The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-07-03
IMMIGRATION FOR THE =
YEAR ENDING JUNE 80.

San Francisco. and many crossed .he
4 boundary from Canada. which will bring
the total for the year UP TO 55o1U or more
Both the monthly and daily record OF ar
rivals were broken also. May 3. 6,2l5 Tor
eigners stepped foot on American soil for
she first time. In April 1861 steerage pas
sengers arrived. The arrivals for the month
OF May were A.s9 and for June about $1,000.
II the arrivals in the other months of the
year had been as numerous a fun million
would have been added TO the population
The arrivals in the last few years were as
follows:
~ .----"-l-i 80 lls9 -----~--"-3sLA9
80 ...--.-.-s-s "a I iSl tss5Ss
The census was taken June I, 1890, and
therefore the population has increased
nearly 10000 by immigration since that
date.
rivals Is the prosperity OF this country, the
| demand for labor and the high wages. and.
| 81 course. the Industrial depression in EH-
rope has more OF less to do with II. though
not as much as people would suppose. The
largest number Of immigrants come from
Italy. which at present is one Of the most
prosperous countries In Europe. Business
has been picking up in Italy very rapidly
for the last two or three years, manutactu-
ring IS increasing and there IL almost a
boom. Although the demand for Labor is
great the rate Of wages paid does not COR
respond with that received in this country
In the same occupations. Another reason
for the Young men leaving the older coun-
try Is TO escape compulsory military ssry-
Ice Germany. which ia suffering from a
greater depression than any Of the other
European countries. ia furnishing compara-
lively few immigrants these days. although
her military laws are even more severe
han those OF Italy. This IS not explained.
The second largest number OF newcomers
are Poles ard SlavS from Austria and Rus
/ STA ruOGf Of them being m rnlaSfrah IA .Iae-
because they are not progressive and do
nothing 10 build Up the country. The most
OF them are coutented 10 remain as labor
ers. They save their earnings and live in
the most frugal manner, with a hope OF
returning TO their native country with mon
ey enough TO by a little farm. Large num-
bers Of immigrants are coming from Syria
and other Turkish provinces 10 escape per-
secutiOn and taxation. They are genaralIy
intelligent. progressive and inclined 10 com
mercial pursuits. You seldom find a Syrian
engaged In manual labor. He starts out on
a business career with a pair of suspendcrs
and a few shOestrings or a few lead pencils;
then he gets a fruit cart. and finally a stand
ard a store. Others peddle Oriental fabrics.
embTOideries and rugs. The Greeks and
Syrians are indiscriminately mixed 1t is
d~ificrlt 20 distinguish them, and they hive
together. which IL natural. because most OF
them have the same ancestry and profess
the same religious faith A good many
Armenians are coming into the country,
also, and IL Is strange that they are 50
few. because their lives and property are
unsafe in Turkey regardless OF their be-
havtor. The Sultan has wiped the name
Armenia from his map. and is believed to
have determined upon the extinction OF thu
race.
Bew Irishmen can be seen at Ellis Island
these days. The blue-eyed. laughing bog
trotter with his worldly fortune tied up in
a red handkerchief and suspended over his
shoulder from a shillelah is no longer to be
found in the steerage. and the rosy-cheeked.
red-ipped colleen Is unknown there now
adays. Very few immigrants are coming
from the ould sod" The arrivals from
Sweden and Norway have also fallen on
considerably during the last few years. al
though there is likely to be a revival OF
thS movement from Sweden when the new
military law goes into force.
/ suppose the Norwegians and Swedes ara
the most prosperous OF any foreign-born
citizens We have in the United States. Thar
Intelligence. industry and frugality enable
them to earn better wages and to save moro
OF their wages than the natives of any
other country. not excepting the Germans
One seldom finds a Swede or a Norwegian
out Of employment You never see a Swe-
dish or a Norwegian tramp. S-candinavians
are preferred to any other race by the en-
Of labor because they are honest.
sober. reliable and intelligent II a census
of the fails. prisons and pooFhouses were
taken the number OF Scandinayians would
be surprisingly small.