The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-19
THE IRISH IN AMERICA.
England Quoting statistics to Rrassure
Herself.

England Quoting statistics to Kfassure
Herself.
The question as to what may be
about the real number of Irish in Am
erica, which has of late been brought
before the public in various nationalist
speeches, articles AMI letters has again
come up in the house of commons, says
the st. James Gazette. AS it seems
equally desirable that Irishmen should
cease to overestimate the amount of
support likely to be at their disposal
across the Atlantic in certain event.
ualities to which they look forward,
and that Englishmen should know as
accurately as possible the strength of
the elements which go form public
opinion in America, it may be worth
while to set forth the real state of the
case as far as it can be ascertained
from the only authoritative source-the
returns of the United States census for
1890.
If we turn to page 164 of the huge
volume, we shall lat once light upon the
most direct information as to what we
are in search Of. A table is there print
ed showing how many of the popula-
ton were of foreign birth; among the
latter being included all who had one
parent native-a class forming a not
dissimilar proportion among the va
rious nationalities. The total number
643. OF these, 9,015, 675 were of foreign
birth and II, 500, 675 of foreign parentage.
Now il is believed, after all the boast
ing we have heard about the 100000
Irish, that the actual number of Irish
is only 491S,23s. 1t may possibly be
said that this cannot be the true num-
Der, as immigration from Ireland has
been going on so long that there must
be large numbers not included under
the foregoing headings. But the Irish
immigration prior to the great famine
was not large. Between 1920 and 1880
1t amounted to only 50,724, and in the
following decade to 1881. So that II
we make every allowance for those
whose grandparents or remoter ances-
cestors were of Irish origin, and who
therefore do not appear in the census
as Irish, we need hardly add, at the
outside, more than 100000 to the total
already given, which would thus be
raised to 100000. But from these must
be deducted the Irish Professionals who,
in the present century at least, cam
not be reckoned with the others politi-
cally, and they hardly number less than
500, 900. Thus the total Catholic Irish
element in the states cannot exceed
$500 600. In further confirmation of
this estimate may be quoted state
ment, made not very long since in an
Irish-American newspaper, that the to-
tai Catholic population in the United
States is about 100000 900. But these TO-
600 900 are largely made up of immi-
grants from the Catholic countries OF
Europe and from French Canada and
Mexico-the actual figures are given in
the census-and these, in addition to
a proposition of the Germans, which
can hardly be less than 2,500,000, must
number some 1000, 900; thus leaving the
Irish 5000, 900, which does differ greatly
from the estimate already arrived at.
1t may be added that the English i'm
migration to the states has been great
ly on the increase since 1870, and the
explanation as the exaggerated num-
bers of the Irish is due to their being
principally massed in the great cities
of the northeast and the neighboring
middle states.