Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-01-12
Aantaster fntelligrnrer.
SATURDAY EVENING. JAN, IL. 'ee4
Oar Foreieu Born Population.

rious alarm within the memory OF tn,
present generation Is owing in part t.
che greater influx Of immigration in tn,
past forty years, consequent upon tn,
changing conditions and increasing dis
content of the common people abroad
and It is measurably due to the fact tha
not 50 many years ago nearly all of the
Inhabitants of this country were sub
stantislly foreigners" or such neal
descendants Of them, that the distinct
ions between the foreign born and ma
tive population were not so sharply
drawn as now. Although there have
been decennial censuses taken since 1890
we have no direct official information
respecting the constituents of our popu.
lation. as regards the place of birth, prior
to 1850, nor even adequate information
prior TO 1920 concerning the arrival at
American sea ports Of foreign born per.
sons.
The political troubles of lsiS in Ger
many, and the agricultural distress and
resulting famine In Ireland about the
same time, induced sudden rise be-
tween 1850 and 1860 in the immigration,
but since then the percentage which the
foreign born bears TO the native popula-
tion has not materially varied from l3i
per cent. Those who read with alarm
the statistics of enormous immigration
nowadays are apt TO forget that our
total population is we'll nigh double
what 1t was at the outbreak of the war,
that the development of the country in
the variety of interests and in the settle
ment of its domain is Immensely beyond
that Of twenty years ago and that the
disposition of larger influx OF foreign
ers ttal ever before is easily made with
out serious disturbance of our social and
political forces.
Ireland and Germany have furnished
the most considerable part of our foreign
population, aud in almost equal proper
tion, though Great Britain and its trans
oceanic dependencies excluding Ireland)
and Canada combined, have given us
nearly as many as either Hbernia or the
fatherland. This foreign population has
been subject TO the widest diffusion, and
however impressive it might be If it pro-
ceeded from one stock and was grouped
in a single locality, the great variety and
dssimilarity of race which it presents
and its general dispersion through the
states, obviate the threatened danger of
any not able foreign influence crystaIliz.
ing here into an element hostile to our
institutions. There are but three states
and ten territories, all remotely West,
in which the foreign born equals 50 per
cent. of the native population in thir-
teen states and territories it is - per
cent, in eleven states ii is 10 per cent ;
in ten from 10 10 and in eight less than
per cent. 1t is remarkable how the
foreign and cOlOred population are mutu
ally exclusive, and almost in every sec
tion where the colOred are found in large
number the foreign born are not, anC
vice versa. 1t is reassuring to those whC
stand in such dread of foreign influence
to observe how the predominanCe Of tn
different races varies in different states
Although the IRISH population of Penn
sylvania largely out.number the German
there are nearly as many Irish born resi-
dents Of Massachusetts as of our owl
state; in New York, Connecticut, Cali
fornia and New Jersey the Irish top tn
list ; In Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana
Texas, Iowa, Missouri and Ohi
the Germans assert themselve
quite as emphatically in the lead Il
Minnesota the Scandina vians are ia
ahead of any other, and a goOdly mum
ber of them are settled in Illinois, low
and Wisconsin. The number of native
OF British America found III Massachu
sets and Michigan is astonishing, unit
explained 10y the lumber interests an
factory Industries two.thirds of all tn
MeXicans are in Texas and 20 pe
cent. of the Chinese in California
two-thirds of the Irish in the countr
are east . Pittsburg's meridian, an
two-thirds of the Germans are we:
OF 1t. Most Of the Russians in the couu
try are Mennonites and Kansas has tn
largest number of them; Ohio of Swiss
Wisconsin the BOhemians New Yor
the Poles, Austrians and French an
Michigan the HOllanders. Foreigner
generally display an appetency for cit,
life, though the more numerous race
have Of late years shown IA falling off a
elements OF city population. Fall River
aud Lawrence, Mass, textile manufaC
turing cities in the East, and San Fran
cisco, CAL, extreme geographical points
show the highest rank in foreign Dor
relatively 10 the total population, an
next to them come Chicago and Detroit
central commercial cities on the lakes.
These striking facts all point to th
sane conclusion that our foreign Dor
population is 81 widely dispersed AS I
be easily assimilated. 1t presents Tn
widest range of diversity in its element,
and is taken up and moulded by th
people of different commonwealth 9
much unlike each other as the bulk ,
our foreign immigration Is dissimilar
the native. There is no greater ia
centage of influx, so long AZ it com,
from the civilized races, than is healtl
to the body polite, aud nowhel
to-day are the foreign elements of O,
population uniting and massing again
the native. In fact 1t is easier to arr
hA Of thaaA alaFnn,,t, 4.