Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-09-18

Influence upon the destiny of the State.
of the Union. The natives of the Ger
man Empire (not including Austria OF
German SWITZERLAND form the mos,
numerous element in our foreign popu.
lation. They numbered in 1880 1866.
742, which was SO per cent. of the
whole population. the Irish form the
next strongest element. numbering L..
854. 81 or 81 per cent of the whole pop.
ulation. Next in order are the emf.
grants from Great Britain English.
Scotch and Welsh-in number, Oh, 59S.
vi these three nationalities New York
has the greatest number, but not the
largest proportion, the German element
in the population of New York forming
only per cent, while it is Ii per cent.
IN Wisconsin. Our own state is by far
the most German, Minnesota following
with 85 per cent The Germans tor
the most part desire to become cult
yators and proprietors. They are thin
ly represented in manufacturing and
mining communities, and strongly in
agricultural and trading communities.
The states having the largest German
born percentages form groupe in the
fertile Northwest. They are Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and
Nebraska. 1t is here that the future
population must be most strongly i'm
pressed with the German type,
Of the Irish, 63 per cent. are found
in the Atlantic sea-board states, north
of North Carolina. The Irishman comes
to this country with less definite pur-
pose than the German. His ambition
has been simply to reach our shores,
and his life of misery upon the soil in
Ireland has disinchned him to agrieul-
tnre. The movement and magnifcence
of the Eastern cities charm him. Too
often pennileSs, he becomes the drudge
of the cities streets and of the coal
mines and cotton mills. The New
England states show the largest Irish
percentages, Rhode Island leading with
1915 per cent
The British are more evenly distrib-
uted than the Irish and Germans, but
the largest proportionate British popu-
lation is in the Western territories
particularly in the mining districts. In
Utah they are especially strong, owing
to the success of the Mormon propa-
ganda in Great Britain. Seventeen and
one-half per cent. of Utah's population
is British, Nevada following with So
per cent.
British America furnishes the next
largest contingent-7l7,1 57 all told.
These cannot be classed with the Brit
ish element as they are mostly French
speaking Canadians. OF these Michi-
gan has the largest number aud Massa-
chusetts next.
Next in order are the Scandinavians,
who are, like the Germans, so massed
in a certain district that they cannot
fail to impress themselves upon the
population of the future. The Norwe-
gian, Swedish and Danish population in
1880 was 440, 1862, more than three
fourths of them being grouped in eight
Northwestern states and territories
Minnesota and Dakota leading with 10. 6
and 13.l per cent
The natives of France in the country
number l06,97l. Only in California
and Louisiana do they constitute one
per cent of the population.
The next largest element, and the last
we shall consider rs forming any con-
siderable proportion of the population
of any of the states, are the Chinese.
numbering l04, 46S. OF these. Califor-
MIA has 73,54S. The last census showed
that only l,lS6 Chinese had been born
in this country This fact, in cont asI
| to the great excess of Irish and German
children born here over the immigrants
of those races, shows more plainly even
than their general course of life thai
they are merely sojourners They neec
scarcely be considered as an element il
| the formation of the American people
The Western states and territories pre-
sent by far the most inviting field for 9
study of the race-Infuence in America
As it is already most affected by for
eign immigration, as its increase il
population from other causes is tn,
greatest, and as it is likely to contain
larger portion of the population of tn,
country than any other section, thi,
region will probably do most to fix tn,
permanent national type aud character
As to the assimilation of the VA
rous elements, the result can only bC
conjectured, but supposiug the entir
mass to be fused, the Celtic and leu
tonic blood, the Latin and the Norman
would be mingled in about the sam
proportions that they were in the veins q
the original English settlers of this coun
try. We have seen. however. that til,
races are not distributed evenly. ant
that certain types are likely TO be local.
predominant, until long process c
Interrogation shall have welded thu
mass into substantial likeness. Again
supposing all elements to combine, tn
Wisconsin man of the near future woul
be almost German, while the Ne,
Englsnder would be at least half a
lriShman. But in the meantime Al
come to speak single dialect; all wea
the same costume; and all come unde
the asSimilating influence of an intense
ly active internal commerce. Nav W
not assume that such state of affair
will tend to make the people of tn
United States single aud homogeneou
nation, in spite of local diversity Z
origin?
Legacies amounting to $780, 900 wer
left by the late Senator Anthony to hi
sister and other relatives. He left S2i
! 600 for public purposes.