The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-01-17
IERISTICS OF IMMIGRANTS
From the North of Europe-F1fty
Thousand in Washington.

Thousand in Washington.
One of the most scholarly papers pre-
sented to the convention was the following,
by Frank Oleson, Of Seattle:
There is no set of facts more thoroughly
established by chronological research than
those which determine the characteristics
Of races by their geographical position.
Apart from those elements Of character
that are common to mankind in general, the
great stock Of primal human motives which
spring from the mere fact of our humanity,
there are variations of abilities and apti-
tudes which are unquestionably developed
from the variations of external conditions
that surround men and races. This is
matter Of such universal observation that
it has become proverbial in the everyday
thought Of the common people. For eX-
ample, savageS who live by hunting and
fishing, and who maintain life chiefly by
destroying other lives, are known to be
fiercer in instinct than those who live main
ly by cultivating the soil. Here the mere
variation in occupation determines in large
measure the variation in character, even
when all other external conditions are sub
Stantially equal. The characteristics OF
people who live in valleys will differ ma
terially from those who live in mountain
GUS regions There the formation of the
earth'S surface produced the variation.
Again, those who live in southern climates
will differ radically from those who live in
northern. In this case the effect is pro-
duced by the climate, and so on through
long list of conditions.
The most striking evidence that these
variations are due to external and local
circumstances is furnished by the we'll
known historical fact that all the Euro
pean races spring originally from the same
parent stock, the Aryans, inhabiting GEN.
trail Asia. They were, undoubtedly, homo
geneous in prehistoric times, before their
migration to Western Europe. All the vari-
atoms exhibited by the European races
have been developed since then, probably
in a period of five or six thousand years.
There is another fact in connection with
race distribution which is very significant.
The movement of immigration is on paral-
lels Of latitude. Northern races do not
settle much in southern climates, nor south
ern in northern chimes. This is undoubtedly
due to the principle of natural selection,
the adaptation of organisms to their envi-
ronment. The environment required by
southern races is different from that re-
quired by the northern. The working out
of this principle may be observed anywhere
that northern and southern races are
brought together on this continent.
There are certain industries in which
some people are pre-eminent. Their expe-
rience makes them proficient. 1t is the
capacity and desirability of the northern
immigrant to which desire more especial
ly to refer in this paper, and particularly to
the Scandinavian race as emnently de-
sirable settlers in such a state as Washing
| ton.
| The problem Of securing desirable immi-
grafton has, with all our Western states,
| become a matter Of business and rivalry,
| like everything else in our practical and
| sharply competitive age. Oregon and Cali
| fornia are both putting forth their most
! strenuous efforts to secure the westward
i,,,y,o nd will
essary for our convention to give its efforts
| the wisest direction possible, SO as not to
| get left behind in the race.
| 1t is a matter of necessity, from business
| point Of view, that we should secure at the
| earliest possible moment the largest pos
| sible inflow Of desirable immigration. 1t
is fact, and, though many think it should
| be carefully, hidden from view, I can see
! no good reason for Disgusting it either from
| ourselves or others, that throughout the
| state, and especially in the cities, we have
| during the five years since our admission
as a state contracted a public Indebtedness
| that imposes an unduly heavy interest on
| our present population and taxable prop
| erty. I say that it is unnecessary to dis
| guise this fact, because every dollar Of this
| debt has been incurred for improvements
| more extensive, more elaborate, than our
| present needs reQuire-improvements made
in anticipation of largely increased ra ito
immigration, when it does come, would
! require, and would be required to pay for,
| in any event; improvements that leave a
favorable first impression, add to material
and social comforts and security, and which
will extend their benefits to the immigrant
| for much smaller outlay Of money than
has been required Of the pioneers who were
| here when they were built.
| But the class of immigrants we require
to help us carry this interest burden and
| eventually help us make still other public
| improvements, must be wealth producers.
This is a vital point. None other will sat
isfy us. No other class will long feel sat
isfied with our state.
| A few years ago our state swarmed with
| spectators from every quarter of the
globe. Their chief industry was the plat
! ting of townsites. Those gentlemen were
| also very active in securing certain class
| of immigration. But for their purposes
there was only one class of desirable i'm
migration. The immigrant they wanted
to induce to come to Washington was the
man or woman who had a few hundred. or
few thousand, or a good many thousand
dollars to invest in town lots or acreage,
and who, in the slang phrase Of that day.
was styled Sucker" I think it will be
generally conceded now that neither that
class Of immigration nor the agencies that
brought them here were as profitable to
the state as they were represented to be:
it was too often the case that the so-called
sucker" lacked all capacity for work of
any kind Too often he only possessed the
few hundred or few thousand dollars that
he brought here and a sufficient stock of
gullibility to be taken in. The result fire.
Quently was that he was left stranded
shortly after his arrival, the broker went
to the East, and the lucky seller went to
Europe, and if either or both of the latter
returned they returned broke
If this picture be overdrawn and excen-
tional there are at least very great num-
| Der of actual cases that make a very close
approach to it. 1t is only repetition of the
common experience of the whole human
family, that suddenly acquired, unearned
wealth has tendency to dissipate rapidlv.
The chances are, believe, that the phvs-
ically sound man of 80 will attain the aee
of So years. Now, given man of 80. with
a few thousand dollars, but without anv
earning capacity, and he must of neces-
sity become a pauper inside of twenty
five years Given, on the other hand a
thrifty intelligent and capable working
man of 30, with a few hundred dollars. and
throw open to him the opportunities that
our state of Washington offers, and he will
inside of twenty-five years, barring acct
dents, have produced and laid by some
| thousand dollars. Such was in fact the
condition of the major part of the Scandi-
navian immigration that came to the
states of the old Northwest in the '4Os. '5Os
and early eos. At the present time. how
ever, the conditions are different. The last
twenty-five years have been years of pros
perity in the Scandinavian countries and
immigration statistics now give the Scan
dinavian immigrants a high rating with
respect to the amounts of money thew
bring into the country.
Recurring to the theory that fnmiyra
ton naturally follows lines of latitude. ]
| will state that ever since the early '40s the
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