St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1894-04-12
"DECREA SING IMMIGRAT ION.U

under the above caption in your
issue of April 5th says, "This coun-
try may well congra tulate itself on
the fact that the present year bids
fair to be the poorest in immigra-
ton since 1856" and then goes on
to quote some reasons from DIR.
Joseph H. Senner, U. S. Commission
er of immigration, for this state of
affairs, which are no doubt correct.
One of the causes mentioned is the
restrictive legislation enacted by
congress in March, 1898, which in
so far as it has had the effect of
keeping out paupers, convicts, idiots
and other undesirable individuals is
certainly a legitimate ground for
common congratulation to all pa
triotic citizens. The other reason as
quoted from the same authority,
| and which l doubt not has had
powerful effect in reducing the num-
| Der of the better class of immigrants,
is the tales of woe sent across the
Atlantic by foreign-born residents on
this side, instead of the glowing let
tiers of the former years, and the
large number of would-be Americans
returning Disguised to Europe with
further tales of woe to emphasize
and confirm those sent by mail; and
in this reason, | fail to find any
good cause for congratula ton, but
rather the reverse. If we reflect a
little on the causes that have called
out those tales of Woe" it seems to
me that it would be just as consist
ent for man who had lost all his
property by fire or some other ca
lamity to congratulate himself on
the fact that he stood in no danger of
being robbed, as for any loyal
American citizen to consider it
ground for congratula ton that this
country was in such condition
that nobody wanted to come here,
Far better would it be, in my humble
opinion, if the state of the country |
was such as to present the strongest |
inducements to all men and women |
of whatever nationality, who are
able and willing to labor in all |
branches of business, to come here |
and establish homes for themselves, |
and so help to fill this broad land |
with ga bold peasantry their coun-
try's PRIDE" which is the true back
bone of any nation.
The good people of New England |
ought to be the last to join in any
indiscriminate "hue and cry"
orr ~.
sons and grandsons of our sturdy
Vermont pioneers denouncing immi-
grafton, and declaiming against for
eigners, and congratulating them
selves because the tide of immigra-
ton seems to be temporarily checked
by the present hard times, does
sound, to say the least, highly ride
ulous and inconsistent. The over
whelming contrast forced upon the
mind of any intelligent observer be-
tween the present typical New Eng
land landscape, variega ted by we'll
cultivated fields, and dotted over
with cosy homesteads and nesting
villages; the hum of the busy mill
wheel, the whistle of the rushing To-
connective, the flash of the electric
light, betoke1ing the van of progress
and civilization-the contrast be-
tween all this and the state of things
that prevailed before the advent of
the foreigner, surely must be conclu-
sive evidence that immigra ton has
not been an unmitigated evil in New
England at least.
am afraid that the enforced idle
ness of the past four or FIVE months
will afford but very slim grounds for
congratulation to the thousands of
workingmen anxious to work but
unable to find anything TODD. Hav-
ing been a resident of New England
for nearly twenty years, and citi-
zen for more than half of that time,
/ have observed that in the years
when immigra tiou was most active.
all kinds of work for the toiling
masses was plentiful, and every one
who wished to labor in any of the
lines of honest industry could find
remunerative employment, while on
the contrary those periods when the
volume of immigration was smallest
were also periods which were char
acterized by distress and hard times
for the working classes
Wise legislatio of a restrictive and
discriminating nature is necessary,
and can only have a salutary effect,
and the pity is that it has been so
long delayed
But the other cause just mention
ed which keeps out the better class
of immigrants, instead of being