The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-24
ALL VENICE CAME
As Many italian Emigrants as
Would Fill the City on y
TX the Adriatio., -
The Stream Of Immigration Again
Nears the High Water
Mark.
From. The Journal Buroan, Room 50, Pos5
BuiLZiu0. Examination.

From, The Journal Bureau, Room. 80. Post
Washington, Oct 24.-During the year
ending June 80 last more Italians arrived
In the United States as immigrants than
live in old Venice. If the Italian immi-
grants Of this single year had been con-
gregated in a space on the plains, now
uninhabited, they would have made there
a city larger than Providence, r. l., or
st. Paul. MINI. The Austro- Hungarians
were within few thousands Of being as
numerous. The Russian empire, which
stands third in the size of it's contribu
ton to our population, sent here in the
last fiscal year the same number Of per-
sons approximately as live in q city like
Syracuse, or New Haven, or Fall 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. 1t Is easy to see that such
q condition presents grave problems. The
recent anthracite coal strike has given
the country a notion of crudeness of the
racial elements which are now filling the
van present picture Of the statesmen
whom the sections in which the immi-
grant population is overwhelming, select
to represent them.
The stream of immigration is now near
ing the high-Water mark Of 1882, when
figure it fell off in the succeeding years,
and so quieted public apprehension by
suggesting that perhaps the great immi-
grafton movement was passing over. In
1895 immigration had fallen off to 25S, 900,
and in 1898 to $4,000, but it has since
then been rapidly growing until in the
fiscal year under review the total alien
immigration amounted to 7SO, 79S-an in
crease Of 167,93O over the preceding year.
This included. of course, the cabin aliens,
numbering in all S2,0S5, who are not, as
rule, immigrants in the common accep-
tation of the term.
The falling off in the arrivals from
western Europe, relatively at least, con-
tinues notable. Ireland showed an actual
decrease over the preceding year of 1,403,
and of It's total immigration of 29136,
there were 1000 more women than men,
although among every other race the pre-
ponderance was on the other SIDE In
some cases it is startlingly so. Among
Croatians and Slavonians the male immi-
grants exceed the female nine-fold.
Among the Greeks there were 1854 males
and 26l females. 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 western Europe, like
the English, Germans and Scandinavians,
there are nearly as many women as men,
but not 50 with the Slovak, the Magyar,
the Roumanian, the Russniak, the Bull
garian or Montenegrin. OF the total of
immigrants, 70 per cent are males. This
accounts for the seeming paradox in our
census returns, where they show more
married men than married women.
In view of the tendency in congress of
an immigration bill containing the So
called educational test as means of re-
striction, it is interesting to note that
only 162,18S Of last years immigrants
were unable to either read or write in
ma Cro md
large deductions would have to be made
on account Of the children under Is years
OF age and the people over so, to whom
| 1t is not proposed to apply that test. It
is fair to assume that of the GAS, 900 immi-
grants, the educational test, in the form
In which 1t Is now awaiting the action Of
the senate, would not have excluded over
Is per cent. How much this proportion
might be still further reduced by coach
ing up" In preparation for the test Is an
other consideration. 1t Is plain that if
the United States really desires to enter
upon a policy Of exclusion, it will have
to take some more radical step than mere
ly debarring those persons between the
ages Of Is and SO who cannot either read
or write in some language.
One-third Of all the arrivals assign New
York state as their intended destination,
and presumably that means, in the minds
Of most Of them, the city itself. Penn
sylvania comes second In intended desti-
| nation, Massachusetts third and Illinois
fourth. These figures have little sigrifi-
canoe, however, as few of the persons
who supply them really know their own
purposes or can foresee where they will
finally settle. The small part which the
south plays in the movement is still no.
table. Only ITO immigrants announced
| their purpose Of going to South Carolina,
or about one-fortieth of one per cent OF
these, 20 were French and II Finnish.
Even Vermont was the assigned destina-
| ton of ten times as many. The great
stream turns toward the four cities of
New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chi
cago.
| w. w. Jermane.