The daily gazette., 1879-05-20
Ir,nIgration.

The New York Times and World are
discussing the bearing which immigrar
ton is likely to have in the Congress
81 onai membership in 1880. The Worlds
Ggures may be interesting . showing
the rapid growth of the population from
this source. The World says:
, N The interval between 1870 and 1873
was q term during which the Increase
of population went on more slowly thar,
between 1876 and 1876. What say the
facts We hook at the tables OF inmi-
grafton of aliens since 1889 and discover
that in 1870 we drew 37s, 766 Foreigners to
Our shores !; in 1871, 367 ,789; in 1872, 44D, =
483 !; in 1878, 437 ,004, and in 1874, H7 ,593.
The total immigration during that term
of five years was only equalled by that Of
the term 1s50-54 (boih years incIusi ve),
and the figures Of 1872 and 1873 are 49,
900 and 10, 600 respectively above those
of any other recoIded year. In 1875 the
immigration fell off to 209 ,O36 and in 1876
to 87,0.7, dropping to $4,000 in 1877.
Thus during the period when, according
to the Times, population in the West in
creased most Slowly the tide OF immigra-
ton to this country was at its food,
while during the period 9"between the
"census and the election In which in
"crease of population event on most
"rapidly" the annual Immigration ac-
tua1ly fell off from 3S2, ,127 TO 1893, ,O32 |
Clearly this will not do. Nor is 1t easy to
see how in the naturalization laws an
increase of population fn 1875 and 1876
could be Indicated by an increase vote In
1876. Ifthe increment was Of aliens they
would not yot be qualified for the suf-
frage If it was by natural Increase the
new native Americans of 1S75-76 wouh
not appear at the polls in 1876; and it
could not have been the result of .
movement of adult citizens ffom the
East, since the election returns in this
part of the country do not indicate any
such exodus. af. aEH 80 -.
The matter will be found to be further
complicated if the Times will compare
the returns in 1860 of the nine State Sc
lected by 1t with those of the later selec-
tions. In 1868 these States cast 1,725, ,412
votes; the increase on this indicated in
1875 was 80 per cent; the increase In
the term 1922 was "a q ,or seven -ei zhths
of the whole. If we reduce the fig
ures a trifie ard et the State censusss
put fair proportion of the increase into
the first half of the present decade this
will not better the case, and between the
two contentious of the Times it appears
that seven-eighths of the priod lS6S-7s
have to furnish only one-eIghth Of the
increase, while the remaining one
| eighlh hs of the increased -.
The TiDaes drops little from tie grave
| aspects of this inquiry when 1t speaks
!" of the remarkable increase in popula.
" tion IN several of the Western and
Northwestern States, which are moi
and cannot be controlled by the hare
Drained politicians now at the head q
"the Democratic party" This is an as
| sertion which may or may not be wei
founded. But when We look at the fig
ures and see that in theSTimes's eroup @
niRe States the Republican vote In lS7.
was almost 50 per cent. of the total Will
in 1879 1t was something under 53 pc
! cent. and in 1873 less than 48t per cent
\ eff the total, we are strongly tempted b
think that If there is any meaning il
comparisons of election statistics the Re
publican party of the West and North
west must be getting no larger very fas
indeed.