The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-05-17
AnAerspn 0ntelliaenter.
PAUPER IMNIGRATION.
Is liza Real or only an Imaginary Dang

WASHINGTON, May S.-GOvernCr But.
Ter, of Massachusetts, has written n let
ter to Secretary Folger calling his atten.
ton to the immigration of paupcrs from
Europe, and enclosing extracts from
foreign papers on this subject. Secretary
Folgcr replied that his attention had
been called to the matter in report from
the collector of customs mt Boston on
April 20. 1t is learned at the State de.
partment that the ubect Of pauper i'm.
migration from ireland has for some
months been under consideration in that
department. A number Of reports re-
!atirg thereto have been received, and
among the most interesting !s one from
Consul General Merritt, of London, Civ
ing the results Of an investigation made
at his instance in March last by the
United States consuls in Ireland. From
advance sheets of the regular monthly
publication Of consular reports the fol-
lowing abstract Of Merritts communica
,ion to the State department has been OBJ
tanned:
II begins lis follows Reports publish.
ed on both sides of the Atlantic relative
to the extent and alarming character of
the present distress among the Irish
pcasantry have been 80 conflicting apd
exaggerated that have deemed that an
inquiry into the real facts nf the situa.
ton would be of service to philanthro-
pists who too often give where charity is
uncalled for and mistakenly withhold
where it is needed. But aside from this
consideration Irish distress means in.
creasing immigration to the United
States, and it includes many political
questions into which it is not my pro-
vince to enter. Wholesale Immigration
aided by the Government is looked upon
in many quarters as the only salvation
from periodic recurrence Of famine, and
measures are now on loot to send thou
sands of poor families from the congest-
ed diHtricts Of Ireland across the Allan.
tic. Considering the subject in these AS
poets one of legitimate inquiry. OH the
18th Of February lest addressed cir.
cular letter to members of the United
States consular corps in Ireland asking
them to make an investigation in their
respective districts and TO report on the
following points: First, whether the pub.
lished accounts of distress were substan-
TALLY correct or were exaggerated? Sec.
ond, whether the prospects of ameiora-
,ion in the immediate future were en-.
couraging! Third, to what extent will
grafton to the United States or English
colonies Fourth. whether the Govern.
ment guardians of the poor or associa.
tons are engaged in sending paupers to
the United States?
Consul General Merritt then reviews
and summarizes the answers of the con-
rnls to these 9ueslions rs follows: First.
The reports submitted in reply to the frs.
question, while admitting the gravity OF
the situation, generally agree that the
distress prevailing ut present Is not e1-
ceptional i'll its character and that pub.
lished accounts to the contrary are exag
Grated. In the poorer agricultural dis
tricts the situation gf the peasantry is
miserable, and abject poverty is the rule
but sad as it is it has been the same for
years and has become the normal condi-
ton Of life. The partial failure Of the
potato crop in certain parts of Ireland
has to some extent aggravated the situa-
tion. The fisheries have again been un.
successful, and tho rainy autumn and
coming crops, have interfered with the
work of tho laborer. Consul Piatt, Of
Cork, says, upon this point: "While
am inclined to believe that the destitu.
ton and distress in Western and Southern
Ireland are great enough and worthy Of
the assiste uce, that our people are always
disposed to give, there is certainly reason
to doubt whether the picture rs it ia
shown to the outside world is not exng-
gerated. Boards of guardians and pop
ular bodies, am assured, are in n
measure responsible for this exaggera.
ton, as they in their anxiety TO have
poor rates relieved by The opening of
relief works by tho Government have
made efforts to magnify the reports in
some localities. In brief it may be safe.
ly assumed that the much talked Of star
vation point has not been reached, how
ever bad the situation may be, and local
and government authorities have abun-
dant means at hand to relieve actual me-
cessity.
Second. The prospects of meliorn.
ton Of the present condition in the i'm
mediate future are most disc0uraging. 1t
is altogether unlikely that the Govern
ment will shortly commence public
works in order to give employment to
the people, as the pulley settled upon ia
relief either hy the VERY -hc.ss 9. by
emigration. The chief secretary for
Ireland in recent speech seid that the
condition Of the poorer classes of offnrnlers
was more deplorable than that ofsany
class of people living In any civilized
country; that there were 67 900 farmera
of from one to five acres and l60, 900 of
from Ave to fifteen acres, and in the lat.
ter class there were not more than from
two to two and half acres of arabic
land in their holdinga. Under more flu.
vorable conditions agricultural interests
in Great Britain have suffered severely,
the present price of farming land being
the lowest known in generations, and
the oppression of bad seasons and foreign
competition has reduced the Irish farmer,
whether tenant or owner, to still lower
depths of poverty Trade In Ireland is
extremely dull. Land Ia almost uusal-
able at any price, aud the unsettled po-
litical state of the country forbids the
hope of capital being forthcoming to any
extent for manufacturing interests. From
whatever point of view the subject il
looked at there Is little or no chance for
an Improvement in the immediate fu.
ture.
Third. With great unanimity the con.
suls agree that the present conditions
must act as q powerful stimulous to emi-
grafton and many interesting facts are
given in their reports to illustrate this
branch of the investigation. In 1882
the migration was 89,566, an increase of
lO,847 over 1871, and the present year at
tho lowest will certainly show an emf.
grafton of over 100000. The total mum.
bers represent 172 per 1000 of the pop.
ulation az 1t stood in 1882. Z Seven hun.
dred anu forty-eight in thousand of
the persons who left ireland last year
yvara hotsuaan ho aroa oe ooI