The herald., 1897-08-31
THE IMMIGRATION QUESTION


ernment indicates that immigration *
this country is at very low ebb This
is gratifying news to all true American
citizens. And yet some of the reasons
for this falling off furnish cause for re-
gret. No doubt the tide of emigration
from Europe has been largely diverted
from the United States to South America
to Africa and to other parts of the world.
But there is also no doubt that the hard
times prevailing in the United States for
twenty years and growing harder from
year to year, have been sorrowful rea-
son for fewer peoples seeking our shores
for the purpose of bettering their condi-
ton.
The lessening volume of immigration
to this country will be learned OF with
gladness, because there is no longer
room in this country for these streams Of
bread-seekers. There are not proper
means of livelihood for the great army
of wage-earners already here, and this
deficiency of opportunities to make a
good living will be more marked from
year to year.
When the next census is taken our
population will be S0,O00,000 Men are
living and are not yet very old, who re-
member when Illinois contained only a
few hundred thousand people; Wiscon-
sin less; Minnesota still fewer; Nebras-
ka hardly any, and only stragglers in
all the country west of the Missouri ex-
cept along the Pacific coast. Those states
in the Mississippi valley are now great
commemorative whose population runs
into millions each.
A generation ago congested certers
OF population found relief by the re-
moval of the young and venturesome to
western wilds where fortunes were cas-
lily made. Lands were cheap and little
money secured farm.
This outlet is now closed. The lands
are all taken up excepting in the arid
belt, where capital is needed to develop
water. Farm lands now cost $50 per
acre and upward, and to buy 100 acres
with buildings on costs $4,000 and up
ward. There is no poor mans paradise
in that proposition The cong gested CEN
ters must not only remain congested, but
they must steadily become more so. In
times of industrial depression there are
armies of idle people not only without
;,,
stitutions and the best government un-
der the sun count for little where hun
ger gnaws at the vitals of thousands
Hunger and cold are as hard to bear un-
der a republic as under despotism, and
hungry mobs are even more dangerous
to US than to Russia.
Then there Is to consider the general
class of immigrants we get now as COM
pared with those who came thirty to
fifty years ago. The British isles, Ger
many, Holland, Scandinavia, with sprink,
lings from France and other countries
then furnished us with an intelligent, in
dustrious, law-respecting and provident
class of people. Most of them came here
with a greater or less amount of money
and instead of the whole host swarmina
into the eastern cities to seek work by
the day or week, thousands of them
sought the west to take up farms ana
help subdue the wilderness.
This is all changed. The despotisms OF
the old world are pouring upon ou,
shores a horde of their ignorant, i'm
moral, vicious paupers, who come with.
out copper in their pockets, but with
minds and hearts surcharged with poi
sonous antagonism to all forms of gov.
ernment All they know of law is as
some instrument Of oppression All the
contact they have had with government
is in some form of penalty for wrong
| doing. Whether it is czar or a presf-
dent, king or governor, the ukase Of
tyrant or just law passed by the peo-
pie through their representatives, it i:
| equally Objectionable to these fellows.
We have no more use for continued
influx of such people; we have no moro
| room for them. They are a menace tc
the peace of any city they crowd into
| With opportunity to become prosper.
Gus and so have a stake in a stable gov.
ernment, we might in time assimilatt
even this type of humanity, for human.
| ity is nearly always susceptible o.
reformation and improvement. But Il
| fI,ox- 70 !,
poverty. their vices will cling to then
and their objection to law and order vii
not pass away. We should exclude then
| from the country 1t is time to tighter
the lines on immigration.
THE MUNICIPAL APPROPRI
| ATIONS