregate OF increase has been greatly beyond any
prior period. These numbers here given, pre-
sumo, are made up from the custom-house returns !;
for the latter years have no doubt they are j
have been able to get the custom-house returns
for two years only since 1910 that Of lS46 show
ing l6s, 64s, and 1s47 an increase on the former
year OF about ~ per cent, aud an aggregate OF
239, 90. No returns are made by any ships under
20 tons burden, and, from some cause, none from
the ports Of New jersey. II Is wen known that a
great many vessels neglect TO make any returns /;
and, also, that most Of the immigrants who land at
Halifax and Quebec, come through the British
provinces into the United States.
The great number Of timber ships which sail an
nually from England to Quebec, afford large and
cheap facilities TO the immigrants by that voyage,
and great numbers annually como by IL. IL is es-
timated that one-fourth Of the immigrants TO the
United States are either through the British pro-
vinces or through our ports and not reported, and
the actual white population reported upon each
general return OF the census, above the combined
aggregate natural increase aud custom-house hum
bers, shows this estimate TO be under the truth. ]
have, however, made some prospective estimates
upon the supposton that 20 per cent. Of the an
nual immigrants through all channels were not
comprehended in the custom-house returns. Upon
these principles estimate the total white popu-
htion OF the United States in 1850 10 be the rise
OF I'll 600, 900, Of which upwards Of 100000 viii
be foreigners by birth, being about one-fourth.
Thirty years ago, only one in forty Of our popula-
ton was estimated to be Of foreign birth. In iS43
one in Ave, and this disproportion Is rapidly de-
creasing. Take l5s,6is, the custom-house returns
in 1916, add 20 per cent 10 II for immigrants not
reported, and upon the product put ~ per cent,
the actual rate Of increase upon the custom-house
returns OF those years from ono TO the other, and
you win have 287, l07 for the total Of lS47, and
Tor ls4s, total 422, 056 and by continuing the cal
culation for ls49, total 620,422 and 1850, total
pl2,020.
This rate Of increase may not continue, and the
figures for the two last named years may be too
large otherwise they would authorize larger es-
innate than 5000 900 Of foreigners in the country