The morning call., 1892-05-30
roREIGNERs ANp NATIVES.

Tie one hundred and eighty-third bull
letin Of the census reveals the effect of the
recent copous immigration from Europe
upon the States which receive the bulk Of
it. Nearly one-ffth OF the total population
Of the United States. or Y, zoo, 500 persons,
inhabt the three States Of New York, New
jersey and Pennsylvania. Rather over
One-fourth Of these, or 1926, 81 persons,
are born of foreign parents. and something
less than one-fourih Of the whole, or 2, 49,
745. are themselves foreign born The
American people are thus in those great
and Influential States diluted by the foreign
element in the proportion Of one to three.
This has not always been so. The for
eigner has been gaining on the native ever
since the decade preceding the war. Be
tween 800 and 1880 the fOTeigu-born poDu-
latiOn Of the three States increased !, 726, al,
or 100 per cent. while in the native popua-
ton during the same period the Increase
was 5,075,6l4, or 104 per cent. Between
the years 1910 and 1880. when the reaction
from the war fever was being felt and
wages were low. the increase in the foreign
born population was comparatively small.
being only 6.42 per cent In New York, II 81
In New Jersey and $50 in Pennsylvania.
But after 1880 business revived, there was
quite boom in some States, and during the
decade beginning with that year the in
crease was 2969 per cent in New ork, 1879
In New Jersey and 43 81 in Pennsylvania.
New York. however, kept a larger proper
ton Of the INN grants than the two other
States, its accreton during the decade
being 3j9,67l, as against 107, 275 gained by
New Jersey and 257 69l gained by Pennsyl-
vania. While this gain Of foreign popula-
ton was going on New York gained by
natural increase during the decade 555, 81
persons, New Jersey 200, 542 and Pennsyl-
yania 1892. Notwithstanding the influx
Of immigrants, the foreigner is not vet
elbowing the American out OF the three
States in question. sim, the native stock is
being diluted SO largely that some results
must follow.
Taking the thee States as a whole the
native whites born Of native parentage
barely represent half Of the total popuIa-
ton, being 50.83 Of the whole. the foreign
born and the natiYe-born Of foreign parent
age constituting the other 1917 In New
York the fOreign-boTn and tue natiye-bOrn
Of foreign parentage constitute together
57.97 OF the whole population, the natives
Of native parentage being 1903 Of the
whole; while in Pennsylvania the natives
Of native parentage constitute G367 of the
whole and the foreign-born and natlYe-born
of foreign parentage only 1888.
The great problem OF American capacity
for degluttion must be studied in the light
Of these figures. When we find she leading
State in the Union Inhabited chiefly by
aliens, foreign-born citizens and the sons
Of these aliens and foreign-born citizens, it
becomes a question whether the American
idea can be fully and fairly carried out in
the face Of such foreign pTedominance.
Many Of our naturalized citizens and OF
their offspring born here become as good
members of the nation as the sons Of the
soil whose forefathers immigrated before
the Revolutionary days, bet careful observers