Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-02-20
CURRENT AFFAIRS.
THE PROFESSIONAL CLUB.
THE PROBLEM OF IMMIGRATION.

THE PROBLEM OF IMMIGRATION.
Abstract of Rev. F. w sprague's valua-
bic Paper Read before the Club Monday
Evening, Feb. 10, 1901.
The paper read by Rev. f. w. Sprague.
pastor Of the Universaist church at the
February meeting Of the Professional club,
held on Monday evening, was an exhaustive
and far-rearhing study of the subject of
immigration in its political, social aud eco
nomic aspects. The essayist said in sub
stance:
The Importance Of immigration lies In It's effect
ON American civilization. IN the influence which
II pXerts ON our political institutions our ecunom.
ic well being. our social morality. and our traits
Of national character What this iniiuenc,, has
been can De estimated only In general aud not
IN IA definite way. Historically considered there
have been migratOns Of men from the earliest
times. First M the form of conuu-sts next As
colonsts aud later in It's modern phase, peculiar
TO the l!tl century such as we see in operation
today Tie line between the period Of colonial
ton and that Of immigration, as seen in this
country, may be drawn with comparative esse
Down to l's3 was period Of colonization. Then
the government was established. and since then
the growth Of the country has leen due 10 natu-
raj Increase aud to immigration. Our statistics
OF Immigration begin In le2O. Up to that time
was period Of natural increase. About that
time began the inflow from abroad, and from 1890
To the present day We may call the period Of i'm.
migration. In the "twentes" and "thirties' the
innnW was comparatively small The number
first reached iOUUu in 1872 bat sank iu th, fol.
lowing year, and the tide steadily rose and fell
according to the Influences which operated in the
old countries aud here in the new In 1851 owing
20 bad times In Germany and the famine in Ire
land, the TIDE rose to the enormous maximum Of
l-H1th lhis number was not reached again IN.
tlI after the civil war In lS,3 It was ti1 1th. la
lNS2 II reached the enormous total uf ,3Juu
I ID rt4N Iu {
was 5lrtnl, ln ISIS i9i.uu, and last wear Il was
hlWH The average since lSsO has b,-n over
lbWh annually. Since 1851 over li.uuOtu t-.r-
sphS nave come to the L nlted STATES, and murr
than half uf them have come since 100
The causes which lead To this enormous outflow
from the old countries varied. but ON the whole
they are more economic than political The in.
creased means Of ocean transportation, the de-
Nel"lineut Of our own railroad system. and the
great area uf public lands open to settlement
have had leading influence as determining fac
tors. IN influence not often taken into account
IS thr WORK done 10y the steamship companies To-
induce immigration as regular matter Of bust
ness. The lnman company alone has 3jO agents
100 Europe inducing people To buy tickets and
come To this country Ali the other great steam
ship companies work in the same way and ON
th sldt are corresponding agencies to dispose Of
tue new coners on their arrival and to distribute
thrH To various points. simply for the dollars and
criiis there is IN the up- ration. Another factor
which has grown to h. an important one as il is
Also very dangerous one. is the temptation
which low rates Of far offer To charitable .pcip
lies and poor relief guardians t. ship their nan
perS. CRIMINALS. and other delinqurut, the drrps
uf the old world. 10 America. with the rm-
grants themselves q strong rNp-llant fur,,. is the
wish tu cscHp. the rigorous requirement for mia.
ilarN srrNhr varying from seven years in Ger
many Ia bin Russia.
I Determine the influence. of immigration ON
race COMPOSITION n this country is impossible. but
the subject is an interesting one To reckon our
whole &uuh.Uu - foreign descent as alien ele-
mrhts would De- absurd MANY of tht-st. peopl.
have been born here, they know u1 other stiig,.
