The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1882-01-27
UNPRECEDENTED IMMIGRATION OF 1851.

apprehensions as to whether this
mass of humanity, consisting of peo-
pie wholly unacquainted with Amer
lean life, can be safely absorbed by
our body polite. 1t is true, the
number of newcomers seems very
large, almost suffi cient to form three
new States out of territory so far un
inhabited, were the immigrants al
to settle down together. Bnt the
effect produced by the sudden acces
sion Of a foreign element to our
people depends in great measure
upon the proportion it bears to the
general population and its distribu-
ton among the different parts of the
country. From this point Of vie"
it appears that the heavy immigra
ton of this year will not put our IN
stitutions under as severe strain as
they have been put before. we
have now. a population Of over fifty
millions, and the number of imml-
grants for the whole year will be
about 100000. In 1854 the popu
lation ofthe United States was about
25,OO0, 900, and the number Of immi-
grants in that year was 3l9,223, a
nur:.ber more than two-thirds as
large as that of the present year,
while the aggregate population of
the country was only one-half o.
what it now is. We might reason
ably conclude that the strain upon
our institutions from so enormous an
influx of foreign elements should
have been much greater then than
the one now to be apprehended, and
vet we cannot remember that the
years following 1854 were remark
able for any peculiar developments
that might have been traced TO the
difficulty of absorbing so large new
ingredient in our body polite. In
fact, there have been several years
in which the proportion of immi-
grants to our whole population has
been heavier than in this.
1t is also reported that the immi
grants who arrived this year gener-
ally were. Of an uncommon1y good
class, people of working habits and
generally ofsome means. More than
one-third Of them were Germans,
mostly belonging to the agricultu-
raj classes, who proverbially make
good citizens and are easily assinli-
lated. Immigrants from Great
Britain, mostly Irishmen, come next,
forming something less than one
third of the aggregate, a valuable
addition TO our working forces.
Norway, Sweden and Denmark
furnish the next largest contingent,
about one-eighIh of the whole, and
the rest is divided among other ma
tionalities.
On the whole, we need indulge in
no dark apprehensions as to the in
fiuence OF immigration upon our po-
litical and social life unless large
masses of the less desirable elements
of it should congregate in certain
large cities. In this respect, the
statement that 1882 of the new
comers have remained in New York,
would seem to indicate that such a
concentration has taken place. But
Mr.. Jackson, the Superintendent
of Castle Garden, assures us that this
statement is apt to create a wrong
impression, Sowing to the fact that
many immigrants who had not fixed
upon any destination were credited
to New York, but remained only |
long enough to decide upon per-
manent home; that some immigrants
refused to give their destination and
were put down to New York's ac-
count, as that was their address when
last heard from,'' and that "not
more than $4,000 or 10000 will find
permanent homes in this State besides
the 15, 900 or 10000 who will settle
down in this city" New York
would therefore only have her pro-
portionate share and no more. The
bulk of the immigration is going to
the West, where it will soon become
identified with new and growing
whose interests the new
comers will soon understand and
whose progress and prosperity they
will share. 1t is fact worthy of
note that the north western States,
which receive among their people
The largest proportionate number of
foreign immigrants, take rank among
.he orderliest of American communi-
lies. Judging from the experiences
Of the past, it may therefore be con-
idently said that, leaving aside two
Or three laroe cities. the difficulty of