Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-07-22
IN MIGR1TION,

Inc immigration TO THIS country Inc
present year has been unprecedented in
the history of the country The arrivals
at New York from Europe, up to the 30th
ult. exceed the total number of any pre-.
ceding year, and before the close of the
summer will be largely increased. The
majority of these immigrants come from
Ireland and the German states, though a
considerable number are reaching our
shores from Scandinavia.
1t is not difficult to discover the causes
of the Irish immigration. The people
of that country have been for SO long OPP
pressed by the landlords and the govern
ment that it has been almost impossible
for them to procure a decent livelihood
even with the most unremitting effort.
They have been robbed of their earnings
and been compelled to subsist on starva-
ton allowances. 1t is not unnatural that
they should seize the first pportunity that
presented itself to emigrate to the new
world, where there is food enough for all
who are willing to work, and work
enough at good wages to furnish
comfortable subsistence 70 all.
America has furnished homes for hun
dreds of thousands of the Irish people,
and these are sending to the old country
for their friends and relatives, after fur
nishing them the means for paying their
passage across the Atlantic. The change
from British serfdom to American citi-
zenship is being gladly welcomed, and if
the depopulation of the island continues
at the same rate for the remainder of the
present decade, the landlords will have
to look elsewhere than to the native Irish
for tenants to till the soil.
By far the greatest number of immi-
grants are coming from Germany. These
are for the most part thrifty, well-to- do
peasants and artisans who are flying from
compulsory military service. The laws
of Germany as to the bearing of arms by
all able bodied men have been made more
stringent than ever of late years, and
those liable to service are now denied the
privilege of hiring substitute. The re-
suit is that parents having families Of
boys growing up are anxious to get out
of the country before the boys attain
military age. They are coming by
thousands and tens of thousands All who
can afford to leave their homes are doing
SO, and those liable to military service
are making their escape whenever the
opportunity presents itself. The army is
not popu ar II Germany. especially as ii
demands seven years. service from the
best part of mans life, offering no COM
pensation worth speaking Of They pre-
fer to spend those years in building up
homes in America, where they can enjoy
liberty of conscience and freedom of ac-
ton
A desire to better their condition ap-
pears to be the animating reason for the
Scandinavian immigration. These people
enjoy comparative civil and religious
liberty, but there is little room for enter
prise or opportunity for advancement at
home. Generations live and die in the
same huts and pursue the same occupa-
tons. The new generation wants an OPP
portunity to spread, and that opportunity
is offered in the new world
Large numbers of these immigrants
are finding homes in Minnesota. Our
broad acres and our healthful climate
are inducements for settlement that they
are shrewd enough to consider. They
will all receive a hearty welcome We
have room enough for a million more,
and they canaot come too fast.