The record-union., 1892-07-09
OUR FUTURE.
What the American People VIII
Eventually Be.


1t is curious to note the shifting char
acter of the Immigration to this country.
For awhile we were threatened with an
Italian deiuge. When the collapse in the
Argentine Republic and Uruguay turned
the flood tide OF Southern Europe in this
direction the American ports were over
run with the brown races OF Sicily and
the Italian peninsula, and some OF the
prophets began TO predict that the Amerl-
can people would be LatiniZed. But the
Italian immigration is already decreasing.
The report of the Bureau of Statistics
shows that the number of Italians arriv-
ing in this country during the nine
months ending with March was 80, l94,
while during the corresponding period OF
the year preceding it was 3S,025, and still
greater for the year before that. The
feature of the movement from Europe is
the enormous growth of the Russian i'm
migration. This is due to two causes,
the increasing discomfort throughout the
empire and the Jewish persecution, the
latter in particular being effective. AS a
source Of human supply Russia now
ranks next to Germany. During the last
nine months we received from that coun-
try 62,2l9 immigrants, which was more
than double the number for the equiva-
lent period preceding. a few years ago
the immigration from Russia was so
small that 1t was not worth mentioning.
But there is one country from which
the human stream Is not subject to spas
mOdic increases or decreases. On the
contrary, it flows steadily on with a grad
ually swelling volume, and the charac-
terlsticS of that land, next to those of
parent England, will always have the
greatest influence upon the United States.
The German nation has long furnished
us more immigrants than any other, and
even the great Russian squirt has not
csh To hn mr.
ment, which began half-century ago,
has been throughout that time unchecke ed,
and is now larger than ever before. Dur
ing nine months the total of arrivals
from the German Empire was rs, l2S, and
of the Germans from Austria 70, 497, this
being an increase Of about IL per cent. in
one year.
The immigration from England, Scot
land and Wales does not change much
from year to year, but remains close to
$4,000 annually. While in certain years
Russia, Italy and other countries may go
ahead, yet the island of Great Britain re-
mains, next to Germany, our chief source
Of human supply. Contrary to the gen
eral belief, the immigrants from Great
Britain are much more numerous than
| those from Ireland. There have been
periods when there was an enormous in
flux from Ireland, but for many years it
has averaged not more than $4,000 an
nuaIly. obviously the scandinavian
blood-and vigorous red blood it isis
destined to figure conspicuously in the
composition Of the American of the flu
ture.- The arrivals from Sweden, Nor
way and Denmark are next in import
ance to those from Great Britain and
Germany, and exceed by one-fourth those
from ireland. The Bohemian and Hun
garian Immigration is still large, but is
increasing very little, while that from
Poland has augmented considerably. On
the whole, after examining the figures
for many years, there is no reason to
change the opinion of earlier ipvesti-
gators that the American race will be es-
sentially composition of the Teutonic
peoples of Northern and Central Europe.
1t will be Anglo-German with a Celtic
dash, and it is too late for the Italian,
Hungarian or Polish bloods to have any
effect upon it.-Louisville Courier-J our
nal.