The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-01-05


We poodle N the West wllo witness sud-,
= ylremn " incoming population almost
daily. ana nfe even Ourselves natonlsled
al ne Constant improvement " our towns
aud cities, and the scarcely less than magic
gfowth ofbudncps and trade, have an Idea
pretty generally that VIZ are drawing
above all other cards. In other words we DO
not doubt but fully nine Western men out
of every ten who we're asked the question
"whcrc do the majority Of the Immigrants
to this country 80 p would answer without
hesitation ito the West" unless they had
studied the figures furnished by the
emigration bureau. 1t is firmly
believed that nearly everybody VINO
is dissatisfied with his or her pres
ent habitatio. is possessed of no other idea
than to come west and grow up with the
country" For this reason many laudabie
and practicable schemes for securing q
larger population by means other than the
natural increase are laughed at ana iaii
through for want of assistance and are in
variably met with the remark they will
come without our asking for them" An
examination, however, of the statistics on
this really interesting question will disclose
facts directly to the contrary, and afford US
of the West some useful information If
we will but wisely profit by it. A
leading journal of the East few days
since published some figures, which we here
insert, relative to selection OF homes by
our foreign immigrants, and the showing IS
by no means encouraging to us, particu-
llarly Of the Southwest. Our exchange
SAYS During the year ending last June
1856. on Immigrants arrived at Castle Gar
den. Of this number 1850 went to Con-
necticut, 2l59 to Rhode Island and II ,O7S to
Massachusetts. New York got 1882,
Pennsylvania SO, 475 and New Jersey ll,os7.
Even South Carolina received l,22o'
and Texas 1921. North Carolina
got 1921, Tennessee 1885, and NAY
land 1866. The Western States which re-
ceived the largest number are ILLINOIS,
which got 43,449; Iowa, 12,526 Michigan
l17,oss; Minnesota, 1865; Missouri, 7'zz6;
Kansas. 1881; Indiana, 1924; Ohio, l9'loi'
Nebraska, 4,l24, and Wisconsin, lo''Vl,
These figures show that the great cities ana
thickly settled States of the East have more
attraction to immigrants than the sparsciy
settled regions of the West. Really, large
sections of New York and Pennsylvania
offer more inducements to settlers
than most of the region west Oh
the Mississippi In fact, tHe attrac'
lions of this country to European inihi,
grants are much more evenly Distributed
than is generally supposed. /" We must
digress to question the accuracy OF the last
two statements. AS tho Immigrants are
generally poor and come to labor, it GER
tainlywill not be contended thatthe thickiy
populated East, with its already cut
throat competition in the wages Oh lapor'
offers ANYTHING like such inducements TO
| the moor laborers as the West.with its cheap
homes splendid climate, demand for labor
of lust the kind the immigrant furnishes,
and it's now almost universal freedom
from danger to even the isolated settler.
And with no greater reason can IL
he urged that the attractions
ofthis country are much more evenly DIS
tributed than supposed" But the lesson
to be learned from these figures is useiul
and practical one. The bone and slnew OF
Europe, this infusion of new blood INTO our
National life is being gradually apsorpea
bv the North and East. while We are lett
dependent mostly upon natural increase
and the shifting proclivitics CT the native
incubation of the States. These Europeans
urc just the character OF men
and women VIC want to do the labor
tbat- will otherwise remain UNI
done and yet in Texas, with our
boosted advantages and imperial territory
last wear out of half million people who
came through Castle Garden from abroad
70 locate and labor in the United States,
we only received about sixteen hundred or
two thousand. Ifthis population is worth
ANYTHING to New York and Ohio aud Iowa.
II it worth as much or more to Texas III hcr
present sparsely peoplcd condition and that
IL is.yaluablc is shown in the fact that they
further north and in the sEastern States
work TO Obtain II. 1t is about time we
think that our railroad com
nanics and emigration societies
and all others interested in the
matter were looking more closely to the
statistics and making extra exertions to di-
rcctin Western aud Southwestern channels a
larger volume of this current OF humanity
Annually nassing through Castle Garden
Instead Of two thousand, as IN the past
year we ought TO receive this year, OUT OF a
balf million. at least fry or seventy-iive
thousand, aside from those who come airec'
TO Texas from the European ports ana Gal
weston. Seven or eight out Of every ten Oh
these people makc-rood citizens and soon
become independent, and are therefore de-
sirable.
a CT