Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-03-26

immigration. Science has
shown that the ''Great American Desert"
can be made capable of supporting the |
entire population of the world. In order |
to accomplish this result, moreover, an
enormous amount of uaskilled labor will
have to be employed in irrigation and rail-
way building, and unrestricted immigra-
ton is the OILY source from which the
necessary amount of such labor can be OBJ
tanned.
But it is said that unrestricted immigra-
ton will increase competition and cause
wages in the United States to fall. This
argument appears, in its face, to be unan-
swerable, but it is not borne out by the
facts. Statistics show that while foreign
immigration has steadily continued, at
the same time wages in the United States
have steadily risen. The explanation of
this phenomenon lies in the fact that the
resources of the country have hardly begun
to be developed, and that consequently the
demand for labor is still far in excess of
the supply.
Again, the coming in of every new class
of immigrants tends to elevate the indus
trial condition of the entire American pso-
pie. For instance, seventy-fve years ego
the mental and disagreeable work of the
community was performed by native
Americans. From 1920 to 1850, however,
such work gradually fell into the hands of
Irish immigrants. OF recent years the
Irish in turn have found more agreeable
and profitable employment, and the mental
work is now being largely performed by
Hungarians and Italians.
In conclusion it is to be noted that any
restriction on immigration implies an
abrupt departure from the established
policy of this government. This great
country of ours was founded with the I'M
Outstanding that it should always be a
| refuge and home for the prosecuted and
oppressed father nations, and for us to re-
strict immigration to-day would be to
| violate the most sacred trust ever COM
mitted to the keeping of great people.
Mr.. KULLALLY's REMARKS.
Mr.. Mutually chsmpioned restricted i'm
| migration as follows: Conditions have 80
changed that immigration which at one
time promoted the growth of this country
| now threatens it's destruction. There is
| in the nature Of our own people an enemy
| to be overcome in maintaining the morals
and sound social Judgment of the country.
And this enemy should not be too much
assisted by permitting it to receive aid I'm
restrictedly from the whole world. Nor
is this country's exertion of the most bene.
| 6oent influence upon the world incom-
| patible with the discharge of her duty tc
| herself. In order to benefit the world
she must continue to maintain her free
popular institutions and in order to dc
this she must preserve the high mora
! character in her citizenship. It would, were
| it practicable, be most desirable consumma
| ton to regenerate the lower classes Of
other nations here in this young republic
but if too much degeneracy is admitted
into our body polite the result will be
that evil will predominant over and assim
ilate to it's own nature the very influence,
for good on which We depend; 80, instead
of accomplishing the end sought the result
| will be the perversion of the great agency
itself, by which it was hoped to be accom-
plished. Furthermore. unrestricted i'm
migration would retard the social progress
of other countries; for the people will
seek in it relief from the unfortunate re
suits of misrule, instead of compellin,
their monarchs to ameliorate their con
dition.
The speaker then presented a formida
BILE array of statistics showing the undue
proportion of crime in the foreign born
OF our entire prison population twenty
one per cent. is foreign born, and thi
children also. The statistics for pauper
ism and poor relief is even worse for tn
foreign born. The aliens while forming
only one-eighth of our population suppl!
one-third of our criminals
It may be said that it is the unfortunate
environments of these people that pro
duce their abject state. Bring them I'm
der the influence of our improved condi
ton and they will become another PEG
pie. Still, the native characteristics O
the immigrants are often retained. Th
1 CIT &o of1 L..
changes by violence; the French still de
sire he wife and children to be operative
in the factory: and the italian seeks re
venge with his stilletto.
Great numbers come to save what the,
can and return with their earnings. It i
not true that every full grown immigran
adds to the country's wealth the amour
| that it required to bring him to manhood
nor can the value of an immigrant to
community be found by the mathematics
process of subtracting what will be neces
sary to maintain him from what he shout,
earn. The value of man to a communi
ty depends on his own disposition ant
ability.
Restricting immigration is corollary o
the position of restricting the importation
of manufactured goods. An unrestricte,
supply of labor will lower wages in spit
of a protective tariff Furthermore, wit
Unrestricted immigration comes an in
creased demand for commodities whic
tends to raise prices. Thus an influence i
permitted which tends to lower the wage
of the laboring classes, and at the sam
time to raise the cost of necessities.
By. STACEY BROWN, HARVARD.
Of late years we have heard the cry tina
the assimilation of the foreigner has bee
detrimental to the American nationality
and that the immigrants are now comm
in such numbers as to render this assimils
ton heretofore improbable, now no longe
durable. Yet population of 1000, 90
in 1854 had much more cause for fear q
the entrance of 400, 900 persons, if mer
numbers are to be considered, than a poI
at the entrance of only $50, 900.
But I also wish to show that the settle
ments and assimilation of those who hav
come has been invigorating and beneficial
| to American life. Take the two states O
Minnesota and Tennessee. In the forme
every city and village shows the presenc
of the foreigner. There is energy an,
activity on every hand. The people ar
characterized by sooriety and temperance
But in the other, where the presence o
the immigrant is unknown, where the sol
is as fertile as the plains of Minnesota,
| community, too, that is thoroughly Amer
lean, we find as lazy a lot as the sun eve
| shone upon. In this section a man tool
his boy out of school because he WAS laugh
to believe that the world is round. Ii
spite of these facts we hear the cry O
america for Americans only" but it i
too late. This assimilation must still q
on. There are many examples of its ad
vantage. In the early days of our histor,
young man, poor and unknown, came t
| this country. He soon became inbuet
l with the American spirit and by his abil
l ity rose to places of honor and esteem Al
the time of the great need of the youn,
republic he came to her aid. If, at bi
coming, the policy of the inhabitants hat
been expressed in such miserable plati
tude as "this country to ourselves" the,
would have lost the service of man t,
whom Americans always point wi4h prid,
and love, Alexander Hamilton.
One of the charges urged against the i'm
| migrant is that he causes the corruption il
our large cities. This argument is unfair
We have made failure of municipal gov
eminent. In Philadelphia, where foreign
ers are few, We have as much corruption a
in New York. Then, too, the leaders j,
political corruption-Quay and Hillary
native Americans.
The gravest charge is to say that the i'm
| migrant will undermine American institu
tons. The immigrants come here seekin,
| refuge from oppression. Is it likely tina
with snake like spirit they will strike tn
hand that has welcomed them and the arm
that has protected thems The immigran