New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-10-01

ment has bssn almost invasiahly iron
Eastto West. The tsndsoc5 has BEEN h
follow iscthermA lines, and when an,
material divergence WAS had, either to
ward tho North or South, these we're spe
cial reasons for it in real or imaginar,
promises Of health, comfort or abund
ance. That westward the march of em
pire holds its way" is therefore not merel,
a figure Of speech, With single local Up
plication, but rule which has been oh
served in ill the great migrations Of man
kind, ever since the cradle of the rae,
became too harrow for comfortable occu
pancy. Even the pilgrim movement
from the shores Of Western Europe to thil
New World have been in the same gen
eral direction. and the gradual advances
of our American pioneers from the Allan.
tic seabosrd to the far-famed Pacific slope
with its streams Of amber and its sands o.
gold, has been in pursuit of the roseate
promises and golden glories of the setting
sun.
Beyond the shores of the Pacific the
western movement could no further go;
and strangely enough, at that point re-
turn tide set in. The far East recoiled
upon the golden West and her Monaghan
children, bearing upon their brows ''the
Swallowed livery of the FURNISHED sun,
came in to measure the results of their
ancient civilization with those of the once
despised ''outside barbarians." The Occi-
dent and the Orient jostle each other in
their interests, their traditions and their
institutions. They had been SO long apart
as to lose all trace of common origin,
and their race differences are found to be
so irreconcilable that though they may
remain in the same land they will never
coalesce
In consequence partly Of the peculiar
labor system which prevailed throughout
the South till the close of our recent do
nestle troubles, and partly of that isother-
NAL divergence to which the average
emigrant objects, the Southern States Of
this Union have not received q proper
tionate share of the emigrant population
which Western Europe has contributed
to our vital statistics Nor has there been
any material change in this direction
since that ''more perfect union" was
achieved for which the fathers of tho re-
public vainly sought Virginia and Texas
have alone attracted any considerable ad-
ditions to their population from foreign
Dources; but tho time is not far distant
when the other States Of the South will,
through the superior advantages they
offer, induce the foreign seekers of New
World homes to disregard both race and
climatic prejudices, and turn their faces
Here We have cheap and fer
lie lands and opportunities for building
lp an assured prosperity such as can be
ound no where else under the broad
'anopy Of heaven.
A recent article in the London Times
contains some interesting emigration
satisfies. Taking the past twenty-three
'ears together, the average distribution
II emigrants from the British Isles shows
hat no less than sixty-seven per cent |
anne to this country. leaving ten per cent |
o British North America, twenty per cent
o the Australian colonies and three per |
emit to ''all other places" This proves
he attractiveness of our republic as "the
lome of the exile" We not only get the
argest share in ordinary times, but, as
ur London contemporary observes, 'san
increased proportion whenever the stream
f emigration flows freely" Within the
ast three years, however, nearly quarter
million Of those who had sought
ONES in this country, returned to Great
'ritain to take up the thread of life where
hey broke it off when first they went
way. This is directly attributed to the
crisis and business depression
'hich commenced in New York in 1873
nd rapidly extended to all portions of
1e Union. .....
During the year 1877 the opposing pas
epger currents across the Atlantic were
early equal. The outflow from British
orts numbered somewhat over $1,000
ldividuals, and the inflow over $4,000.
hese figures leave but comparatively
significant balance in our favor, so in
gnifcant, indeed, that the strength of
fluent current is likely to furnish sur
rise for the Indifferent and problem for
10 thoughtful. With our immense re-
ons of unoccupied territory and the at
actions they must present to the land
IS, it is by no means likely that the COM
Irative equalization of these population
,rrents will long be maintained. The
DIVIDED peoples Of the Old World will
ain seek ampler spaces in the New, IN
IS We repel' them by excessive exactions
chronic insecurity.
1t is of the highest moment that we
ok into this matter, not only from the
of the statistician, but Of the
stist also. The heated partisan and
iconoclast are by no means
3 proper parties to solve problems of
Oh serious concern. In the check ex-