The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-17
DECLINE IN IMMIGRATION.

-" still continuing like great ocean wave"
This view was founded on the official
record of the Union Pacific railroad COM
pany, but we hardly think that the general
statistics of immigration will bear out
such view for the whole country. The
falling off in the number of foreign immi-
grants has been really alarming. The sta
tistics for the whole country show that 1t
reached the eliminating point in 1878, and
that it has since rapidly declined; the num-
Der of immigrants for the year ending June
80, 1878 being 459,s against 1871 $50 in
1874, a decline OF 1916, AGA in one year and
the decline since that period has been more
rapid and startling.
The reports of the bureau of statistics of
the United States show that about one half
of the foreign immigrants arrive in this
country at New York. In 1869, tor the
calendar year, the number for the whole
country was 395, 922; 10 1870, 1878, 796; IN
1871, 367,7S in 1872, 449, 4s3. In all of
these years, the number arriving at New
Il
number, being in 1879, 4,5S1 or some
seventy thousand more than one half but
we will assume that, in the subsequent
years, it was exactly one-hslf, which will
be sufficient for our purpose. The report
of the bureau of immigration for New
York, recently presented to the legislature
of that state, shows that the number of
immigrants arriving at the port of New
York for the calendar year 1878, was
266,SlS; for 1874, lao, 04l and for 1876,
S4,560 making tor the whole country,
533, 636 in 1873 2S0.0s2 in 1874 and
100, 100, in 1S15-and these figures for the
whole country are over, rather than under,
the real number. Thus the number for
1875 is less than for any year since 1869,
but about the same as for the years 1861
and 1862 combined
This is not the worst eide of the picture.
With the decrease in the arrival OF immi-
grants, there has been a corresponding in
crease in the number of departures from
the country, and this increase. the secreta-
ry of the treasury, in his last published re-
port, says is chiefly made up of those who
originally came hither with the intention
of remaining. Thus in 1868, the number
of these emigrants was 81, 1916; in 1860, ii
was SO, 739; in 1870, 32, 3O4; in 1871, 81.
626; in 1872, 1866 in 1878, 5S,072 in
1874, 72,346; and, although we have moi
the statistics for 1875, we are informed
that the number was proportionately larger
than in 1874. And as to these figures, the
secretary of the treasury, in his report fol-
1S74-75, says they show "only approx.
"mately those who leave the port of New
''York." If the secretary of the treasury
is correct in his statement, as he undoubt
eddy is, it would appear that there were
about one quarter as many emigrants as
immigrants in 1874. and as many emigrantt
for the whole country in 1875 as there
were immigrants arriving at the port OF
New York, aud about one-half as many as
for the whole county.
The causes of this decline in immigra
ton and this increase of emigration are
obvious. The general prostraticn of bust
ness, the stagnation of productive industry
and the.consequent dmuniton in the de
it. Back of all this, however, is, as We
believe, the general unsettliny of values
consequent on the fluctuating nature of oul
currency. II may be said that this is mere
theory but, if 50, it is theory substanti
ated by figures and facts. Let US see how
| this is.
We come now to.the official record Of
the Union Pacific railroad company for thu
ten months ending December 81, 1875, ant
on which the rose-clored view of the Tran
script, already referred to, is apparently
based. For three months, there passed
over that road, on emigrant trains, alone
| fifty-three thousand two hundred persons
who intended to make permanent settle
ment In California and Oregon. OF theGt
about one-half, or wenty-seven thousand
were foreign immigrants, SO tha
about one-sixth of all the i'm
migrants arriving in this coun
try, in 1875, settled in Oregon and Cali
fornia. In addition TO these, there were {
large number of these immigrants who
went to these states in first and second
class cars, of which the number is no
given. To this number we must further
add those arriving directly at Pacific ports
being, in 1874, about one-twentieth of thu
whole number of immigrants of the coun
| try. 1t is reasonable to conclude from
these facts and figures that more than one
| half of the immigrants, arriving in this coun
try in 1875, made their permanent home,
in California and Oregon.
The reason of this seems obvious. 4
will not, it cannot, be claimed that the sol
OF these states is any more fertile, any
more productive than that OF Minnesota
Kansas, Iowa or other western states
Other things being equal, Minnesota offer.
as great, If not greater, inducements
to actual settlers as does California or Or.
egon. The latter states, however, do bug
mess on gold basis, and their currency IL
of specie standard-and this it is that in.
vtes immigration.
Moreover. 1t is not foreign immigration
alone that they invite and receive Al
we have already stated, they received, last
year, some twenty -seven thousand new set.
tiers, of American birth, by emigrant train.
alone, without considering those who were
transported by the regular passenger trains.
In addition to these, large numbers have
gone from other western states, crossing
the plains and mountains in the old fash.
Toned way-the number being larger than
in any one year since the completion of the
Pacific railroad. At one time, by actual
count,it appeared that six thousand wagon,