New-York tribune., 1903-03-30
DEcADEECE MULTIPLICATION.
TIE Latter Not an Infallihle Remedy for the
Former.

Sir: In the accounts given In The Tribune Of the
6ecadence OF the hill towns Of Connecticut, many
statements made which are undoubtedly true
though some OF them exaggerated That tnis
decadence should exist ought not TO surprise any
one who is familiar with New-England and AmeF-
history It was rendered inevitable by crculil-
stances. Fer q hundred years and more the best
and most enterprising in those hill towns nave
been deserting them, and, no eievaung influence
has come in from without, the dregs which were
left could not well escape degeneration 1t Is sur
pr;sing that they have not degenerated more than
they have for there is still good left in those
towns and IL be found IL one looks for It. The
fact remains. however. that in those towns to-day
are found chiefly the dregs OF the old Puritan
stock and these more or less desenerated; and at
the present time the excess Of deaths over births
IN New-England for those whose mothers were
native born is Is per LOCO of population
But the5e facts do not by any means prove that
the old native American stock is dwtndltng away
and being suppanted by more prolific foreigners
s6 some writers have claimed. The native stock
has failed to keep up its numbers in New-Engiano
because those who should have performed this duty
have moved away; they breed outside OF New
England. The rural parts Of New-EnGland ara
filled mostly with old people. and the proportion OF
young people left there is too small to supply
births sufficient in number to offset the deaths
Also those who do breed in New-England show
an unusually small birth rate, compared with the
same stock elsewhere. for reasons which Will not
go into here but which not altogether the
commonly accepted ones. But the New-Eneland
States not the whole country, and. to get a
proper estimate Of the prolihcness OF our native
American stock. must take into consideration
the whole country; and we must do the same TO
estimate correctly the pro!cness OF the OLD Fur1-
tan stock for that stock is now found chiefly out
side Of New England There are, at the lowest
estimate fifteen millions of that stock living IN this
country at the present time. and the vast majority
Of them to be found between the Hudson kSlVer
and the Pacific.
These descendants of the New-England Puritans
are not multiplying now quite so fast as their an
cestors did during the first two centuries OF their
history, when they doubled by natural increase
alone every twenty-five years or less, and multi
piled over two-hundredfold in the two centuries,
but they still multiplying faster than the for
eigners here, and SO are the other native STOCKS
excepting the negro If IN those decayed hill towns
Of Connecticut could be gathered now the descend
6nts Of those who have swarned out Of them dur
ing the last century they would find scarcely
standing room, and the few degenerates would be
lest IN the vast multitude Of progressive, enter
prtsfag forceful and successful Americans, promi-
nent in every walk of life A large proportion OF
the prominent In this country to-day went out
from those hill towns, the sons or grandsonS
Of those who did 50 in times past.
In the report of the United States Census for 1850
are found statistics which bear the subject Of
the comparative prolihcness of the old native and
recent foreign stocks this country. Let us look
ct some Of them.
The figures tor the OF births over deaths
of those born Of native compared with those born
of foreign mothers is significant only in the case
Of those classes Of foreigners which not being
augmented by large present immigration. The
1rish who began to come here in large numbers
little fifty years ago, but who have nearly
ceased coming during the last ten years, are the
most suitable foreign class for comparison The
average annual of births oyer deaths during
the ten years following $780, for those born here OF
Irish mothers. 11.2 per 10o0 for those born OF
native American mothers it 16 The death rate
in 1900 for those horn here Of Irish mothers was
S2.2 per 1o0o and for those born OF American
mothers. l5.2 The average age at death OF native
whites born Of native American mothers was, in
1900 thirtysix years. and Of native whites born OF
foreign mothers, fifteen years. This shows very
clearly that the childhood mortality is vastly
greater among the children 3 born here W Of foreign
ents In this connection note the death hgures for
@ S:' FF Sdi hoSe SSo h9d @ g On On o
sisa i %as 80 ana f0F those who had both par
e. qo shs at %beh
will not enter into here. but which are very Po-
tent Asve prevented the forsgners from 1. being
pres foP the foregners and their second genera@Sn ion
neHFiy twenty million @ EsTopesns came R here and
e time Of
1870 foreign immigration was triflng IN amount
Il The I isGSaa @ S Rs 'eaf 1SsE a
sne and half Rose hera
half foTeIgn Pafentags .,.. ..,,t,.,,., ,--.
fast in this county when their secInd generation
with. giving them great advantage over the aa;
i se al ages. And what error may arise from the
fact that many OF the Immigrants have not been
generation is discounted by the fact that sample
enoae6 to have representave second generaon.
shows about the same lack Of prolihcness The sec
1870 IS trtfe over two-thirds the number of the
immigrants.
In view OF the enormous immigration Of recent
years. some have doubted II the old native stock
estimate shows that @ it Is though n9t with wide
first consideration OF the fact that the recent i'm;
native stock is descended from only about two hun
lonial times. The entirely satisfactory expiration
soeR came 1ne and 9d T 9F fast e h
the others came late and did not multiply fast.
win Improve our native stock by mingiing With it.
That is not self-evident fact. It depends upon
not reasonabe propostion that inferior forslgn
very large ~5i proporton of the mmigrans Who have
come here during the last decade TO Improve their
The fact that some Of m the h towns in Con-
necticut are badly decayed is not Of national i'm
Ee dsens5on %heh % thai fet has ausd are
national b mportance; and the most important seems
allow European immigration TO flow here without
It shall reduce our country to the economic eTe Of
Europe. at which time it will stop spontaneously?
as R eog Rey 2e IN M
rope, SO long viii immigration how hther. II IN
checked, and we maintain our economic su-
PsETty only only BY putting up t5 dykes against this
primarily for the benefit Of the incompetents and
unfortunates of Europe, as some appear passion
be allowed to interfere with their comfort and we
must not hesitate to imperil our national future
we are In the nation business primarily for our
E1n bsne fs Them It Is 3qr duty to free Dd ourselves
our legislatures from the influence of the great
for their PROFITS Of the nanufacturers, who think
unrestricted immigration means cheap labor fun-
uct Of immieTatiOn): Of the politicians. who think