Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-29
HEAVY IMMIGRATION.
Indications Point to a More Equable
Distribution of Population over the
Earths Surface.

The heavy immigration into the south
ern states is in obedience to natural
laws, whose immediate force and influ-
ence are all the more potent by reason
of conditions created by chance popula-
ton movements heretofore. That is to
say, the tide of emigration from the older
settled parts of the world has, for many
years past flowed along the lines of lat
itude-or approximately so in following
isothermal lines-and has been mainly
directed to the grain regions of the north
and south temperate zones. The hard
ships of life in north Europe, increasing
with the increasing density of popula-
ton, has been the impelling cause of the
outgoing, and the desire to settle in coun-
tries whose climate and products should
not be dissimilar to those with which the
emigrants were familiar, controlled the
course and fixed the destination OF the
movement. Hence whether in North or
South America, in Oceanica or Africa,
population development has, on the
whole, made the greatest strides IN the
small grain regions
In the United States, the tendency re-
ferred to has been accentuated by the
course of the Pacific and other railroads
in systematically advertising and boom
ing the country in which they held
enormous land grants. The Dakotas al
ford a striking illustration in point,
showing how population can be lured
into new territory by sheer dint OF ad-
vertising.
But the causes which supported, and
the extraordinary conditions which con-
tributed to this flow of people along lines
of latitude have, in large degree, lost
their efficiency. The indications all point
more or less clearly to the beginning OF
movements having, unconsciousiy, as
their object, a more equable and scien-
tific distribution of population over the
earth's surface. This is certainly the
conclusion to be drawn so far as the
United States, as field of observation,
may determine it,
The newer grain sections now present
abundant evidence of undue and dispro-
portionate agricultural development, as
compared with SUMMER ATTITUDES. Com
petition with the products of Australia
Argentine and Russia, in neutral mar
kets. has brought the farmer face to face
with partial or complete bankruptcy.
His burdens would be great enough under
a warmer sky; in his present home, with
the cost of mere existence what II IS, IL Is
not an exaggeration to say that they are
little less than back and heart breaking.
Heavy clothes, food. feed and fires for SIX
or eight months Of the year are heavy
tax on the earnings of a short season or
field work.
In such circumstances it is only natur-
al that his attention should be directed TO
the southern states as better Held Tor
his energies.
In the south he finds % that sun and
soil combine to produce an almost end
less variety of food and other products,
both In early and late season, and that
in but one of these (cotton) is overproduc-
ton seriously threatened; (2) that the
cost of mere existence is comparatively
light; 90 that business, society, the public
school system, and all other essential
factors OF civiliza tion have been long es-
Ia blished; az that he is nearer the sea
and most of the leading markets at home
and abroad; and 90 that It Is section OF
the country undergoing rapid Industrial
advancement and where land and proper
ty value are steadily approaching.