The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-07-13

" CeHsuS anu uuuer tnc tltle, ''SCdt1sllcdi la
j. for the Study of the Assimilation of Rae
l. and Nationalities in the United States" Il
~ finds that the foreign element, including
y this term both the foreign-born and those
u fOreign-bOrn parentage, constitutes about ON
0 third of our population. Or in other word
Z of the 81, 1922 ,26O inhabitants of the country
shown by the last census, 12 per cent.
round numbers were colored, 10 per cen
{ were white but of foreign birth, Is per cen
were American born, but of foreign parent
age, and 30 per cent. were white native Dor
of native parents. The proportion agains
the native stock is not so much greater tina
in previous generations as would be suppose
by the superficial observer.
, But it is in the analysis by states that Prof
MayO-Smiths figures are most suggestive. Ii
two New England states, for example, he find
81 per cent. of the population of Massachusetts
and only % per cent of that of Maine is for
eign-born or of foreign parentage. Maine
therefore, would have to be called more thai
twice as much pure American state as Mas
sachusetts and if the forebodngs of some o.
our good people about the evil of the ''foreigr
element" are Justified it ousht in its laws ant
institutions, the life and character of its peo
pie, to make much the better showing of the
two states. But does it!
But single comparisons like this are moi
sufficient for safe conclusions, because of other
elements that may enter into the problem,
like Names demoralizing liquor law, the
greater proportion of urban population in
Massachusetts and the potent influence of
state traditions. But where, out of
one hundred voters, Maine has 10
Foreigners of voting age, Vermont has 49,.
Both the states have suffered for practically
the same time from an unwise handling of the
liquor problem, and the populations of the
two states are very similarly divided as be-
tween city and country. But in Vermont the
criminal statistics, the average of prosperity
among the people, the character of govern
ment, state and local, and the plane of poll
tics, all the evidences of moral health, appear
the better OF the two, and they at least prove
that the life of the state has not been lowered
by its larger "foreign" infusion.
In still wider range it is found that for
each hundred of males of voting age, Illinois
has 36, Michigan 40, Wisconsin 80, Minnesota
80, Kansas 10, Missouri II and Indiana -.
OF the older states of the Northwest there
fore Indiana is the ''purest American" But
is there any respect, as regards its people,
their sobriety, intelligence, good citizenship,
in which it can be classed as superior to those
states that are more than half "foreign"' We
all %1,,t = i ,t,+n -,
union as regards vote buying and selling,
which is perhaps as good test of public vir-
tue as there is. This may be said to be due
to the fact that it has so long been close fight
ing ground between the two parties, as Con-
necti cut and New York have been. But the
evil has had less spread in the two latter
states where the proportion of foreigners" is
much larger. Again New Hamp-
shire, another state of comparatively |
.'pure American stock, has reached II degree
of debasement in this respect close to that OF
the worst of the others, though very seldom
classed as a ''doubtful" state in the past 20 |
years. 1t is at least true that immigration is
not promoter of corruption at the fountain
Of political life. Generally speaking, the inn
migrant, if intelligent enough to compre-
bend it at all, appreciates too highly the
light of suffrage, realizes too profoundly
he duty it involves, to allow it to be bought
n ''blocks of fire" or any other way. But in
,ther respects the comparison is not to the
of the populations of foreign
birth or descent. The Populists who could
make no impression on Wisconsin and had
much briefer strength in Minnesota, still are a
arge factor in Kansas politics. In fact of all
he northwest, Wisconsin with next to the
argest "foreign" population has always stood
he firmest against financial heresies,
indeed it cannot be claimed that there
$ any higher grade of intelligence, public
pirit or material prosperity in Indianna.and
Iissouri, the two states in the group show
Wisconsin and Minnesota. Rather the con-
rary of the two.
As whole, therefore, the census does not I
i've evidence that the ''foreign' population is
njuriously affecting the welfare of the coun-
ry. But there is a branch of the subject into 5
Which Prof Mayo-Smth does not enter, that
night be proftably pursued and in which
round might be found for the notions ;
hat are prevalent on the subject. The
eneral idea is that the immigration of the last =
ew years, of French Canadians, Italians, 1
laws, Poles and Hungarians, is of a much !
Torse character than that which formerly h
anne to us. To be sure this is just what they o
ere saying few years ago about the Irish, n
lie German and the Scandinavian immigra- :,
on, which they are now disposed to regard /,
all right. Still there is no installing the G
ct, which has had so melancholy proof at y y
hicago in the Anarchist uprising and again 7
the recent strike, where nearly every fatal N
Y and arrest has been that of man with an c.
1pronounceable foreign name, that big, bad -
ement from foreign shores has got amongst
!. But is it matter of race or of individ-
Ills! The. Hungarians for instance in some q
lrts of the west are regarded as model citi- ~ =,
ms, intelligent, industrious and law-abid- G,
g. Historically, both they and the Poles in ST
cir own countries have been people that we -;
I'VE been accustomed to admire. and the al
me is true of the Italians. We do not be- :,
we that close and exhaustive study of the CT
cts of crime and pauperism, and anarchism r. r.
far as 1t can be made,w0uld show anything OF
the discredit of these races as races, but it rpe
Duld show instead that our carelessness eS
d lack of proper inspection system has
mitted lot of criminals and leaders of M
me east off from Europe by the social up sa
avals of recent years, and that large and br
ngerous element of this kind has been REIN W
reed with the worst of material gathered i'm tn,
? slIms of European cities by the agents of an
amship lines and Immigrant railroads, and tiv