The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-04-06
IMMIGRATION STATISTICS.

IMMIGRATION STATISTICS.
The monthly report, No. G, current Sc
ries,) of the Chief of the Bureau of Statis-
tics, is now in press; but we have been
favored with condensed tabular statement
Of the more important feats it contains.
It embraces the statistics of our foreign
trade, immigration, ETC., for the month of
December, 1871, and for the calendar year
ending at that time, as compared with the
corresponding period of 1870.
The report contains several statements
exhibiting the statistics of immigration into
the United States during the quarter ending
December 81, 1870, from which it appears
that the total number arrived was 95, 1873,
of whom l6, 49, were passengers, not I'M
migrants, leaving the actual immigrants at
70, 1858, of whom 44,3Sl were males and
1922 females. About twenty thousand
ofthese were under fifteen years Of age;
iorty-eight thousand over fifteen and under
forty, and some eleven thousand forty and
over.
The countries from which these immi-
grants departed, and the number from each,
were as follows: From Great Britain,
1G,2l6; Ireland, l0,2oG; Germany and
Austria, 30,508; Sweden, Norway, and
Denmark, 1880; France, 2,402; British
North American Provinces, II ,S65. Be-
sides these, there were immigrants from
the different countries of Europe not
named, from China, Australia, Mexico,
South America and the West Indies,
making total from all countries as above.
Their occupations were chiefly farmers,
laborers, mechanics, and domestics.
These statistics are important as show
ing one or two facts of marked significance
at this time. The immigration, both from
Great Britain and the British North Amer
lean Provinces, exceeds that from Ireland,
while much the largest immigration is that
which is pouring in from Germany. Now,
we would like to have the New York
World, or any other British free-trade
journal, tell us why it is that this unexam-
pied tide of immigration is setting in upon
us from Great Britain and the British
North American Provinces, embracing
mechanics, carpenters, joiners, masons,
blacksmiths, engineers, and laborers of all
kinds, if free-trade England is so much bet
ter off every way than "tax-ridden, duty
paying America ?" Why are immigrants
coming to US by thousands every month
from the British North AmericanProvinces,
if the benefits of the British free-trade sys-
TEN are so much greater than those of the
restrictive policy of the United States =?
These are fair questions and ought to re-
ceive uneqaivocal answers. Even the
people of oppressed, down-trodden IRELAND
stick to their co untry better at this time
tan unexampled fact in our statistics of i'm
migrationl than those Of Great Britain, tht
foster-rnother of all these free-trade ma
tons practically carried out by her. VIZ
are certainly reaping greater harvest ii
British thew and muscle than we hav,
ever reaped before, aud there ought to be
some satisfactory explanation given of tht
fact. 1t is not enough to say that we arr
treading the brink of ruinous policy
and that Great Britain is riding the top
most wave of commercial prosperity anC
greatness at this time, by reason of heI
superior craftsmanship in this matter
The facts and figures do not show it
on the contrary, they show directly The
reverse.
Another ugly fact as affecting the growth
and prosperity of free-trade in England is
that during the three months named W.
received over ten thousand more able
bodied males from Europe than females
A policy that drives so large an excess o
male population out of one country int
another cannot be healthy one, whethe
considered financially, socially, or morally
There must be some screw loose some
where in these free-trade notions Of til,
Democracy, or else the hundreds Of thou
sands who are annually hocking to on
shores from the free-trade governments o
Europe are all downright lunatics, witt
ought to be shut up in madhouse the mo
rnent they get here.
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