Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1872-02-17
Financial Value of immigration.

No subject connected with our ma
tional growth has been more popular
with orators, statisticians, and news
papers, than immigration and its
great value to the country. Every
one that you meet would be prepared
to maintain that it has been one the
chief elements in the country's de-
velopment yet it is doubtful if one
person in a hundred has any approxi-
mately accurate conception Of what it
really has been worth to us. The
Hon. Frederick Knapp, than whom
there is no better authority on the
subject, observes in recent report ::
Without immigration the yearly in
crease of population by excess of births
over deaths, is about l.3O, while the
actual increase from 1910 to 1860 was
35.sS, and from 1850 to 1860 1888 per
cent. and We must understand that
Il large proportion of the births are
those Of the children Of former immi-
grants. Had immigration been stop
ped in 1925, there would have been
very little numeral change in the pop
ulaiion in 1856. immigration, there
fore, has pushed the country forward
forty years in national progress; and
the increase in all departments Of ma
tional progress has been in exact ratio
to the increase of population" We
may add that without immigration,
the vast area beyond the Alleghanies,
now occupied by prosperous common
Wealths, and teemiDg with wealth,
would be as sparsely inhabited as Ne
braska and the territories are to-day,
and it is extremely improbable that
our western boundary would have
been pushed beyond the Mississippi.
II is immigrants that are filling up
the Great West at the present mo-
ment, and rendering it possible to con-
struct the continental railroads
which are destined in time to give us
the commercial supremacy of the
world.
AS to the strictly financial valu e
of immigration, all will concede that
an immigrant is wcrth precisely as
much to the country as it would cost
to produce a native-bOrn laborer of the
same average ability. 1t is computed
that an average American farmer or
skilled labOrer costs about 81, ,5OO be-
fore he becomes self-supporting Tut
for various reasons not necessary to
recite here, Mr.. Knapp estimates the
value of each immigrant at 81, 20.
Now there came into the country
during the last year (lS7O) according
tv official returns, 2S0,27S immigrants
who, at the averagerate named above,
added the enormous sum of S3l6,3l2,-
75O to the aggregate wealth of the ma
tion. This was for one year only, IL
ia to be recollected, and for a year
which fell much below the average
The total number of immigrants who
have come into the country since the
formation of the government have
heen a .little over l0,Oa0,O0O. Mr..
Yonnp. of the Bureau of Statistics al
Washington, differs little from Mr.
KnappSfiXing the average value oI
an Immigrant at $500; but even at the
latter figures the total of value reach
es the stupenduous sum OF S6,Z45,'
092,00O. ,4,.o.
Still another fact remains to be con
sidered before you can arrive at con
cantion of what our immigration II
really worth to us. The above figures
startling as they are, only indicate th'
value of the immigrants' brain ant
ronscle in the way of future produc
tiyeness. But careful records have
been kent, and these show that eact
Immigrant brldns with him about $o'
in cash, with a yearly immigration o
ZOO 600, amounts. to SlS,OOO,OOO an
nually. The Germans alone brini
into the country $ll 100000 on al
average every year. -, :,
Win such a source of wealth-in
fnitely more valuable than all tn
GOLD and silver mines and petroleum
Wells in the land-it is.no wonder tina
the United States progress with IN
onormous ,anC strides that have character
ized their past history, But when W
iook In unon q man like Carl Schur2
and recolleot that the ancestors 9
most of our leading men came owe owe
but A short time ago, who VIII aen
that the financial is ut q fractions
mart of the real value OF immlgraVlon
= Western World.