Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-11-13
The Present Immigration.

The Present Immigration.
To the Editor of the Globe:
Permit me the use of your columns to
answer correspondent who is curious to
know why the immigrants now arriving
from Europe, Especially Germany "are
generally Of better class than those who
have hitherto come to this country" Be-
fore proceeding to reply, however, beg
leave to remark that there is not, in the
question nor in my answer, any inten-
tional reflection upon those who
have emigrated to the United
States in former years, many
of whom are now numbered with our
most enterprising, honorable and respec-
ted citizens. The meaningis simply that
the great majority of those now arriving
are educated and intelligent people, pos
sessing generally enough money to en-
able them to engage IN business here, on
their own account; whereas, a large pro-
portion of those who came some years
ago were almost destitute and frequently
uneducated, even in elementary branches.
Years ago 1t was not an uncommon
practice for governments in Eu-
rope to send abroad their paupers and
petty criminals, and the United States no
doubt received its full complement OF
such exiles. But, on the practice being
discovered and exposed, our government
at once took measures to suppress it, and
number of ship loads of such lmml-
grants have been refused landing and
sent back to their own countries, until
| the custom is now almost discontinued.
Again, European communities, acting
independently of their governments,
sometimes assisted chronic "ne'er-do-
wells" to reach the new world, in order
to escape the necessity of contributing to
their support, and turbulent characters
and unprincipled adventures, were often
induced to resort to this expedient of i'm
migration to avoid the consequences OF
their imprudent OF vicious conduct.
The number of these several classes
made up considerable share of the i'm
migrants who came to this country years
ago, and these did much by their con-
duct to create prejudice against
the respective nationalities they
represented But they were accom-
panied by another large and directly OPP
poslte element, whose coming has almost
if not fully compensated for whatever
evils their countrymen have wrought.
These were people whose desire for free
dom exceeded their love for fatherland
and their respect for the time-honored
institutions of oppressive monarchy.
They were attracted hither by our liberal
institutions, and since casting their lot
with us have done much to sus-
tain those institutions in, their pur-
ity, and influence their administration in
a manner to win for them the admiration
of the world. Through their industry
and application they have likewise con-
tributed materially to the development
of our country and to placing it in its
present proud position of power and in
fluence.
But though the causes which operated
to produce the immigration of the past
have not ceased, they are no longer the
principle influences. The universal use
of labor saving machinery in all depart
ments of industry enables a greatly re-
duced number of persons to do
the required amount of labor for COM
munitv, and thus renders idleneSs, or a
removal to more sparsely settled coun-
try, present necessity with such as have
not business or fortunes sufficient to
maintain themselves and families. Again,
the productiveness of the newly open ed
regions of North America, and the facility
and cheapness with which its surplus
products can be shipped to Europe. has
greatly affected the profitable
ness of agriculture in the latter country,
and thus reduced the opportunities of
small land owners and tenant farmers to
4 maintain themselves, besides alarming
them with the prospect that their child
rem must be reduced to poverty, in the
early future, if they persist in following
the pursuits of their ancestors in the land
of their birth.
Still another powerful cause is
the recent, present and pros
pective political condition of
Europe. The terrible wars which have
occurred during the present generation
imposed vast amount of suffering and
entailed enormous expense upon those
Communities, from which they have
hardly began to recover, and the outlook
to-day is far from being such as to assure
them against an early recurrence of SINH
lar calamities Taxation for the mainte-
nance of vast military organizations,
added to those which are still necessary to
paw Indebtedness consequent upon
former wars, support the poor, pay pen
sions to titled beggars, and maintain the
governmental institutions, have become
terribly oppressive. And besides all this,
is the constantly increasing number OF
letters sent by relations, friends and &C
quaintances on this side of the ocean, tell
ing of their successes and of the hopeful
prospects before them, and hundreds OF
papers and other publications are sent
weekly, confirming the stories such let
tiers contain and describing the country
to which their readers are invited.
Under such circumstances, the wonder
is not that so many of the intelligent,
prudent and quiet middle-class people of
Europe want to come to America,
but that the number is not far greater
than it is, and, perhaps, single reason
why it is not greater is the difficulty
which is now experienced there in dis
posing of property for anything like its
customary value. Thus it will
be seen that emigration, in
instead of being now the resort. chiefly
of the adventurous and ambitious, of
those who would escape political thrall-
dom, and of such as adopt it compulsorily
because of their indulgence or vicious
| hos Ioonv,,o 70 ba voro I'd 1