The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-11-18
Tile Statistics of immigration.


The last report of the bureau of stats
tics show that the tide of immigration
which ran very slack after the financia
revuson of 1873, is again at flood
In 1873 there was 100000 immi
grants, but in 1878 thenumbe
had fallen to $4,000. It is nov
estimated, however, that for the calenda
year 1880 the Immigrants will reach
total of 500, 900. This immigration is o
far superior character to that of aver
age years in the past. Formerly a large
proportion of the immigrants went nt
further thar The Eastern commercial cit
les, the population ofwhich they swelled
without the assurance of obtaining regu'
lar and renumerative labor. During
this year, however, GO per cent. of the
Immigrants start for predetermined des'
tinations in the West, whittier large
| proportion of the remaining 40 per cent
very soon went. The immigration ol
this year also includes a large percentage
of skilled artists, comprising "the picl;
and flower of productive European la
bor." This is noted as being PARTICULARLY
the case with the present emigrants from,
Ireland, the tenant farmer classes expa'
triating themselves in large numbers.
The chief cause of this great increase OF
immigration and its improved quality is
the larger opportunities men find in this
country, our prosperous trade and indus.
tries, the greater security of life and
property, the greater freedom from gov
ernment restrictions and exactions, the
more bountiful rewards of labor, the
better chances to make career aud i'm
prove ones condition in life. Europe's
loss in this excess of emigration is large,
and our gains are in proportion. These
immigrants bring over much capital with
them, al to contribute to swell tue coun-
try's stock. They not only bring cash,
but household goods and credit. In 1856
the average money an immigrant brought
over was SO. The average now is much
greater than this. If we place it at $500
per head it will he seen that immigration
adds $50, 100000 year to our capital
deducting from this, of course, the money
advanced by residents in the United
States to bring over their friends and
relatives. This, however, is the least
part of the value to the country of the
substantial immigration now COM
ing. Their chief worth consists in their
capacity to labor and their acquired
industrial skill. The proportion of able
bodied immigrants is very large. In
1879, of the Immigrants who came over,
46 per cent. were males between 16 and
40 years old, and % per cent. females
over IA years old. The London Econo-
mist, writing on this subject, estimates
that each actively employed male labor
er in this country adds SIPS annually 10
its capital, besides maintaining himself.
This, on the basis of Is years average
duration of active life in the males be-
tween Is and 40 would give the average
value to the country of 46 per cent. of our
Immigrants at 81 ,S75 each. The Econc-
mist further puts the value, as the pro-
ducer Of wealth, of each female at one
fourth as much, and thus deduces, as the
average value for each man, woman and
child of our immigrants at about s23O
or $1.250. "Of course" it adds, 20 de-
duction should be made from this esti-
mate for the scum of the immigrants,
who instead of adding to the wealth of
the country, detract from it. But on the
other hand, q far greater sum must be
added as the equivalent for the profit
realized from the labor of the children
begotten by the immigrants, and also
for the fact that many of the skilled
artisans arriving are able, by their spe-
cial knowledge of manufacturing pro-
cesses, to add greatly to the efficiency of
the native labor. If however, in order to
avoid anything like exaggeration, we
place the average value as capital cre-
ating force of each immigrant at s200,
we get as the actual or potential addi-
ton to the wealth of the country by such
body of immigration as that now taking
place the enormous sum of G1O0,0OO,O 1000
per annum." These figures are not ex-
aggerated from the Economists stand
point. They are not exaggerated actual
ly, much less potentially, when we con-
slider, as this paper scientifically remar g,
how much England profted by tue
French weavers who were expatriated
by the revocation of the edict of Nantes.
These refugees were, many of them, old
and feeble. But the immigrants coming
to the United States are full of life,
strength, health and hope. 1t is the
young and energetic who come by pre-
ference. Few are absolutely destitute,
and some bring much money. Our i'm.
migration, as the Economist finally says,
is an importation which we do not have
to pay for, and which is all profit.-Bat-
tin,ore Sun.