The Washington times., 1903-05-31

account OF their clannish instincts 1t
will take at least three generations to
make American citizens of them. For
Sicilians are preferred.
immigration from Italy is sanctioned
by the home government. Protection is
given the voyagers. and government in
spectors are found on every steamship,
weighing the food and passing on its
quality. Sixty-fve per cent of the ltal-
ians are illiterate. Out of $1,000 from
whom the average was taken, 1900
could neither read nor write This
makes a poor showing against the Scan
dinavians. of whom out of 1900 only AZ
were illiterate.
Fourteen Per Cent Hebrews.
OF the alien Hebrews it is estimated
that all but 80 per cent settle in New
York State The others are scattered as
follows: Nine per cent in Pennsylvania,
Z per cent in Massachusetts. 8 per cent
in Illinois. per cent in New Jersey, 2
per cent in Maryland. and l per cent in
Ohio. Not one-hundredth OF l per cent
will be found on the farms, as they pre-
fer large cities, even though they have
to dwell in the slums. They constitute
about II per cent of the new arrivals.
OF the immigration up to 1880 the
vast preponderance was from the north
ern races of Europe. Since that time
radical change has taken place in the
racial character of the influx The
italians, according to present indica-
tons, will constitute 80 per cent of the
alien arrivals The Germans have fallen
10 8 per cent, Scandinavians to per
cent. Irish to 4 per cent. English to 2
per cent The Croats. Slovaks. and
Slavonians amount to IL per cent. and
the Magyars 10 per cent.
Commissioner Williams Estimate.
Commissioner William Williams. in
charge at Ellis Island. although unwill-
irg to be quoted in positive statement
regarding the probable number OF i'm
migrants this year. said If the present
inflow did not abate the total would far
exceed 100000.
Commissioner Williams takes no rad
ioal stand in opposition to admitting the
present class of immigrants. About
rer cent of the arrivals last year were
excluded as unfit either mentally. moral
". or in a material sense to land in this
country. At least 10000 of those who
were admitted he classes as .'undesir-
allie" although under the present Fed
oral statutes he cannot bar them from
entering.
ct is generally conceded that immi
grafton In the past has been an impor-
tant factor in enabling this country TO
attain the position of eminence it occu-
pies said Commissioner Williams.
"The Northwest is in this respect under
peculiar obligation 10 the Old World
and In some of its sections the voters
Of foreign extraction outnumber those
Of native birth. Such development has
been caused not by the mere fact that
hundreds of thousands OF foreigners
have been coming here annually. but
by the further fact that they have gone
out into the agricultural regions and
that they have come from Great Britain,
Germany, and Scandinavia, countries
whose inhabitants more closely resem-
III: our people in blood, traditions, and
IDEAS of government than is the case
with any of the other large countries of
Europe. from which our immigrants
come.
THE occupations of those now coming
here and the portions OF the country
TO which they proceed may be roughly
stated as follows: Out of 70o.o00 who
arrived last year about 5000 were pro-
fessionals. sc, coo were skilled workmeR,
42O, 900 were unskilled laborers, and 1885,
600 were women and children who no
occupation. The average amount Of
money is shown by the records to have
been less than Sc per capita, and IL We
assume that it was $40 per capita We