The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1903-04-24
OFFICIAL COUNTY PAPER
FRIDAY, APRIL "a, 1903.
THE IMMIGRATION WAVE.

St. Louis Globe Democrat: 1t is
clear now that the number Of alien
arrivals in the United States in the
current..fscal year will be ahead of
ali records. The thrush into New
York in the last few days continues
the story which the earlier weeks Of
the year told. Up to April 10 the
number Of arrivals in New York
was 50, 076, as compared with 26, 7S9
for the same time in 1902. Nor is
there any indication that the in
coming wave is diminishing. On the
contrary, the signs point to an in
crease. A like report comes from all
the rest of the ports or the Atlantic
coast, but Of course the bulk of the
immigration comes by way Of New
York. There is less diffusion amcng
the immigrants than there was once.
More Of them stay east of the AL
leghenies than did ten or fifteen
years ago. They get work in the
factories and as laborers on the public
works of all sorts, and make their
homes in the more thickly settled
portions of the country. A large
number, however, come west of the
Mississippi still, and the southwest,
as shown by the rush through st.
Lotus, is getting many of them.
In the fiscal year 1902, which end
ed with June 30 in that year, the
immigration was GAS, 743. This
shows a continuous rise since 1893,
when the number was 229 ,22a,
which was the lowest level touched
since 1879, when the inflow was only
III, 1926. The 1902 immigration was
the largest ever known in any single
year except in 1881, 669, 431, and 1882,
when the number was 1888, 1872. 1t is
evident by the gain which has been
made in the fiugres since the end OF
last June that the high-water mark
of t~wenty-one Years ago will be ex-
ceeded this year. There is a wide
margin between the number in 1882
and that Of 1902, but the gain which
has been made i'm the past three
quarters of a year shows that that
will be passed. The present indica-
tions are that the twelve months
ending with the close Of the coming
June wild sec IN inflow of fully $780,
600 aliens. Some come in from
Canada and from Mexico, which
elude enumeration, but it is safe to
put the numter who arrive through
other channels at 100000 at least.
Probably the thrush in the coming
twelve months will be still greater.
This depends chiefly on the prosper
ity of the country, and there are no
indications that this Will be inter-
rapted in 1904.
In the number of persons involved,
in the distances covered and in the
obstacles surmuunted this immigra-
ton to the United States immeasur-
ably surpasses all the great race
movements Of the worlds history.
More than 20, ZOO, 900 Of Immigrants
have come to the United States since
1872. More than 10, 600, 600 of these
have arrived since 1860. The incur
sion OF the Germanic tribes into the
Roman empire In the century before
that world-government's fall was in
significant in numbers compared with
the inflow OF immigrants into this
country in the last forty years.
Moreover, while that movement was
considered at the time to be a detri-
ment, this Is known to be a benefit.
Some philosophers say, or intimate,
that a large part Of the immigration
OF the present day is an injury, but
this is a mistake, except in the case
sof an enthusiastically small number
OF persons. The Italians comprise
the largest single ingredient of the
immigration in recent years, and
while this element is not rated
highly by some American authori-
ties, its loss at home is severely
felt. On the whole, the United
States has nothing to complain of on
account of the character of the
great mass OF its immigrants. Most
OF them will be fused into good
americans in a few years. The chill
9dren Of most OF them in the next
generation will be almost as
thoroughly amalgamated and Ameri-
:can1zed as are the descendants of the
persons who came over in the May
flower.
Editor LaFollette, OF the Chamber