Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-03-07

DR.. Hamilton tcllS us that 1t Is the
settled policy of foreign governments to
encourage immigration to their own
colonies. and that no government III
Europe encourages immigration to the
United States But England does ell
courage the imml ration of the poorer
classes, and she sent II, last year 66, OOO,
while, despite tile efforts of Germany to
retain all her able bodied men, that they
NAV carry the IN ,ket in the coming
war, nearly 1905 coo I99, 53S came to
these shores last yer. Aud the ltalIans,
too, are coming over i'll crowds, and at
tie present rate of Increase will soon, In
point of numbers, stand next to the
Irish. A noted feature of this lmmlgra-
ton is the fact that while only 3, 800
men skilled in the professions, and o9,-
9S5 skilled laborers came into the coun-
trv last year. the number of common
laborers and miscellaneous was over
a quarter of million 239 G44l
The effect Of such an incurslon of
foreign lordes upon our shores can bet
ter be imagined tan described. And
let us say, so rapidly is the country de-
veloping, and SO thckly is the public
domain being settled, and so great is
the number of foreign unskilled labor
ers already in the country, that we be-
lieve that it would be a great gnin if not
another one of this class came to this
country during the rest of the century.
That TIL, is so becomes str1klngly ap-
parent when tie fact is recalled that the
average immigration for the last eight
years is 81 pr cent larger than the
average immlgra ion for the eight years
next preceding while 90 per cent of
this il crease is of ersons without any
occupation or training, and the tendency
is for the least desirable kinds of immi-
grafton to increase much more rapidly
than that which is valuable.
To remedy this evil DR.. Hammond
reconm Ands requiring consular GER
tificate as a condition precedent to im-
migration. This plan, which isnot new,
has Just been embodied i'll ii bill which
goes further than measures previously
introduced, in making the certificate
more thorough al definite, and espe-
cially in the provision shutting out illit-
crate persons as we'll as those who are
physically or mentally unsound and liza
BILE to become public charge. The bill
has unquestionably merit; but we
greatly doubt if our consuls would prove
adequate to the task Of inspecting and
certifying to the condi ion of the half
million Immigrants that the Old World
EN-, ties upon the New every year. And
it certainly is true that consular Certif-
Gates will avail little till our laws
are made more restrictive and our immi-
grafton system is entirely recast That
the insane and i,liotiC should be sent to
our shores is bad enough. But the eco
nomic is the lowest test to apply in this
matter 1t is certainly better that 10
idiots come to this country to be locked
up, even becoming pubic charge, than
that one finished scoundrel comes here
to play his pranks throughout the coun-
try.
1t is further to be hoped Congress will
at the earliest opportunity provide for
commission of intelligent men and eX
perts having knowledge of the subject,
who shall traverse existing laws, con-
slider all available facts, elicit the views
of thoughtful men, and revise our present
immigrant laws and prepare a measure
which will lessen if not wholly repreSs
ex xsling abuses. Such a result, enacted
into law, would give us higher class
of immigration, and if it would not
bring more dollar. in the country would,
What is far letter, purify the social
structure and elevate the now degraded
standard of cit tzsnship which, as DIR.
Hammond says, is nowhere so cheap, as,
it should nowhere be so valuable as in
the United States. 1.-The Christian at
Work.