Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-06-30
Our Prosperity a Stimulus to I'm
migration.
R0Ifinaore Susa


number of foreigners arriving in the
United States during the month of May
was If, ,482, making with those arriving
during the previous eleven months of
our official year an addition to our popu-
lation of 564 294, or more than are found
in several of our States. The cause of
this great influx is of course to be sought
partly in the attractions of the country
itself, but partly also and more in the
heavy burdens borne by the peoples of
Europe. A comparison will make this
clear. Omitting Russia and Turkey from
Europe, and Alaska from the United
States, their populations are respectively
225 ,0O0. 600 aud so, 900, 900, the Europeans
occupying 1,546, ,802 square miles of
territory. while we have 1904, S99. Thus
while we have but 164 persons to the.
square mile, Europe has 145. A popu-
lation so dense finds the competition for
the means of living sufficiently close to
be uncomfortable. More than one in
every 10 of the population of Europe is
soldier, or reckoning one able bodied
man to every five inhabitants, for every
% men there is one soldier to be sup
ported in expensive idleness. The
standing armies number 2, 100, 900, and
the more numerous reserve are liable to
be called into service at any time. We,
on the other hand, have an army but
%, 900 strong, or but one soldier to 1000
inhabitants; Moreover, military glory
is an expensive luxury. In the last
thirty.three years the debt of Europe
has nearly trebled and is increasing,
while ours is diminishing. having been
reduced sine 1885 - the extent of over
81 .000, 900, 600 we now ove about ST.
SSO, ,OOO, 900, or about $50 TO each inhabi-
tant, though in 1855 It was $S3. Ailrape
owed at tie close OF 1880 SIG, 734 800
600, giving 20 each lnha5itant an avtrage
of $74, with little hope that much. OF It
will ever be paid OF. Cur expenditure
for governmental purposes during Inst
year was $267 ,642, ,957, or SIS 35 to each
citizen, while EurOpe's expenses were
So. .292 800, ,000-$10 10 to each citizen.
Taxation, close competition and onerous
military service lead many persons TO
emigrate, not to speak of political dis
content. Envying us our liberty, our
abundance and wide lands. they flock to
our shores in numbers which cause US to
question whether we can assimilate
half a million of people yearly 1t is
difficult to estimate the amount of money
brought over by this host of immigrants; !;
it probably aggregates many millions
yearly.
On every hand we find the welcome
task of chronicling large additions TO our
wealth. The railroad earnings for May,
1881, show an average increase of earn
ings per mile over those of May, 1880,
of SIG, in spite of the fact that nearly
1000 miles of new road were built,
mostly in new and thinly settled coun-
try. The increase on As roads was $2,-
466, z57, or 173 per cent. but ten roads
reporting decrease, which was of small
amount. In 1870 we possessed A Ga
miles of railroad. carrying ITO 600, 600
passengers; IN 1879 we had Sc, 497 miles
of road, carrying 1913, 900, 900 passengers,
while during 1880 81 the increase of rail-
road building and railroad business have
been enormous.
The increase in values produced by
the aggregate Industries of the United
States in the last ten years amounts in
round numbers to the enormous sum of
81, ,6S5, 900, 900. In agriculture we have
been busy during these years, and the
above large increase is not by any means
to be attributed wholly to manufactures
or railroad building. The yield of wheat
alone has advanced from 287, 900, 900
bushels in 1870 to 459, 900, 600 in 1880, a
gain of 73 per cent. In the latter year
the yield of corn was 1,772. 600, 900
bushels, to 100000, 600 in 1870, an in
crease of 1873 per cent.
In the South the increase of the cot
ton crop is notorious. 4 difficulty with
the planters, however, lay In the fact
tnat It costs three times rs much to feed
a mule as it did to support field hand
This is likely now TO be Temedied by
utilizing the hulls, leaf and stalk Of the
cotton plant in such thorough manner
d. 10 TT them to form nutritious article
of food, One result will be, it is esti-
mated, the ability to sustain some
80, 600, 900 of sheep from source pre-
vIously unknown, as these leaves and
stalks previously went to waste. This
number of sheep means clip of about
1000, 900 pounds of wool year; or an
addition yearly to Southern wealth of
some $50, 000,0 900. In Texas in 1866 the
clip was 6 5000, 600 pounds, in 1880 it was
%, ,000,0 900 pounds. In the other South
ern States the increase has been great
but not so marked.
On every side we see evidences. of
uOuutlAuI plOcpOAlbI1 dHQ WHICH, III duul-
ton to this we compare our present quiet
political status with that of Europe,
there is reason to expect not only that
immigration will continue at its present
rate, but even increase. Whether this
is a desirable thing, as has been already
said, is an open question. A popula-
ton unaccustomed to constitutional
government and unwilling to
learn might endanger our institu-
tions if brought upon US in great masses.
1t has been asserted that the growing
tendency in some quarters to concentrate
power at Washington is due in great
measure to the large foreign element In
the population of some of the North
western States, but this, perhaps, is due
rather to the logic of events in our own
political history. So far as we can see
at present. there is no good reason why
we should not continue to give hearty
welcome to every honest and industrious
new conner.