St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-05-07
Our New York Letter.

A LITTLE POLITICAL NONCOMPLIANCE
GRAFTON AND NATIONAL WEALTH
AN ASTOUNDING REQUEsT-HUMORs
OF THE COURT RooM-MoRE PEpEs-
TRIANIsM.
New YORK, APRIL Both, 1880.
To the Editor of the CdledORian:
Up to certain point suppose a
country's increase in population means
an increase in her wealth, and beyond
that point the same cause produces an
opposite result, ride China and Ireland.
AS the United States can hardly be pre-
sumed to have reached the point first
mentioned, it is safe to say that we
have been getting rich remarkably fast
lately. In proof of which | offer some
statistics | came across the other day
that are rather interesting. During the
first three months of this year there ar
rived at the port of New York about
l35, 600 aliens, which is three times
greater than the number who came dur
ing the same period last year. If this
difference between the volume of this
years immigration and that of last
years shall continue until the end of
December, the arrivals at this port dur
ing the twelve months will number not
less than 400, 900, figure which will be
unprecedented in the history of immi-
grafton. We are now speaking of those
who enter at the port of New York.
where, perhaps, about three fourths or
fOur-fifths of the aliens arriving in this
country disembark. The aggregate
immigration to the United States dur
ing 1880 may, therefore, be estimated
at.abeut 100000.
The magnitude of this total will be
better understood when it is known
that the highest figure heretofore
reached in one year is 449, 800, which
was the number of arrivals at all ports
in 1872. The next highest were 437.-
600, in 1873, and 427, 800, in 1871.
Many suppose that the present unprec-
edented increase in the influx of for
elgners is chiefly due to the famine in
Ireland. Such, however, is not the
case. The rising tide is from all coun
tries, and the increase is not relatively
greater from Ireland than from other
parts of Great Britain or from the con-
tlnent. The reason of this is plain.
the Irish famine will doubtless cause a
very considerable swelling in the vol
ume of immigration from that country,
but 1t Is yet toe soon to expect this.
Indeed, the famine will for a time check
emigration, since want of money will
prevent many from leaving the coup-
try. The famine of 1867 did not be-
gin to show its effects on emigration
until about year after the distress
came, and it was not till 1851 that the
stream reached its highest tide. The
exodus of German emigrants has been
attributed in large part to military pro-
scrlptiOn threatened by the new army
bill. But the most rational explaDa-
ton of the present remarkable immi-
grafton to the United States is the re-
turn OF commercial and industrial pros-
perlty ID this country. 1t has been es-
timated that the immigrants of this
year will add from S25, 000, 900 to $50
0OO,0OO to the cash capital of the conn-
try by bringing this amount with them.
but this will be but a small part of the
increase in the national wealth and in
dustrlal resources of the country which
will be brought about by an accession
to the population of 100000 or 500, 900
men and women, most of whom are
skilled laborers.
When heinous crime is committed
IN this city public condemnation runs
strong, and the accused person is re-
garded as a monster. But after the
novelty OF the sensation wears off and
the crime is paled by the preparation
OF some other more hideous, there comes
change In public opinion. No more
horrible or brutal murder has ever been
committed than that of Mrs. Hull, who
was smothered in her bed a year ago
by Chastine Cox, a negro formerly en-
ployed as servant. A mystery sur
rounded the murder for a time, and the
prominent morning journals openly ac-
cused DIR. Hull, the husband of the mnr-
dered lady, with the crime. When the !