American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-05-11
The American and Foreign Elements
in Oar Population.

WE present below brief abstract of a
paper contributed by DIR. Edward Jarvis,
10 the April AHaatic, on Immigration:
The whole number of foreigners living
in this country January 1, 1870, was s.
$50, 1916; and their families, parents and
children, amounted to 8, 734, S43 persons.
Add to these the grand children of the
immigrants of the forty years, 1790-1S3O,
which came early enough tor their chill
dren to be born here, grow to maturity,
marry, and become heads of families and
the whole will not much exceed 10, 50o,-
900; whereas, if the rates of natural in
crease were equal for both races from
1870, the American element would have
been 81, 479, 595, and the foreign II, 607
394, in 1870; and these classes severally
would have been 10, 110,07S, and 1871
313, in 1860; and u, GA ,44S, and $685.
$50, in 1850; and the numbers in native
families would have been so per cent in
1850, and II per cent. in 1860. But the
proportion of the whole white population
is even more largely American than this.
No official account has been given of
the arrivals before October 1, 1919. Some
statistical writers, however, made careful
inquiries and estimated the extent of i'm
migration. Mr.. Blodsett thought the ar
rivals did not exceed four thousand a
year, from 1889 to 1894. DIR. Seyb sup
posed there were six thousand year,
from 1890 to 1910. Professor Tucker fixed
the number at fifty thousand in the period
1880 to 1900, seventy thousand from 1900
sand from 1910 to 1890, and two hundred
thousand from 1920 to 1880. The PROBES
sors estimates are now admitted as cor
rect by the best authorities.
DR.. Jarvis takes exception to the
theories lately advanced by Mr.. Kapp and
Mr.. Schade, and adds these remarks CON
corning the sources of natural increase
In 1900 there were presumed to be Gal, =
$40 children surviving from the births in
foreign families since 1880. These con-
stituted the greater part of the gain at that
time. They were subject to "a per cent
annual mortality, and thereby lost 1885,
446 in the course of these ten years, and
so many were needed TO be born and sur
vive to the end to fill their places AS the
last were only the survivors of the COM
pensating births, the number of 81, BAT
who died among them, must also be added
to those born in this period, making 49,
1913 births necessary to supply the loss on
the previous increase. Add these to those
needed for the increase of this period, 1, :
3OS, 1O3, and there was total of /, 4S3 500
births necessary in this period to sustain
and complete Mr.. Kapp's supposed in
crease.
The sources of this increase of the pro-
ductive power were: 1. The A, 2S2 sur
vivors of the immigrants of the previous
period. 9. The 10000 who arrived in
this decade. OF the former II, 1873 were
females, and s, 14S of these were of the
productive age, twenty to forty, who had
a chance. or hope of living ten years
each, or total of 81, $50 years within
this period.
1t is noteworthy fact, that the rate of
natural increase has diminished with the
increase of foreigners. By comparing
the numbers of foreigners in our popula-
ton with those of the total whites, at the
several decennial years, or the average
numbers of the foreigners with the aver
age numbers of total whites during the
decennial periods, we obtain the proper
tions between these classes at each period
In the twenty -1790-1S1O-when
the average population was One-ninety-
third of the total whites, the rate of nat
ural increase was 500 per cent. greater
than it was in the twenty years, 1910
1860, when they constituted two-seven-
teenths of our people.
The theories of Messrs Schade and
Kapp, in respect to the increase of the
foreign element of the population of the
United States, being built without foun-
dation, and being sustained by explana-
lions at war with the recorded facts of
the censuses, lead to deductions inconsis-
tent with each other, and at variance
with the recognized laws of population
and mortality. They imply an incredible
immigration in the early periods, or an
impossible birth rate, to produce a suffi-
cheney of the foreign element to complete
their supposed increase in the several de-
cades of years.