The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-15
COMING TO OUR SHORES.
Commissioner George Starr Reviews
Ten Years Of immigration
at New York.
Very Large Increase Of Citizens Of
Foreign Birth and Par
entage
rcur Millions Of Newcomers In Ten Years
Undesirable Acquisitions are
Becoming Fewer.

Especial Correspondence Of TIE INDEPENDENT
NEW YoRK, July 1.-THE national CEN
sus which is now approaching completion
will show very large increase in the num-
beers of citizens Of foreign birth. Probably
30 of each 100 of our inhabitants are of
alien.birth or parentage. In the nity OF
New York the percentage is nearly one
third, while Chicago and other western
cities will show even larger proportion.
During the past ten years more than three
and a half millions Europeans have emerged
from the big gates at Castle Garden and
turned their wondering faces westward.
At least half million have entered the
United States at other points. OF these
newcomers more than million, or third
Of the whole number, have been Germans,
and the Fatherland furnishes q constantly
in creasing percentage of the immigration.
Next come the Irish, who number about
$4,000. followed closely by the swarthy
Scandinavians with 100000. Tho balance is
composed of representatives of almost every
race upon the face of the earth, writes Mr..
George Starr, commissioner OF immigra-
tion.
'sOf the undesirable classes which were
cast upon our shores, the most obleotiona-
brought hither by the Pennsylvania 'coal
barons'' before the passage of the alien
Contract Labor laws, the Italians who were
inveigled by unscruplous agents OF steam
ship lines, and the Bohemian cigarmakers,
who to the number of 10000 were brought
tract to the cigar factories, These abuses
have now been suppressed. and the result
has been an improvement in the standard
of the immigrant.
1.-THE most Questionable people now ar
irving here are the Polish Hebrews.
who are employed by the east side Sweat
ers." They are wretchedly destitute, and
are driven from Poland by the Russians be-
cause their presence there is obnox-
ious They, arrive here without
na yie and few wtn01 savn o0'h
most cases been sold or pawned to furnish
them with food during their long voyage.
The friends who come bsfore send them
passage money. and later on they them
selves send for their families, ono or two
members coming at time during the win
ter months, when fares are low, until the
whole flock is quartered in some Ludlow
street tenement. These tailors almost in
variably remain in New York few years.
The more thrifty and ambitious, after &C.
cumulating little capital, become the
of these Hebrews are peddlers. who find their
way into the eastern and middle states,
rarely going far westward.
"The Slovack 60 to Pennsylvania to work
as helpers in the mines. They are always
aged go skilfully that the law is not openly
violated. These people are miserably poor
and filthy in their habits.
1.-The labor laws stopped the influx OF d.
gar makers in 1886 and diminished the num-
Der of Bohemians. Those who come now
are artisans or farm laborers and many 90
to the west. .,"
''The Irish immigrants of later years are
farmers and domestic servants. The for
mer 60 mainly to the rural districts of New
England, where the Yankee farmer is be-
coming extinct, and the girls readily find
employment in the cities.
1.-The Germans. both in point of numbers.
intelligence, wealth and skill easily lead ali
the other nationalities. They bring their
families with them and generally have
enough money. to make payment on
store. They become Americanized more
readily than any others and are quicker to
grasp the spirit of our institutions. They
are also more widely distributed over the
country than any other foreign people,
every section, north. south, east and west
"The Scandinavians alse form a very
thrifty, industrious and prosperous class,
but they are less widely diffused. Nearly
all are farmers and thev 60 to tho north
west-Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakota and
Montana. They are we'll provided with
get rich and run for the legislature and CON-
gres.s A few Scandinavian artisans go to
New Jersey and western New York.
''There is a class of Russians who come
in limited numbers and show marked
contrast to the Polanders. They are farm
\ A. n-t~
eral large colonies of them. some of. the
earlier arrivals were very wealthy, one party
of farmers comprising ten families bring
ing $1OO, 900 in cash and securities. This
movement was started by religious perseou-
tions.
Few spaniards or Portuguese arrive on
mostly to South America. although quite q
number have entered California, where
they are employed in the vineyards and
orchards.
Taking immigration as whole during
the last ten years there has been marked
increase in the percentage of those who go
ton of hostile Indians and the remarkable
growth of the cities in the Mississippi Val
ley and the Rocky Mountains offer greater
inducements to go beyond the seaboards.
Formerly one-tifth of all the immigrants
settled in New York city, now less than
cne-tenth remain here permanently. The
percentage of foreign-born residents in the
newer sections of the west must have
largely augmented since the census of
1880.
',There is one factor in the problem
which has been overlooked. certain pro-
portion of the immigrants return to Europe,
The number in 1889 was nearly 1000.
More than half of these probably come to
America again. but those who remain per-
manently in Europe are usually the drones
- -. 4. 6
awake American people.
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