The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-22

/ Out, IN spite OF Dis aDlllty as uil OlaNOt anu
| his prophecy OF the dire results that would
| follow, the bill became a law, and Louisiana
was admitted to Statehood on the sth OF
| April, 1905.
What. as a matter Of fact was the char
acter OF the population OF the Louisiana
Territory at the time OF the admission OF
the Territory of Orleans into the Union as
! State? Dr. Geer's Investigations have
led him to the conclusion that majority
Of the whites we're French, though there
wore some Spaniards, and rapidly increas'
ing number Of English speaking emigrants
from the Southern and Western States,
who fiocked into the coveted tract as soon
az it came into the possession OF the Union,
There were large numbers OF negro slaves,
and scattered here and there over the vast
domain were thousands OF Indians The
French formed. nevertheless the most
important and influential element, and they
wished TO see the United States fulfil the
promise embodied in the treaty accord
ing 10 the French Interpretation OF 1t. The
Federal Government, on its part, evinced
disposition TO proceed slowly In giving
them the desired liberty, because they had
never enjoyed the privileges and discipline
of self government. As a people, the
Louisianians were not familiar with Anglo
Saxon institutions and laws. Those who
were settled. however. in the lower part OF
the Mississippi Valley were much more in
telligent and better fitted for sharing in
tho administration of local government
than we're the French in the Illinois country.
90 tha Eray,ob In Narr Orlauna "
men of wealth and culture who had well
coined the transfer OF their country to the
United States because they believed that
the change would bring them better gov
eminent.
On the whole, II must be admitted that
the mixture OF population made tho prob
lem of government much moro difficult in
the Louisiana Territory than 1t Was In the
Northwest Territory, because the white
inhabitants of the latter had come almost
entirely from the East, and had been ao-
customed to self-rule. 1'hs few French in
the Northwest desired only to be let alone.
In chapter on the Character OF the North
western Settlers Before $780, DR.. Geer
shows that the preponderant element In the
population consisted Of pioneers from New
England and New York, large numbers OF
whom poured into Ohio, northern Illinois
and northern Indiana, and, later, into
southern Michigan. Another important
factor of the population was made up OF
immigrants from the South, who settled
chiefly in the southern parts Of Ohio. In
diana and Illinois. Many Of the immi-
grants from the South had crossed the
Ohio, partly because of the desire to try
their fortunes in new country and partly
because they were very poor and had no
prospect Of lettering their condition in
Kentucky and Tennessee; they hoped.
north of the river, to escape the humiliation
Of being looked upon as poor white trash.
The father Of Abraham Lincoln was an
example of this type of immigrants from
the South.
in another chapter the author directs
attention to the signal change in the char
acter Of the migration to the Northwest
which began in the fifth decade OF the nine
teenth century and has since continued.
The great Irish immigration to America
was caused primarily by the famine that
afflicted Ireland in 1s46 1t was political
agitation and disappointment that gave.
a little later the first impulse TO extensive
emigration from Germany. Subsequently
the motive became exclusively coon omic.
From the early sos up TO the present day
the Germans and Scandinavians have gone
into Minnesota and Dakota for the same
reason as that which caused Abraham and
Lot 10 separate on the plains OF Sodom-
the land became too narrow for them"
The Northwest waS ultimately TO be the OBJ
jec.ive point OF the grester number OF the
better class Of eruigrants from Central and
Dr (,npr poiDtg that
coming from the peasant class in their
original homes, they naturally desired to
20 where they could get good land for little
money. and the Northwest exactly fulfilled
this condition. Lands in the East that
were worth cultivating were already taken
upand held nt high price. The abundance
OF cheap, unoccupied lands in Minnesota
and the Dnkotas enabled a family TO settle
near people who had been heir neighbors
in the mother country, and the the In
evitable pangs Of inconsistencies were some
what allayed- The influx Of immigrants
from Europe into this section was ultimately
TO become so important that, as our author
has computed, some OF our great North
Central States would loco more than half
their population If the foreigners and the
descendants Of foreigners should be ex-
Guided.
NE authors general conclusions are
summed up in a final chapter. where, after
recalling briefly the constitutional problem
presented by the acquisition Of new terri
tory and the danger Of geographical
division which the nation had 10 face In
it's early days. he touches also on another
question, which has not yet been fully
settled. 10 wit. that OF the treatment OF
| the einigrant from Europe. Should he
have full rights as a citizen Of State.
and If so. on what conditions, and after
! how long a period OF waitngl DR.. Geer
/ holds th at the difficult problem Of the
assimilation OF the foreign elements has
! been more nearly solved in the United
/ States than in any other part Of the world,
! though there still remains much 10 be 40
/ complained Our assinilhtive capacity
is traced to the preponderanoc Of Teu-
tonic factor trained in self-government
| through generations. just how much,
! indeed, of the success OF the westward
! movement is attributable to the ability
! evinced by each community 10 take care
| Of itself can never, Of course. be known.
| Nobody, however, is likely 10 dispute cur
! authors assumption that an equally pre-
/ ponderant number 81 Sraniards or Italians
l would, because 81 their different political
! training. have evolved a different system
/ OF government. N which one ran would
have been supreme NJ W ii.