The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-11-29
RBsTR1oTINa EM1aRAT1oN.

RESTRICTING EMIGRATION.
The New York Press says it is ex-
tremely significant that the first step
toward the restriction Of European
emigration to the United States
should be taken not by the United
States but by Germany. 1t goes with
out saying that if the emigrants whose
exodus Germany wishes to prevent
were of an undesirable class there
would be no anxiety on the part of the
German authoriti's to keep them at
home. But they are not. So far as
Germany, Scandinavia and the
British Islands are concerned, Europe
has for many years been losing the
most desirable part of her population
through emigration to the United
States. The so.called upper classes,
the titled drones and vagabonds,
worthless for any useful manner of
making a living, do not come here;
neither do the lowest class, whose
condition is that of hopeless poverty
from which it has no ambition to rise.
The emigrants from the countries
named have been mostly ofthe robust,
healthy and energetic agricultural and
mechanical classes, either small pro-
prietors or tenants of farms or skilled
artisans and tradesmen. These men
are the bone and sinew of the commu-
mites from which they emigrate, and
their addition to our population is
gain as substantial as the loss which
Germany and other countries feel in
their depsrture.
The German authorities now pro.
pose to place emigration wholly
within police supervision. One strong
motive for emigration from Germany
has been to avoid compulsory service
in the army. This is to be prevented
in future, for no emigrant will be per-
mitted to leave until he has paid this
debt, not to his country, but to the
war lord, who, like Napoleon, regards
his male subjects as so much food for
cannon. Should this rule be strictly
enforced, there would be no emigra-
from Germany except of females and
of men beyond the age of 2j, or
cripples, or persons otherwise un-
desirable. This would necessitate
great vigilance on the part of the
immigration authorities in America.
Scandinavia and the British Isles as
vet propose no restriction upon emf
grafton, but should the new Swedish
military bill be enacted it is quite
likely that the government of King
Oscar would take some action to keep
the Swedes at home to serve in the
army. Sweden is a thinly populated
country, the proportion of inhabitants
to territory being less than in the
older states of the American Republic
and while the people are comparative,
ly poor, there is very little absolute
destitutiOn. The emigration from
Sweden is prompted as much by intel
lectual as material considerations, 10y
longing by intelligent people for the
broader fields and free institutions ot
the United States. The average o
better class emigration is probably
larger from Sweden than from any
other country. Men and womer
abandon homes of comfort and ever
luxury to take their chances in Amer
lea and to encounter toll that they
never had to face in their native sur
roundings. 10 is difficult to explaiI
this except on the theory that it is {
modern form of that unrest which
prompted their Gothic ancestors t.
pour forth from their Northern homes
upon temperate and Southern Europe
But while there is tendency il
Western Europe to restrict desirable
immigration, there is, unfortunately
no disposition on the part of Russia
for instance, to put stop to emigra
tion Of the kind we do not want, anC
that is an absolute injury to the cOun'
try receiving it. Against immigra
tion of this unwholesome kind bar
rier should be raised and maintained
TO reject the healthy, able bodied, in
telligent immigrant is simply to rejec
so much of an addition to the strength
and the productive power Of tn
nation.
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