River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-07-01
WHY THEY COME.
Imperialism Driving the Germans 10
America The Scandinavians Driv-
en- from Home by Poverty and De-
snafP
I.iserpool Cor. Y. Y. Times

I
| spair.
Liverpool Cor. n Y. Times
OF the German emigration, a compar-
| lively small proportion comes this way.
The main body proceeds direct from
! German ports. 1t is not difficult how
ever at this point to measure the forces
that are at work, and their probable
| duration. In some respects German
emigration is conducted under difficult
ties. Authority, local and imperial, is
against it. You can not actively pro-
mote it without subjecting yourself to
an unpleasant surveillance, and to con-
tingencies still more distasteful. And
/, yet nowhere, perhaps, is emigration
pursued SO methodically, or with SO fix
| ed n determination to seek new homes
/ far away, The authorities would not
tolerate the direct advocacy of emigra-
| ton, but they can not prevent the keen
| search for information which outside
| OF the chief cities, any one experiences
who is in d position TO talk practically
| of the different fields of emigration in
| the United States, and of their varying
| opportunities and attractions. Winter
is the season during which the pursuit
| of knowledge under difficulties goes on
most theoretically. Clubs are formed.
Reports received from friends on the
other side Of the Atlantic are handed
round. The cost ofremoval is carefully
| calculated, and provision for meeting it
is made gradually. So far as Germany
is concerned; emigration signifies little
| that is spasmodic or evanescent. 1t
represents a settled and growing pur-
(, pose to escape from conditions which
the glories Of German unifcation can
not conceal The country people spec
tally are wearied of burdens which the
Bismarckian policy constantly increases
and of risks which the policy naturally
entails. More than anywhere else in
| Europe, therefore, the volume of emf
| grafton indicates a steady yearning for
| deliverance from the yoke of imperial
ism, and though good times or bad
times necessarily affect some of the
points to be decided, they really do but
| effect temporarily the essential features
of the emigration question in Germany.
| The drain which is gradually undermin-
ing the military strength of the empire,
may at periods be checked by the re-
ceipt of less favorable news from Amer
lea, and in not improbable contingencies
by sterner measures on the part of the
government; but flow it will, and. as
heretofore, the United States will mon
| opolize its benefits. We may yet discov
er that the disposition to extinguish the
peculiar privileges of the free cities
has remote bearing upon the repres-
sion ofGerman emigration, which this
year proceeds mainly through these out
lets.
Scandinavian emigration, again i:
wholly free from political complica
tons. The Swedish government car
not look favorably upon the di
minution of a population already scan
ty, but it resorts to none of the harsl
measures for averting it which ar,
among the features of Bismarck's rule
As regards the SWedes, poverty Is thu
impelling cause of change. In Sweden
as in Norway and Denmark, labor hal
no hope. 1t sees no chance of improve
ment. Engaged in hand-to-moutl
struggle for tolerable existence, thei
eyes turn toward America with some
what eXtravagant conception of it
benefits. To them the northwest is th'
promised land. Letters and newspaper
received thence do service Throughout
neighborhood One of themselves
returning on q visit from Wisconsin
Minnesota, or Dakota, becomes tn,
centre of local movement People
cluster around him, and he becomes
their leader. This tendency to depend
upon persons who profess to speak 0
their own knowledge is often turned Il
base account Two or three months
observation at this point supplies illus
trations of the manner III which popu
lar credulity is sometimes abused. Tina
there are truthful upright men whom
circumstances have converted int
! small leaders of emigrant groups, NJ
one can doubt. They are made leader
in spite of themselves On the othel
| hand, it is equally certain that un
worthy men are enabled to abuse ar
opportunity, and do abuse it mos
shamefully Large clusters of emf
grants follow individuals who, professed
" disinterested, are intent upon max
ing money at every step. They obtair
free passage; they receive a commission
on the passage money, and if they de
liver those who trust them into certain
hands at the end of the journey they
| receive another bonus The ultimate
fortunes of the emigrants may not bt
impaired by the sinister proceedings O
their leaders, but the fact has something
to do with the complaints and reproache:
| which come to the surface at the stop
ping place on the journey which Liver
! u J really is. For Swedish emigrants
are not more amiable than the emf
grants sent forth by other nationalities
Their grumbling does not get into
print which, to certain parties is 8
decided gain, but there is plenty o.
| grumbling among them, nevertheless
Here and there the trickery of self
constituted leaders is detected and
then the grumbling is legitimate. In
other cases it is capricious and unrea-
| sonable The steamship companies
have more than their share Oft. Their
cor ract with the emigrant obliges them
to provide for him during the period
which elapses between arrival here and
| thc sailing OF the steamship; and speak
ing generally the obligation is dischared
| honorably Each company has its own
| lodging house, where wholesome food is
supplied in abundance. Even under
these circumstances, an extra days
| detention gives rise to vexatious COM
plants and now and then to threats OF
| litigation 8
| These are not peculiarities, however,
and they do not detract from the re-
| markedly high average of Swedish emf
grafton of the present year. All the in
| formation from the Swedish ports and
| from Copenhagen, through whose agen-
cies many Of the Swedes come, is to
the effect that the emigrants are nearly
altogether of the peasant class. OF
| farmers there are this season few. The
great majority so ont with the view of
working for others Germans have
gone III large numbers to Michigan and
Illinois. Swedes bent their footsteps
in the direction of northwestern Wis
consin, Minnesota, and Dakota. There
are returned emigrants" among them.
One man / saw who had already cross
ed the Atlantic four time, each time
under the influence of discomfort, and
yielding at last to the feeling which so
often proves irrisistahle in the minds Of
men who have grown familiar with
American life Nearly all tell Of the
hardships they haveendured in Sweden:
Of ill-requited toll and lot that knows
little sunshine. Keeping his fact in
mind, the appearance Of comfort pos
sessed by the emigrants is remarkable