Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-01

much. Altogether there were less than H.
600 immigrants who had $50 or more each,
and about $4,000 who had less than that
amount. The balance were children who
had none at all.
Immigrants Come With Prosperity.
what is the cause of this great increase
In our immigration, Mr.. Commissioner Gen.
eral?"
1T Is largely due to the era Of prosperity
which this country Is now having and the
great demand for labor arising therefrom.
If you will look over a table showing the
rise and fall Of our immigration since our
beginning as an Independent government
you will see that we have big Influx OF
foreigners when times are good. but that
the flow stops when they become bad. In
deed. Immigration is one of the best Of Their
mometers to test our financial condition.
From the beginning up to 1855 the rise was
comparatively steady. Then came the panic
of 1857 and the civil war, and. the number
of Immigrants fell from over 100000 to less
than 600 per annum. AS the war closed
the stream rose, and gradually approached
500 OOO when the panic Of 1873 sent Vt down
again. 1t rose to almost SOO.o0o IN ieeA,
and then, because Of another hard-times
season. again dropped. to fall still farther
down after 1898. The present Increase pc
gan with 1899. when 1t was little over ~ ~
600 The immigrants we admitted In l9OS
were 1,O26, 49S If we should have season
of financial troubles 1 have no doubt our
immigration would at once fail on ana
that we SnOulQ lose Hiduy u ZIG hASAi ""S
are coming now.
Are not many Of our immigrants brought
in by the owners Of mines and factories!
Are they not furnished with money and
imported in violation OF our laws as 10 Gull
tract labor?"
'.It seems natural to think so,' said the
commissioner general Of immigration, but
it is difficult to prove It. Take, Tor instance.
such a case as frequently occurs In which
100 men, more or less. each supplied with
the same amount of money. start at the
same time from one small community In
Europe for the same port OF the United
States and upon landing all make their
way to one locality, where they go to work
for one factory or railroad-would you not
think that those men were imported under
contract? We do. but we find 1t almost
Impossible to prevent it. Indeed, l have
| little doubt but that much labor Is Inn
ported that way. This may be the case
with the southern Italians, who are largely
worked here by contract after they land,
| with padrones in Charge.
Immigrants Should Be Scattered.
would 1t not be far better for the coun-
try, Mr. Sargent If these people could be
scattered throughout the United States?".
Every much so, and am doing all can
toward that end. Indeed, think 1t would
| pay the national government and the in
diyidual states to institute measures where
| by the immigrants might be induced to go
| where they will do the most good for them
selves ana the country. lulS WOTh
| oegin in the localities from which the i'm
| migrants come AS it is now the immi-
grants who congest our big cities have
| gone there because their friends who are
| laboring in America have written them
| They go where their friends are and do not
know that there are better locations else
| where. They expect to find good Jobs and
| big pay waiting for them the moment they
| land in New York. They often fall into the
| hands of employment agencies and are
| misled.
1.-The national government might present
| the opportunities offered by different Sec
| tons of the United States to would-be I'M
| migrants abrJad and also have bureaus of
| information at our chief ports to show
| them wher% to go upon landing. The states
| which ~ much need immigrants should
| send agents to foreign countries to drum
! up the best classes of settlers, and they
| might publish their inducements in the
| language of the countries from where the
| immigrants come. Each such state should
| have a representative at New York to meet
immigrants as they land at Ellis Island.