The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-11-24
WHY ALIENS COME
TO OUR SHORES
By Edward Z. insolvency, U. S. Immi
NJ grafton Commissioner.
MRS. V. A. FARRON.

By Edward +. McSWeeney, u. s. lnili-
m grafton Commissioner.
Because the United States presents
greater opportunities just now than any
other country in the world to those who
are ambitious of be,tering Their condition
we are confronted VITA the problem OF
what to do with, and how to care for,
the immense number OF aliens who are
coming 10 New York from ali parts OF
The world. And it will be a dark day m
deed in our nations history when the in
flow of immigration will decrease OF lis
own volition because il Will mean that,
as a country, we no longer stand higher
and pre- nt superior advantages to every
other country.
Our problem is to make q homoSen-
eous people out of d Heterogeneous IN
huX Loosely drawn statutes, conflicting
court decisions and other dscouraging OBJ
stacles all tend TO make the WeednS-out
process difficult
A study Of the INN grafton record since
1920 shows that the number of alien ar
rivals is an infallible industrial barometer.
The banner year of imlnigrat-o was lsSs
when S00,0o9 aliens came hithef VI tnsse
over 50 per cent. were from the British
Ennire, Germany and the SCANDINAVIAN
colIntries-Sweden, Denmark and Norway.
I PISS than 20 per cent. were from Euss-a
Austria Hungary, Italy and all other coun-
tries
The immigration OF the year l%" Is eA-
actly reversed The countries OF North
ern Fu~ona now send about 20 per cent.
wnfla southern and Eastern Europe send
x ort of every 100 newcomers. FROM
Its1v during the present fiscal year. we
,, viii receive 10000 souls, of whom SIX
sevepths are from Southern Italy. ana
from Austria-Hungary almost as many
more. r,,,.o-
cav in7mlgration was Paris. Berlin or
Antr.erD It has now been moved 10
Vienna or Budapest The southwestern
nart of Russia and northeastern Austria
HIN eary-or what was practicaaiy oio
poland-is sending us a large proportion ot
this immigration. From Southern Austria
we have the krainers, Croats, StaVohiaha
and Dalnutians Herzegovina, Montenegro
and seryia are also beginning to make
Their influence felt. In fact, the whole ter
,itory of the Balkan States will PROBABLY
join in the movement that mas starteu
Immediately north of them
From Russia during he past few years
come many Germans VINO, although their
forefathers tave lived in Russia Tor Ia
wears, stu preserve the German tain ana
traditions and strength, nnd now because
of the aggressive spirit of the church mill
tant in Russia they are seeking new fields
in America They settle for the most part
in towns hips in the northwest and make
good citizens.
For the same reason the Finnish i'm
migration has increased this yeGr to al
most treble its. former numbers and may
be expected to continue for some time.
From th, Orient the Syrians, whose rep
resentatives as peddiers of notions are
familiar to almost every housewife in the
East: the Greeks, who IRE monopoiizins
the oush-eart. flower and other lines of
Industry; Armentans, Who have gene into
certain ca!liuSs, such as wire-makinss,
shoe and cotton industries in Massachu-
setts-au are rapidly increasing n num-
bers.
We know that the alien German, Swed-
ish and Irish Immigrants Of the Sos and
'7os came to the United States because
they thought it was a better country than
the land in which they lived. That they
have improved themselves and the land
to which they came is obvious. Having.
accepted nll the burdens of citizenship i'll
peace and war, they are entitled to its
rewards.
There is. however. a fear t:iat some of
the immigration wl:ch IS coming to the
United States now is not the result OF
spontaneous desire on the part OF the
alien. but >of the speculative enterprises
OF Others who desire to traffic ii the labor.
OF INN grants and profit from the price
of their passage. Forced, specuta tive inn-
migration cannot be CT any advantage TO
the country.
NY belief IS that any alien who comes
to this country with the desire TO enter
our national life, TO become q citizen and
to remain here prenanenty-to such an
niiens there is no object.on. md there need
be little fear from the economical stand