Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-01-05

NGN Al6AlCOrs.s.ss.ss
In addition to these there were passed
through Castle Garden some few 10 South
America, to the West Indies, TO Canada,
even to China and Japan. As will be
seen from the table, New York figures
with the largest number-with more than
twice as many as the prairie State OF
Illinois, which has the next largest quota.
But it must not be taken as a sign that
this large number of immigrants actually
remains within this city and State, though
perhaps one-half of them do The rest,
within a very short time after their arri-
val, distribute themselves through the
several States in about the same ratio of
percentage as is shown by the above
table
WHAT THESE STATISTICS SHOW.
On looking over the statistical table the
reader will be struck by one singular and
rather peculiar fact, which is, that while
manufacturing States have either received
pretty nearly the number of new immi-
grants in 1869 which they did in the year
before, or have largely exceeded thatnum-
Der, the agricultural States fall way be
hind. This is significant, as it tends to
show the probability that in the present
year the country received a greater
percentage of skilled or artisan labor,
as compared with the whole immi
grafton. Take, for example, six of
the representative States - three of
each class. Pennsylvania increased by
more than fifty per cent her number of
immigrants through Castle Garden in nine
months this year over the number fol-
twelve months in 1868, and Massachusetts
and Connecticut received nearly the same
number as last year. On the other hand,
the great agricultural State of Illinois,
which, with her complete land-agenCy
system in Europe, under the management
of the Illinois Central Railroad, continues
to he the most popular with emigrating
agriculturalists, has not only not increased
her immigration, but falls below
the standard of last year, though not as
much as Wisconsin nor as much as Mich
igan. Minnesota shows a gain, mainly
ascribable to the rapidly increasing Scan
dinavian settlements in that State, The i'm
migration this year from Denmark, Swe-
den and Norway having been unprccc-
dentedly large, almost double that of any
preceding year, and nearly all of them
| destined for the Minnesota and northern
| counties of Iowa Missouri falls off
most, nearly fifty per cent, and all the
| other Western agricultural States had also
less number of immigrants this year
than last. In view of these facts it can
| not be far wrong to conclude that the
great bulk of the increase of immigration
this year over last must have consisted
mainly of skilled labor, mechanics and
artisans, who sought fields of employment
more congenial 10 their training than the
tilling of the soil in the "virgin prai-
riesn or clearing the wild forests of the
West
IMMIGRATION To THE SOUTH.
But the most remarkable disclosure
made by the table presented above is the
immense decrease in the immigration to
the Southern States, through Castle Gar
den, notwithstanding the large increase of
immigration at this port. The sixteen
Southern States, including Delaware,
| West Virginia and Missouri, received of
the foreign immigration through New
York:
In Is, IOl
In ','bl
Decrease ........,................... 5.O43
or over forty per CeLt. less during the past
wear. It cannot be that the new German
steamship lines from Bremen to Bali
more and New Orleans could have diver
ted the passenger trade from New York to
any such extent, and even if they did to
any considerable degree, with the largely
increased immigration at this port, the
| South should have held its own at least,
if it did not compete for her share in the
increase, were the inducements for for.
eign labor to settle there equal with those
in other parts Of the country.
THE CAUSES OF THE DECLINE.
Some of these causes are beyond the
power of the Southern people to remedy
and must be left TO time. Among them
are the permanenCy of the settlements OF
foreign born residents in the Northern
and Western States. The many millions
who are already here lave left many
relatives in the old country, a portion OF
| WlOm come dlICI l1tl1 SCll dlttl yCdi
and naturally seek the place of theil
friends Further, the Irish, the Ger
man, the Scandinavian and all other ma
tionalities from Europe, know that in the
North and the West they will at almos
any point find sections and villages thick
" populated with emigrants from theil
own country who have preceded them
where their language is spoken, their Gus
toms and manners of life have obtained,
where, in fact, though strangers in the
land, they are not strangers among thu
people.
There is another cause of rather an eth
biological nature. People of one country
when emigrating in mass, will generally
seek country and climate akin to that O.
their native home. The German or thu
Irish who comes here finds the same vege
tation of his native country, and the SAM
products of husbandry, though the latte
be carried on by different methods. Th
! cotton, rice, sugar and tobacco fields ar