'r country ann are a. truly American in thought
and feeling as the descendants 0f tn. Puritans
bul lhrlI rihnir influence Is nevertheless strong
and sometimes t i- uvrrW hrlmmg Whole coun.
| Nrs "r SECTIONS in the West have population
which ls almost entirely foreign w. think of
Massachusetts ts "a peculiarly American common.
wealth, hut the figures show that in ISL over =
per cent "t It's inhabitants We're ~ foreign birth
and over one half Of AL the people were of foreign
larrntagr Nearly ~ pr cent were Of Irish par
rutagr alone. lu tue city Of Boston only 81 Der
cent were OF United States pareutage: In Lowell
only - per cent, IN Lawrence only - Der cent in
tall River u per cent, aud in ntighboring city
of HuNukt only 10 per cent. Fortunately how.
ever thrt" arr certain forces like economic pros
pe1ty. the exercise Ut political rights, and our
public school system, which tend To elevate and
gradually TO fuse these different elements into one
nationality.
No one can doubt or overlook the effect which
the enormous Immigration Of the last ~ years has
had on our political life. In the great cities the
foreign element fairly OverWhelns the native and
the political hrelrrs " both parties cater for its
support our naturalization laws have not b-en
changed since lNE and the courts have made
u :
often only "a traNrsty In effect any alien who has
b'rn ia the country hvr years and has made the.
required declaration Of intention can be- natural.
U-i.
Unrestricted immigration has b.rn defended ON
two grounds one the ideal. that every man has a
natural right ut migration and the other the pra,.-
tcal ground. based on the economic advantage
" this constant addition To the wealth and lab.
uf the community That there is a direct gain iu
thr money brought over by the new comrrs aside
nom those assisted, is true but this j. largely
offset 10y the sums sent back to friends in the old
country, ana 10y the money carries, back by for
rignrIN "hu return To their native country u live
| having acquired a competence here Figures
| we're given showing what small percentage of
immigrants arr skilled WOrkInrn. The great mass
| are SIMPLY laborers To begin with Irish adult
men crowded American girls and women out Of
our eastern factories The Irish we're in their
/ turn oNdrd out hy the French Canadians and
! now the Italians aud Russian Jews ar. crowd
! other laburrrs hy their Willingness to work for
| low wages. aud their ability t. live un the food
| not III Tor b~asts To eat The economic value of
good aud well skilled labor Is one thing: to lsrt too
| another thing
The question OF erfirct OF this constant addi
tun tu our working furtt. ON American labor
wages. and the standard Of living is an import
| ant one We have gained nothing il We have
| crowded the great mass uf our labor down to a
! condition uf srrSitude and To a standard Of liv.
| ng which is uuW hultsomr, and even immoral and
! drbasing Formerly the great majority of our
! immigrants came with desire tu lit themselves
| tu a higher plane of living. hut now the tendency
| Is for large class to come with no higher and
! 80, '.p'''S5 man .' save money enough 10 re-
ul'i 10 Wv "iH 20 u'llS anu i've on Us lhcnlht.
A' Atlllai Wuu C,.u NANt sSu gurs uack ana hNts
- - all ul Meal'n ana sou ls win other classes
-, l''',iis, i "ts llal aIr no urltri II Is TINS rle
nr.' ,ua' ti''a'tlS 70 urag uuMh lht rntlre
stal,''''u ol our ulateIlal clNll%atl"h Is IL Lot
unNlN'' putin a. Il lnaurr uI hatlnnal p"licy, 10
AliuN s.lcn Slate ul tlihss 10 continue without
"rItrrh'' ul lrs'il'tlnhf IL Is u" longer a ques-
! t'ou "' 'h' su'NNal "l Tue nlttst u ls contest
"tM'ru N.n'ltSpTctns anu hplonkhg lanor, anu
.Po'rlIN S,lNhrh ."r'lr trained III a way "l HNlhg
VA! j. lNsNlNtN urgIaulnE Sn'h Is tht tHect
! "i thr unrestricted competition WIN thr h"rdts
"' I-''"l" lI"'h "hi'll We are now suHrllhg'
Ihr b't'lse NtlAl rlr'ts oI Immigration are
! ulH'Hlt 70 ""ltImWr pItcisrly' but certain iacts
stahd out AItrI all allowances are made We
know lhal "n'lantN, wee crime, lauprrsm ana
us"l'1 a'e l"uuh III ihI greater proportion III
our I"rtlgu born population than IN that born
anu lrdlrh III ihls country. llnt'racS ana the
tNlS lhhi gu WIN II are largely increased by i'm
helAinl III ,ptHklils on the subject oi assist
"a tnllsIat"I' "hlr,l Is tht one great threaten