Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-10-25
Inmiaration's hiah Tide.

bered 1892 From that figure il fel
off in the succeeding years, and 50
quieted public apprehension by sug.
costing that perhaps the great immi.
grafton movement was passing over
In 1895 immigration had fallen off Il
25s,000, and in 1898 to $4,000, but il
has since then been rapidly growing
until in the fiscal year under review
the total alien immigration amounted
to 730.19S, an increase of $3.50 over
the preceding year. This included, OF
course. the cabin aliens, numbering in
all s2.e55. who are not as n rule i'm
niv.ants ~ t',o oc.- mon aocc, tation
OF he =, y.
1t is Wo.th VII. ana: 1.nt t.i.a
great body of foreigners who come 10
us, and see who and what they are.
and to bring ourselves To an appre-
citation of the dangers which they
bring with them. The Washington
correspondent of the New York Post
takes the dry figures of the immigra-
ton bureau and finds in them many
suggestive facts and interesting COM
PARSONS. lie shows. for instance, that
during the year more Italians arrived
in the United States as immigrants
as many as live in Rome. If the Itai-
ian immigrants of this single year had
plains. now uninhabited, they would
have made there u city larger than
Providence or St Paul. The Austro-
Hungarians We're within Il few thou
sands of being as many. The Russian
empire, which stands third in the size
of its contribution to our population,
sent here in the last fiscal year the
same number of persons approximate
~ as live in a city like Syracuse or
New Haven or Fail River. Here, then
are three European stocks which are
pouring into the United States at the
present rate a population each year
not much less than that of Baltimore
or st. Louis. II is easy to see that
such a condition presents grave prob
lens. The recent anthracite coal
strike has given the country a notion
of the crudeness of the racial elements
which are now filling the land. whiIa
the interviews of n Devery or n Dry
Dollar" Sullivan presents a picture Of
the statesman whom the sections in
which the immigrant population is
overwhelming select to represent
them.
The falling off in the arrivals from
western Europe. relatively, at least.
continues notable. Ireland showed an
actual decrease over the preceding
year of /. iOS; and in it's total immigra-
ton of 21,13s. there We're 1000 more
women than men, although among
every other race the preponderance
was on the other side. In some cases.
1t is startlingly so. Among Croatians
and Slovenians. the male immigrants
exceed the female ninefold Among
the Greeks there were 1854 male and
POI female immigrants. In fact. the
poorer the people are the smaller the
extent to which they come in families.
Among the fairly well-to-do people of
al ;sH
mans. and Scandinavians, there are
nearly as many women as men. but
not so with the Slovaks. the Magyars.
the Rummauans. the Russniaks, the
Bulgarians, or the Montenegrins. OF
the total of immigrants. 20 per cent.
are male. This accounts for the SEEM
ing paradox in our census returns
when they show more married men
than married women; it seems as If
there would be an equal number OF
each.
In view of the tendency in Congress
so-callcd educational test as a means
of restriction. il is interesting to note
that only l6s.lsS of last years immi-
grants were unable TO read or write
in some language. and from these fig
ures large deductions would have I,
be made on account of the children
under fifteen years Of age, and the
people over fifty. to whom il is no
proposed to apply that test. 1t is fail
to assume that of the 64S.0o0 immi
grants the educational test in TIL
form in which it is now awaiting TIL
action of the Senate would not hav
excluded more than 10 per cent. Hoy
much this proportion might be still
further reduced by coaching il
preparation for the test is anothe
consideration. II is plain that if TIL
United States Government really de
sires to enter upon a policy of exciu
sion it will have to take some NOR
radical step than merely debarrin
those persons between the ages Of tif
:. teen and fifty who cannot either re;t
or write in some language.