Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-02-06

the foreign born citizens, or those of for
eign parentage furnish more penitentiary
convicts than are supplied by the entire
native born population, which, of course,
greatly outnumbers the population of for
eign birth. In the immigration of late
years we note also the appearance of Sc
cret societies dangerous to law and or
der and hostile to every theory of Ameri-
can institutions.
According to statistics in 1850 the for
eign born element constituted one-sev-
enth Of this country's population and one
third of its paupers. The census of 1890
showed that people of foreign birth made
up 80 per cent of the total white popula.
ton. This one-third Of the population
furnished one-half of the criminals, two
thirds Of the inmates of reformatories
and two-thirds of the paupers in aims
houses.
Later statistics show that in every 100
foreigners over 16 years of age who came
to the United States between March and
November, 1892, the iliterates were d.
vided -as follows: Italy, GO; Poland, So;
Hungary, %; Russia, proper, 20; England.
10; Ireland, s; Wales, g; Germany, .;
Scandinavian countries and Denmark,
less than 1. OF the 40. 1893 foreigners
who came to this country in the year end
ed June 80, 1893 51.S97 over 10 years
of age could not read, 59.5S2 could not
write, and 81 OPS could do neither. Sen
ator Lodge pointed to these figures to
show that if an educational test had been
applied during that year. the large mum
Der Of the least desirable foreigners would
have been excluded from the country.
The more any thoughtful man exam
ines the statistics relating to this ques.
ton, he continued. the more he must be
alarmed at what it shows. The disease
In my opinion, cannot be treated by gen
tie palliatives. 1t will require sharp
remedies, and the longer a cure is post
poncd the more heroic the remedies will
have to be. l believe we need intelligent
and discriminating restriction. We must
sift the chaff from the wheat Immi-
grants should know how to read and write
their own language before they are allow
ed TO enter the United States. This is a
fair test, based upon intelligence and
not upon money.
Going back rapidly over the history of
immigration, Senator Lodge said that be-
fore 1920 no record was kept, but that
probably 100000 immigrants came to the
United States between the close of the
revolution and that time. From 1920 to
1890, inclusive, the number of immigrants
reached JIG, COG. The majority of
these came from Great Britain, Ireland,
Germany and the Scandinavian countries.
The quality of immigrants was high until
the last few years.
In the fiscal year ended June 80, 1890.
Az, 1902 immigrants came to the United
States; in the next fiscal year. 560,319;
In the next, $40, 663, and in the fiscal year
ended in 1893 the number was 440, 793.
There was a decrease in the latter year
because quarantine regulations during
the winter of 1S93-04 practically stopped
immigration.
The majority of undesirable immigrants
were divided for the four years in nation
alities as follows: Austria Hungary, &C.
100 in 1890, 71,O42 in 1891, 1881 in
1892, 81, 400 in 1893: Russia and Poland.
48,671 in 1890. 74,923 in 1891, 122. O47 in
1892, ,6Si in 1893; Italy, 52,0O3 In 1890
76.O55 in 1891, III ,631 in 1892, 72,145 in
1893.
We have now before us race problems
which are sufficient to tax to the utmost
the fortunate conditions with which pa
ture has blessed us and the highest wis
dom of which our public men are capable.
do not, for one, desire to see these race
problems multiplied or complicated. do
not want to see the quality of American
citizenship decline beneath the effects of
an unrestricted immigration and / am
utterly opposed to a system which Is con-
/ tinuously dragging down the wages Of
American labor by the introduction or the
importation of the cheapest, lowest and
most ignorant labor of other countries.
4 A short time ago n committee examined
six ship loads of immigrants from Bre-
men, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Southampton
and Liverpool and of 1000 who were over
16 years of age 331 were illiterate. What
becomes of such illiterates Is answered
by Carroll ID. Wright, who says that n
per cent of the population of the slums
Of Baltimore, 90 per cent Of the slum pop
ulation of Chicago, % per cent Of the
slum population Of New York and 81 per
cent Of the slum population of Philndel-