The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-16
HWARMING OF RACES
How the Hordes From Europe
Are Overrunning America.
STOCKING TO THE BIG CITIES.
Dnly scandinavians Prefer Rural Life
The Brains and Wealth Remain
With the Natives.
Copyrighted. 1892, by Henry Gannett

Copyrighted, 1892. by Henry Gannett
WAsHIseToR CRY, Jan. Especial Cor
,espos aence. Half century ago ours
\ vas an American nation. The stream of
immigration from Europe had for two
and half centuries flowed so slowly that
/ II had been taken up and assimilated into
our community completely. Foreigners
found themselves in such a minority that
they hsd no choice but to Amercanize
themselves as quickly and as thoroughly
as possible. As late as 1s45 there was very
! little foreign blood, and no foreign lam
guage or ideas in the country. Then came
The deluge. In less than half a century
nearly l5,50o,0O0 immigrants have been
poured upon US from Europe-a migration
Of civilized people without a parallel in
history.
In the ten years between 1920 and $780,
only $4,000 immigrants entered the
country and in the next decade. 1880 to
1910, the number increased to nearly 60o.-
60 In the decade following it leaped to
loo. 900, most of which arrived during the
last two or three years preceding 1850.
Between 1850 and 1860 it rose to 200, 900.
During the next. the civil war decade, it
vas reduced slightly. being about $780,
0o0 but from 1870 to 1880. in spite of the
business depression at that time, the num-
Der rose TO the highest point yet reached.
viz: 2, 5000 900. But during the last decade.
from 1850 TO 1890, the number was far
beyond anything heard of before. In
this ten years no fewer than 5,247, 900
immigrants arrived in our ports, one i'm
migrant to every ten inhabitants. With
such Hood from al! nations of Europe
pouring in on us. these questions NAV
well press upon Us for n solution:
OF what natlonalities is this immigra-
sion2
What is its status of morals and educa-
ton 2
What is to be its influence upon Ameri-
can citizenship upon business and social
life?
Can the American nucleus of the popu
lation assimlate this enormous BODY of
mixed nationaIities to its own ideas and
social conditions?
A series OF famines in Ireland started
migration of the people Of that unhappy
island, which In fifty years has reduced its
population from S, i97. 900 in ls4i to ,033. =
1031n lS9l-a reduction OF 400. 900, or so
per cent. OF this enormous number, 81
$4,000, or seven-eighths, have found homes
In this country.
Between 1910 and 1850 900. 900 Irishmen
abandoned their poverty stricken homes
In Green Erin and came to America. In
succeeding decades the number has been
less. but has averaged more than SOC. 600
per decade.
The English. Scotch and Welsh have
collectively formed an important element
OF the immigration, their numbers hav-
\ ing gradually increased. During the early
years OF the Irish immigration they were
largely outnumbered by the immigrants
from Erin, while In the past two decades
they have been in the majority. The
total i'm migration from Great Britain, ex-
cepting ireland, numbers over ,, SOC, 900.
| Immigration of Germans in large num-
hers commenced almost as early as the
Irish immigration, under the stimulus,
probably, of political troubles. Up To 1870
y was not as active as that of the Irish
but between 1850 and 1850 il exceeded il
slightly, and since then has greatly ex-
ceeded 1t. In the last decade the number
OF German immigrants has been more than
double that of the Irish reaching a total
Of nearly 100000. The entire number of
Immigrants from the German states ex-
eecds 1850. 000
Until recent years these countries fur
nished the great body of the immigration.
Between 1910 and 1850 they furnished
teven-eighths, between 1850 and 1860 nine
tenths. and between 1860 and 1870 nearly
eeyen-eghths OF all the Immigration.
About 1873 other natIonalities began TO
assume prominence. OF the grafton
between 1870 ara 1850 the proportion of
The British ana German elements declined
TO less than twO-thirds, and between 1SS0
and 1870 was but little more than one-half
Of the entire immigration. This change
In nationality is still more strongly en-
phaslzed in the figures of immigration OF
JsJl. la that year British and Germans
constituted but little more than third of
Oil immigrants
The countries from which these new re-
sruits are mainly obtained are Norway and
eweden, Italy, Russia, Austria hungary
ami Canada
From Norway and Sweden we had re-
ceiyed, prior to 1860, only ABOUT 50. 900 i'm
migrants. Between lsti0 and 1870 llS,Oo0
game. This number was nearly doubled
IN the succeed NJ decade, while between
1851 ana 1890 56S, 900 came In, or more than
IN the sixty years preceding Italian i'm
migration was of small dimensions prior
20 1871, the whole number being less than
ND'un, but during the decade just past
this element increased by leap 10 more
than oo0.ooo. The Russian contingent. in
9ind ng the Poles. has like history.
frlor TO 1850 only about 60 200 had Joined
US out during the period between 1850 and
le5o this number was increased by 10000.
60 II was also with the natives OF Austria
hungary, including the Hungarians and
bohemians. Since 1880 their number has
increased from 90, 900 10 4i0. o1o.
The Canadian i'm migration commenced
earlier. By 1880 more than TOO 900 had ar
rived. Between 1856 aad 1870 the number
was ls5 00, and between 1870 and 1880
$4,000. while the figures Tor the first five
Years of the decade 1850 10 1890 show that
In all probability the number of Canadian
immigrants IN that decade reached three
iour,hs of q million. Unfortunately no
Statistics of the last five years O. the de-
eaae were obtained.
lie following table summarizes these
figures: