The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-12-30
ALIENS ARRIVE BY
The MILLION
Immigration Figures Reach
Such Astounding Proper
tiors That the Problem Of
Reducing Them Appalls
Congress
INCREASE IN AYEAR 2j3,629

SOUTHWEST NEEDS WORK
ERs BUT NEW YORK is OVER
SUPPLIED.
More than million aliens arrived in
the United States in the year ending
June 30, 1905. The exact number was
1,026,4 ,4S9. There are fourteen States in
many inhabitants Last years immigra-
ton, which reached high water mark in
the history of the country, equaled the
average annual increase in population of
the whole United States for the period
from 1890 to 1900. New York is the
only State whose population increased
that much in the last decade.
A million immigrants! Mere people
than the combined population of Okla
homa, Arizona and Indian Territory, as
shown by the census of 1900, and the
Democrats and some Republicans want
to make three States'of these. As many
as the combined population of Alaska,
Delaware, Hawaii. Idaho, Nevada,
Wyoming and the District of Columbia
in 1850.
The increased immigration over that
of the preceding year was 21S,629. The
increase alone was greater than the pop
ulation of Jersey City. If Newark
should be suddenly depopulated, last
years immigrants from Austria Hungary
alone would be enough to give it as many
inhabitants as it now possesses. Enough
Italians came to these shores in those
twelve months; to nearly double the popu
lation of Montana had they all gone to
That State. There were as many Irish
men came here in one year as there are.
people of all kinds in Hoboken; as many
Swedes as there are inhabitants of
Orange.
These figures are startling, but they
don't tell the whole story. Rather. they
only suggest the possibilities. 1t is no.
in the number of immigrants alone that
there lies any menace, although there
are people who become frightened at that
and would limit the volume of imrnigra-
ton. It is not in the deplorable increase
of illiteracy among these latest imlni-
grants, for illiteracy can be cured, in
generation, at least.
Danger to the purity Of the ballot
through naturalization and election
frauds. dissemination of disease, and the
problem of scattering immigrants, of To-
eating them in the sections of the eoun-
try where they are needed, are the phases
of the question which now present the
mcst crying need for wise and deliberate
consideration and remedial legislation
and action. In the last named feature,
ton, is really included the other prob
lems
The South and Southwest need irnani-
grants to build up their commercial and
manufacturing industries, to carry on
agriculture, to WELD pick and shovel on
the great issigation projects under way.
But the immigrants don't go there. One
third of all those who reached the United
States last year, 315.511, stayed in New
York State. The great majority of these
went to help crowd the tenements of New
York City, to add to the mortality of the
overcrowded ghetto, to eventually do
their share toward adding TO the pauper-
ism, vice and crime of the metropolis.
New Jersey got 57,25S Of these new
comers, Pennsylvania PHOTOS, Massa-
shucetts 1850. Illinois T2.T70 and Ohio
49,351. The big cities were the magnets.
The South, her progress and prosperity
hampered by need of immigrants. was
practically boycotted The number Of
immigrants who went to help build up
the iron industries of Alabama. the man
ufactures Of Georga. the plantations Of
other Southern and Southwestern States
ftell their own story. Here are the fg-
lures: North Carolina, es1 Tennessee,
E7s2; Alabama, 912; Mississippi, 1,s42;;
Arkansas, 43o;; Oklahoma. 26o; Ken
Etucky, es1; South Carolina, s2s, Georgia,
ISIS.
| In The Northwest. whore the great rail-
road lines own land they want to colo
nize, there is a slightly different story,
but even the railroads alluring pictures
did not draw the greatest percentage
from the big cities Of the East. The un-
equal distribution of these prospective
citizens is shown by the f-ures giTing
the iusslsss alton u the several divisions