The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-17
A Competition to BE Encouraged

A Competition to BE Encouraged.
The old Know Nothing movement of
the middle of the last century received
its impetus from the then relatively great
immigration from Ireland and from
Germany. Up to lS45 the immigration to
this country since 1920 had amounted to
only about million In merely the six
years from 1s45 to 1851 the arrivals were
about four hundred thousand more than
during that entire period. In the five
years thereafter they aggregated about
a million and three-quarters.
Something like terror began now to
possess great part Of the native Ameri-
can population The short lived Know
Nothing movement was the consequence,
and it is noteworthy that it's survival was
longest at the South, the part of the Union
then and since only slightly affected by
the incoming of the foreigners.
Now there is proceeding an immigra-
ton of foreigners which is far greater
in volume than that which at that period
made so violent an excitement. Merely
in the five years from the beginning Of
1901 to the close of 1905 the arrival Of
immigrants will amount to about four
millions, or nearly az many as came
over in the whole period from 1920
to 1850.
Again, therefore, cries OF alarm at the
consequences of such an inpouring Of
foreigners are heard. In the period be-
tween 1850 and 1850 the population Of the
city of New York increased at far more
rapid rate than ever before. 1t rose
from 5l5,547 to sO5,85. What will be
the result as concerns our population of
the present vastly greater stream Of i'm
migration of which the volume since
the beginning of this year alone has been
more than three hundred thousand?
Moreover, the immigrants now arriv-
ing are much more disposed to remain
in this city than those who came over
fifty years ago at which time they tended
very largely to the West. The greatest
body of the present immigrants are
Italians and Jews, both OF which races
cling to this port in large part. II the
experience of last year is repeated, as is
not improbable the population Of this
town will be increased during 1905 by
more than three hundred thousand i'm
migrants.
Accordingly the problem now under
most serious consideration is to devise
some practicable scheme for the wider
distribution of immigration through the
Union. The South especially wants
more of the stream to be diverted thther
and State and railroad bureaus of mmi-
grafton are working together to that end.
Their success will depend chiefly on
their Offering sufficient wages for labor
to attract immigrants, and they will
have to compete with the scale of wages
prevalent at the North. Naturally, il
the newcomers remain in New York it
is because they can make more money
here. and the remaining Of large per-
centage of the great number now arriv-
ing suggests that here the demand for
their labor at the prevailing rate of
wages is great, or that their prospects
Of getting ahead here are better than
elsewhere. They stay whore they are
wanted, more especially when the place
is one in which they find large commune
ties of their own races; and New York,
OF all America. offers them this attrsc-
ton most Next to Naples, it is now
the greatest Italian city in the world,
1t contains more Jews than were ever
gathered together in a single community
N the history Of mankind.
The South and any other part of the
Union which wants to get the incoming
immigrants will have to compete with
these advantages offered by New York,
We hope they will be successful in the
competition New York is now getting
more immigrants than are desirable for
it's social and political needs, and we will
gladly spare the most of them for the
benefit of the Southern or any other
States which want them