Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-08

that this is not so, is the fact that at
the present day, after all these years of
unrestricted immigration, the wages
of the working-man in this country are
higher, and the hours of daily labor
shorter than ever before. 1t needs
only a superficial acquaintance with
the nature of wages to know that they
do not decrease as the population in
creases. England has greater
number of inhabitants per square
mile than Germany, and yet wages
are higher in England than in Ger
many; and the same relation again
exists between Germany and Russia.
1t is principally the skill and product
iveness of the labor that determine the
rate of wages.
AS long as there is room in this
country for both skilled and unskilled
labor, we should welcome every man
willing to work, and there is and will
be room as long as the country is not
fully developed or its possibilities ex-
hausted. Happily that day is, as yet,
lost in the distant future. The United
States can accommodate hundreds of
millions of inhabitants without being
overcrowded. One of the most pros
porous countries in Europe is Belgium
with the population of about $50
inhabitants to the square mile. At
the same ratio, the United States,
with its territory of $685. 800 square
miles, could support the stupendous
aggregate of over 1900 million people.
IMMIGRANTS ARE WEALTH
PRODUCERS.
The annual increase of our pop
ulation by immigration is about half
million people, and this means a
great increase to our national wealth.
Their working power alone represents
an enormous figure, but besides, they
all bring little money with them, a
fair average being $40 per head. At
that rate they bring annually 1000,
600 into the country When here they
must live in houses, which must be
built and furnished, thus giving en-
ployment to large number of other
people, and if the housing of them
requires only $15 head per annum,
it would mean an outlay of 81 SOC, 900;
they must buy clothes, and millions of
dollars are spent on that; they travel
and increase the earnings Of our rail-
roads; and if they spend only 20 cents a
head per day for that, it means an
increase of our home market for food
products by oversee, 600, 900 per aunum.
If there are disadvantages connected
with immigration, they are due to
nothing else but the readiness with
which the rights and duties of Ameri-
can citizenship are placed within reach
of the immigrant, perhaps before he is
able to correctly interpret them. Bat
the remedy lies in our own hands.
1t would not be difficult to change the
naturalization laws, so as to make it
reasonably certain that when the
privileges of citizenship are conferred,
! they are properly valued and un der
stood.
AGENTS DO NOT STIMULATE IMMIGRA-
| TION.
There are other charges brought for
ward in connection with the immigra-
tion question. It is asserted that
immigration is artidcially stimulated
by the Steamship Agents in Europe,
and that the European countries send
us their superfiuous population. Botf
assertions have no foundation in fact
AS vet the different governments o.
Europe do not think that they have
any surplus population, and strive by
the strictest laws to make immigration
as difficult for their subjects as poss
ible. Steamship agents are allowed tt
act only within narrow range pre-
scribed by minute police regulations
They must be residents of the distric
in which they co business, and citizens
of that country; they must obtain
license, and for that purpose deposit
large sum lin Germany, 10000 marks
with the police authorities. 1t is with
al difficult to obtain such license
Even slight infractions of the polic
regulations and the emigration law
are at once punished by fines deducted
from the deposit which must alway
be kept intact,
No steamship line Tor its agents) i
permitted to circulate information
about foreign countries which may b
construed as melting to emigration
Even simple comparison, for instance
between Germany and the United
States, showing the advantages of tn
latter, is considered as belonging t
this interdicted class of literature
Under these circumstances, the lot O
steamship agent in Europe is not
happy one, and his influence in pro
: noting emigration so circumscribed a
to practically amount to nothing.
1t is further commended that EuroI
can countries make a practice Q
I sending their criminals and pauper
. to the United States. This is flatl