Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-06-07


Steamer
derstanding of the country's needs
immigration through the port Of Gal
weston, if present plans are carried out
means not so much an immigration
for the dollars and cents there may be
in It for the transportation companies
as It does the rapid development OF
the fertile and unoccupied lands tribu
tary to the gulf ports. To the home
colonization is now to be added the
foreign colonization.
In this undertaking the government
is lending a willing hand, and the
three agencies combined should result
in accomplishment worthy of a good
cause.
1t was the government, in fact, that
first directed the attention of the rail
roads and of the steamship company
to the possibilities that lie in the port
of Galveston in the way Of home build
ing in the Southwest. Yearly the
hordes which seek entry to the United
States through the port of New York
are increasing, so that the problem OF
hauling them becomes continually
more difficult of solution. Further
more thousands of those who come in
by the way of New York never get be
yond the confines of that and other
large cities, congesting these popula
lions with a class which is undesir
able.
More than a year ago the govern
ment limited to the railroads and to thu
steamship people that it would be
good idea to try to divert large por
ton of the immigration through one
of the southwestern ports. Galveston
as being nearest the source of lane
supply, was selected, and the railroads
and the steamship line Joined hand:
in the undertaking.
The first movement of immigrants
through Galveston really began in 1904
when but 500 were brought in. Prior
to that the North German Lloyd al
though having a line between Europe
and Galveston, had not made any eff
fort in the immigration line. BY the
beginning of 1905 the bureau had got
70 work in earnest and the result was
3,400 immigrants.
Immigrants coming through this
mort are distributed all over the West
but statistics show that fully so pei
cent Of them remain in Texas and pre-
sumably make that state their perma
nent home. Many of them go to Col
orado and California, and not few
into Missouri, some seeking the bis
cities like st. Louis. Upon an aver
age, 33 1-3 per cent are unticketeC
when they reached these shores anC
between 80 and 40 per cent are wha
are termed homeseekers- That is Il
say, they have come over here withou
a definite destintion, but with the ex
press purpose Of finding permanent
homes in the agricultural districts
Present facilities for landing immi
grants through Galveston are totally
inadequate and fully $4,000 will hav,
to be spent in this direction. Although
F. S. Sargent. chief of the immigration
department, has recommended and Il
trying to direct immigration through
Galveston, the government is mo-
ready to spend all the money necessary
to provide adequate facilities. The
steamship company is unwilling t.
make the appropriation, and the rail
roads do not feel that they shorld u
called upon to do II all.
The city of Galveston is not disposed
to assume all the burden, and so for
the time being immigrants have to be
herded into inadequate pens, where
they are compelled to spend hours and
even a day or two without the slight
est accommodations. g. b. Holman
chief inspector Of the port, stated thai
the hardships suffered on this account
were often great, but that he felt Ger
tain the government, the steamship
company, the railroads and the city
would soon get together and construc
new immigration docks. AZ present
portion % the freight docks ar,