, 1874-01-28
GERMAN EMIGRATION.

Ohe OF tho lnoBt 1mportant questions before
tie German Government to-tIay is tho question
OF emigration. Tho number Of Germans vito llnvo
forBal,on tho Fathorand within tho laAt fow yeara
has reached unprecedented figures. While from
1852 to 1889 tho avorago number Of German o1ni-
grants was only $4,000, and from 1866 to 1869
107,G70. tho nnmbor in 1879 roao to 216,000,
and tho number for tho first half Of the your
Just pnst is creator than TINT for tile correspond
ing half Of the preceding yoar. A great doa1th
Of agricultural mud other iaborers has hoen tho
consequence and tho Government has awak-
enod to tllo Importance Of putting IN end to tho
Wholesale exodus, aud tho resulting loss to tue
country Of both labor and capital.
It has been calculated that Germany loses on
an average s160 in money with avery omigrant.
Tho amount Of money brought to this country in
1856 by German omigranta was oatimated at
'?l5,00o,000 and tho total loss to Germany since
1879, e975,ooo,ooo, by far tho greater portion Of
which left the country utter 1889, the date at
which emigration assumed any remarkable d.
moIsions. During tho last two yoars alone 1t
has lost probably e04, BOT, 300 In money by oui-
grafton. This ig, however, only part Of hor loss,
Hor loss III labor is also to bo taken into nccount
and, in estimating it, it muat bo borne IN mind
TINT 1t is tho strongest md most ontelprising of
her laborors that emigrate. None but these
loavo their homes.
The cauaes Of tho emigration arc manifold. A
spirit of adventure no doubt brings some, do
sire to avoid military service others. The main
cauRo, howovor, Of tue emigration, wo nro told
on pretty good authority, is tho difficulty oxpo-
scnced by small proprietora to hold tllor land
for any great lougth Of tlme undor tho law that
obtains in q great portion OF Germany, and which
considers immovablo property to have tho attrib-
utes Of both real mud petaonal property. It
deacentls to ono heir Of tho family, who Is Obliged
to Indemnity his co-hoirs in money for their
adare, tue title to tho whole veating in him. To
obtain wherewith to ofroct this Naturalization,
lie is obliged generally to have RECOURSE to
credit, which small propriotora have great dif-
dou1ty In obtaining. Besides, the property worry
frequently desconds hypot1ecatod for previous
debts. For roasons Of this kind, it becomes ,m~
perativo in numberloas cases to sell tho estate,
aftor which tho almost inyariable moyo is omi-
grafton to Anaorica.
We are not surprised to fild TINT German
writer llaa callsd emigration tho groatoat social
evil of the day iu tho new Empire. It drains
tho country Of much Of its capital and much OF
it's labor Of it's strongest arms of it's enterprise
aud health. Tho Empire haa lost moro mou
during tho past fow yenrs by emigration than It
lost during tho war with France. Nor has it any
equivalent gain in any othor direction. II Cor
many lost only its turbulent claBscs, the work.
mou who arc inaculatod with the doctrines Of
Karl Marx, her losa would DO in one souaa again.
But thiB III not tho caso. Sho loses not tho work.
mon OF the towns. but her poasantry. a stray
Communist may leavo lor. but for oue Com
munist she losos hundred honest farmers.
The Goveznmcnt OF tho Empire knows all
this, and knows, too that emigration has grown
to be IN unmitigatoa evil. What stops they will
tako to romedy 1t. wo do not know. 10 sup.
press 1t would be to produce all iucalctlablc
amoupt Of Giscontout. There is but ono rational
mode OF inducing Germans to soznain at home
and TINT is to afford them tho opportunities al
homo which they so aoross the sea to ok,-ii
TINT be possible.