The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-21
IMMIGRATION PERJLS.
Government Officials Emphatically
Recommend Some Radical Step
in Better Regulation.
Reports Show 80 Per Cent Of the
Immigrants Are Unde-
sirable.

Immigrants Are Unde-
sirable.
From The Journal Bureau, Room As, Post Build
ing, Washington.
Washington July 21-In the good old
days, says the housekeeper we used to
be able to get German and Swedish and
Irish girls as many as we wanted, fresh
from the old country; and, after they were
trained a little, they made excellent SER
wants, and would frequently remain with
the family for years. generally until they
married. Where are they now? There
doesn't seem to be any such girls now.
The question is answered in the govern
ment statistics on immigratio 1t is true
there are. not so many of these girls; not
so many in the large cities, and in the
east and middle west. In fact, there are
not SO many In any part Of the country;
but what few there are, are to be found
in the country, and in the far west.
The last annual report Of the commits
sioner Of immigration has big colored
diagram in the back which presents the
thing at a glance. There are parallel
lines representing the successive years,
from 1857 to 1902. On these lines are
marked off the amount of immigration,
by years, each nationality having col
umn by itself. Thus we see Russian i'm
migration represented in 1857 by a thin
line, (only IA Russians came that year
to the United States), and this line grow
ing wider and wider each year, until for.
1902 1t has spread out into a broad blot;
for last year 1O7,347 Russians, mostly
Jews, were added to our population. Every
year has seen an increase Of Russians.
So the Austria Hungary diagram swells
out into. a wide wedge at the top, grow
ing from the unlucky number Of Ii In
1851 to 1719S9. Italians, too, have been
coming in in ever increasing ratio, until
last years records show 1885 Of that
race who have come to be American citi-
zens. And this years figures, when they
are summed up will show very greatly
increased total of all these three ma
tionalities, Russian, Austrian and Italian
In the meantime, the more desirable
| immigrants have almost ceased to come,
| Germans, Irish, English, Norwegians,
Swedes and Danes have fallen off In num-
bers steadily from year to year. Twenty
wears ago Germans flocked to this coun-
| try by the thousands. Those same Ger
lsmans found prosperity and many OF
of them, great wealth in this country
| and are to-day among our best citizens.
In 1882 no less than 25O,630 Germans
came to settle in the United States; last
year there were but 28,304 German immi-
| a.
five years ago when the ebb was reached
at II, III.
Twenty years ago the Irish were com
| ing to this country at the rate of 197, 419
! a year; during 1902 but 46, 036 came over.
l The maximum OF immigration from the
/ United Kingdom was in 1883, when the
| number swelled to 1919
Scandinavians We're coming here IN
1882 at the rate of los 1926 a year; by 1898
\ 1,o 5uyip 7o1 RI
Hast year it was only 54,03S. The people
! of Switzerland, France and Holland have
: never come here very much; but the
number that now comes Is but fifth
l of what were coming twenty years ago
immigration now averages about 2,5Ot
|from each Of the countries named.
The better class of immigrants are
scattering thru the west; the Italians and
Russian Jews Gnngregate. In the large
. cities The Scandinavians nearly all &C
to friends in the farming districts of the
| west and middle west They do not care
to take service positions in the cities
when they can go among friends ane
eventually. become, farmers and farmers
, wives; for most Of the women soor
marry. s.. rae
Take the Scandinavians who came
over in 1902, for. example. The state O
: washington was the destination Of 1885,
Of them, and 1929 went to California
Illinois received .7..c40; Iowa, 2,622; Mich
igan, 1854; Minnesota, 8,703. while 5,l9
: remained east in Massachusetts and
10O59 stopped in New York. During thu
/. same year $4,000 Italians settled IN New
York; 5000 ssfssfS asi z-r- ia T
} Of the SO, 900 Germans who came over IA
:. 1902. /, PSF stopped in New York; 2,s11 re
. NAMED in New Jersey; 1887 in Nebraska
.O42 in Minnesota; 1,401 In Michigan
! /. o42 in Kansas; Il 1875 in Iowa; 1882 II
3 Illinois, and the rest scattering.
!, Many Of the Irish seem to like to settl
I in Massac husetts. Last year 7,07
: stopped there. A larger number, 10,764
t remained in New York, (but there wer
) SO, $50 Hebrews settled In New York city
land 14,364 Russians, mot to mention tn
80, 900 Italians:) Only 1918 Irish reache
Chicago,and many of them scattered thru
! the state. New Jersey got 1875; 1888
went to Pennsylvania, while the rest scat
tered pretty evenly over the other states
It is to be noted that 1925 Croatian
and Slovenians arrived in Pennsylvania
: which means that they were brought i
: to work In the anthracite coal fields. Thi
( is the way the wages are depressed. TIL
next largest allotment Of these nationaltie
. arrived in Illinois, namely, 3,547; ais
. 1928 Lithuanians; these are for Workin
: In the soft coal mines. Pennsylvania &C
1907 Lithuanians and $500 Magyars. '
The new states got the best class c
immigration. Washington, for example
got in 1902. more Scandinavians than {
q any other nationality, except japanese
There were 1896 Of the former and 2,41
t of the latter. Washington had GA Ger
mans, 100 Irish, 233 Finnish and 1873 Eng
n fish. California drew 1,545 English, 2,51
b japanese, 1929 scandinavians, 10 Fill
: pinos and 461 Irish Utah secured 4e
Scandinavians, the largest number Of an
&. nationality; 1872 English, 1853 Germans, IL
Dutch and only Ill Of the undesirabl
{. Italians. III 3g. .5.
Michigan; with its Finnish and Dutc
\ population, attracted 4,g71 more Finn
and s52 Dutch. That state got also 2,5e
Scandinayians...
The immigration authorities are en-
phatic in their Recommendation that cor
gross take some radical step toward bet
!. ter regulation Of immigration. The pres
ent conditions present very serior
tnrob1eno ssa The sIInited States ia helm