Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-12-06
UNION AND AMERICAN.
THE MONEY VALUE OF nMMIGRA-


Now that the sttention Of our people and
the Legislature has been directed to the
subject Of immigration, It is important to
look al the question in various aspects. 1t
is admitted that large immigration into
the State will be of incalculable advantage.
sfSo subject connected with our national
growth, says New York contemporary,
s'has been more popular with orators. sta
tisticians, and newspapers Than immera-
ton and its great value to the country.
Every one you meet would be prepared to
maintain that it has been one of the chief
elements in the country's develop
ment; yet it is doubtful if one person
in a hundred has any approximately
accurate conception of what it has really
been worth to us. The Hon. Frederick
Kapp, than whom there is no better au-
thoTity ON the subject, observes in a recent
report: without emigration the yearly in
crease Of the population by excess Of births
over deaths is about l.39, whilc the actual
inereaNe from 1910 TO 1850 was 1851, and
from 1861 to 1860, $3.50 per cent; and
we must understand that large proper
ton of the births are those Of the children
of former emigrants. Had emigration
been stopped in 1875, there would have
been very little numerical change In the
population in 1856. Emigration, therefore,
has pushed the country forward forty
years in national progress; and the in
crease in all departments Of national pro-
gress has been in exact ratio to the increase
Of population We may add thar without
emigration, the vast area beyond the Ale
ghanies, now occupied by prosperous COM
monwealihs, and teeming with wealth,
would be as sparsely inhabited as Nebraska
and the territories are to-day, and, is ex-
tremely improbable that our western bound
airy would have been pushed beyond the
Mississippi. IL is the emigrants who are
filling up the Great West at the present
moment, and rendering it possible TO
construct the great continental railroads
which are destined in time to give
MS the commercial supremacy of the
world. As to the strictly financial value of
immigration, all will concede that an emf
grant is worth precisely as much to the
country as it would cost to produce ma
tive-born laborer of the same average abii-
ty. II is computed that an average Ameri-
can farmer of skilled laborer costs about
$500 before he becomes self-supporting
but for various reasons not necessary to re-
cite here, Mr.. Kapp estimates the money
value Of each immigrant at SLIPS.
Now there came into the country during
last year Q870) according to official re-
turns, S0,27S emigrants who, at the aver
age rate named above, added the enormous
sum of 1912, $50 to the aggregate wealth
of the nation. This was for one year only,
it is to be recOllected, and for year which
fell much below the average. The total
number of immigrants who have come into
the county since the formation of the gov
eminent have been worth little over Sl0,-
O00,00O,0O0. Mr.. Young, of the Bureau of
Mr.. Kapp-fxing the average value |
of an immigrant at $500; but even
at the Latter figures the total of |
value reaches the stupendous sum Of |
Sc, PAS, 100000. Still another fact remains
to be considered before we can arrive at a
conception of what our immigration is really /.
worth TO rs The above igures sta r4IinC I
as they are, only indicate the value of the /
Immigrants brain and muscle in the way of I
future productiveness. But careful records |
have been kept, and these show that each |
immigrant brings with him about $50 in |
cash, which, with a yearly immigration of |
100000, amounts to S1S,000,000 annual |
ly. The Germans alone bring into /
the country S11,OOO,OOO on an
average every year. With such a source of |
wealth-infntely more valuable than all |
the gold and silver mines and petroleum |
wells in the land-it is no wonder that the /
United States progress with the enormous /
strides that have characterized their past |
history. But when we look upon a man
like Carl SchuZ and recolect that the |
ancestors Of most of our leading men |
came over but short while ago, who |
will deny that the financial is but a frac-
fional part of the real value of immigra-
ton?"
STROEG CONFINEMENT