The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-02-20
PROBLEMS OF IMMIGRATION.
REV. y. w. SPRAGUE'S INTERESTING
PAPER BEFORE THE PROFESSIONAL
CLUB.

REV. +. W. SPRAGUE's INTERESTING
PAPER BEFORE THE PROFESSIONAL
An Impressive Massing of ststistics-How
he Believes Labor Suffers s-Remedles Pro-
| posed.
The Professional club with number of
invited guests Tuesday evening listened to a
very exhaustive and thoughtful paper from
hev. +. w: Sprauge on the "Probems of In
migration" The treatment was that of
most serious and complex problem, the view
was on the whole one of fairness, recognize.
Ing the vast benefits that these reinforce
ments have conferred on our national de-
yelopement, but regarding the Character Of
the immigration to have so materially
changed from a variety of causes In reeeut
years as to seriously threaten our civilization,
exceed our powers of assimilation and neces-
state restrictive measures.
Historically, the great periods Of .mmigra-
ton we hnd the first movements taking the
form OF conquest, then of colonization. and
finally Of immigration, movement of indi-
viduals without any power of the state back
OF II and peculiar to the 10Th century.
Americans were Of course Immigrants at
some time or other, but the essayist thought
who came to the country when
1t was an unclsimed wilderness and
BY their trials and sacrifices estab-
lished great commonwealth and those who
come lat to share the benefits. He would
draw the line 10 this respect at the attain
ment OF independsne. about 1888. Up to 1920
the infiax was very slight and estimated not
to have been over 250,C00, the growth of pop
ulation having been mainly natural increase,
During the "twentes" the Immigration.
was small, only ten or twelve thousand com.
ing over annually ,!ncrea>ing to 10000 In 1926
~ nxuyts, al. -.
cial depression In England. In the "Thirttes,
1t grew steadily. decreasing in the years 1896
anu 1881 on account of the depression of trade
In this country. The number first reached
loO,O0O Ia 1912. but sank the following wear.
showing that the normal figure at that time
was sofnew nat less. In 1916 began the first
OF those great movements due To crises In the
Old world which have occurred frequently
since and whose ref K action tends to keep
the tlde permanently strong In 1854 bad
times IN Germany and the famine In Ireland
mace The enormous maximum 427 ,S33 This
NUMBER was not reached again till after the
ciVll war, when steamships had taken the
pace OF sailing vessels and the voyage was
shorter and the rates lower. The war had
endea IN favor OF free labor, and the railroads .
nau opeheu up an Immense territory. So
| immigration was renewed after the war and
Went on ard on until IN 1872 1t reached the
hgure OF 437,,5O. Then the business dppres-
Si"p WV NSu VIC IL wv uHllI 10 Wueu lIlIul-
grafton grew again until 1882 it reached the
enormous total of 100000 Since then it has
gone down only to revive again In 1887 it
was DIG 1888: 1858. 52S .0l9; 1889. 439 ,6l9 1890
i5!.2l The average since 1880 being over
half million annually. The movement in.
creases although 1t does not do so by regular
gradatfons, and there is no sign that we have
reached the end of the Increase. Since 1920
over 15,000.000 persons have come to the
United States, and more than one half of
these have come since 1870.
The causes Of this enormous influx he re-
gar led as not so much political as economical;
the discomfort Of Europe is not so great as IN
lS4S; social conditions are constantly moving
nearer together; hard times are having less
and less Influence, because they are coming
more and more to be felt at the same time on
both sidcs of the water. The srums<--~.- ~re
coming to better their economic condition
and give their children better chance In the
world. The increase arose In facilities of
transportation Is great factor. When our
fathers made this land an asylum for the OPP
pressed of all nations. ships bringing few
scores of people aud that might be months on
the way, were what they had in mind. Now
great steamships crossing the ocean In few
days land 1900 at q time. One company has
$500 agents at work In Europe to stimulate
emigration. Passage rates have been as low
as $12, 81 and g. the companies In thieP
competition have brought people for the bare
cost Of feeding them, railroads have trantport.
ed them from New York to Chicago for 50 a
head. No wonder that they swarm over.
The constant communications between those
here and friends at home, the sending over
of passage tickets and money, the large COM
munities formed where the native language
is spoken and newspapers printed in it are
all factors. The requirement of military SER
vice, taking seven years out OF the best part
of mans life In Germany, nine in France,
ten in Austria and fifteen in Russia, is of
course powerful eXpellent fame. About 60
per cent. of the immigrants average to be
males. The Italians, Hungarians and Poles the
lowest kind OF immigrants we receive, nearly
all unskilled laborers nave very small per-
centage of women.
The effect of these 20 years on our pop
ulation has been very great, until 1t is
that not over half of our people
are descended from the original colOnists.
and the proportion constantly tends to be-
come smaller. 1t would be absurd to reckon
the whole 25.00O.000 of foreign descent as
alien elements In our civilization. Many of
these persons have beer born on our soil, and
know no other country and no other lam
guage or institutions than our own. They
are as truly American In thought and feeling
As the defendants of the Puritan fathers.
Even where they have come to this country
Ignorant, and perhaps vicious, they nave
often seized upon the chance TO begin new
life and have elevated themselves sa' their
children TO a higher plane Of civilization.
Economic vel being and the practice of free
inst buttons are the most powerful agents of
civilization. The only question is how much
,an they stand! and assmilateg The foreign
element in the United States Is composed of
many different elements. OF the l5.000,00
coming here since 1920, 3S,,279 came from
Ireland. ]. 529 I92 from England and Wales,
'l2 92i from scotland, 4. 359,12l from Ger
many. Sj1. .0s3 from Norway and Sweden,
2,. .642 fIoln Denmark. 35, .333 from France,
60. POI from switzerland aiu 320.196 from
italy. The etbric element most powerfully
the population of the United States
IL the present tiuie Is the German anu next
o II comes the Irish. Massachusetts Is
hought OF az peculiarly an Anne rcsn COM
naBlty. but it was found In 1855 that over =.
Der cent. OF its Inhabitants were of foreign
birth and that over one-half of all the peopIe
we're OF foreign parentage. Nearly 30 per
cent. were Of Irish parentage alone. In The
,ity of Boston only 81 per cent. were of
y nited States parentsge. the rest of foreign
parents. Fortunately there are certain forces
which tend to gradually fuse these: different
t'onfirned on 18th page.