Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-01
Hungary, Italy and Russia, and they are
day laborers rather than farm settlers"


"All American citizens are called the
nephews and nieces of Uncle Sam. Tell me
something about this new million of raw
immigrants who have become our cousins
in 1905?"
Most Of those immigrants are not bad
and they will make good members Of our
national family" replied the commissioner
general Of immigration. Still there are rare
birds among them and some are so bad that
we have shipped 10000 or so back to the
countries whence they came. Take the
Italians. There were more of them than
there are people in the city of Genoa and
600 of them came from southern Italy.
There were about 13O,O0O Hebrews, 102, 600
Poles and large number of other Russians
and Austro-H ungarians. We admitted over
80, 600 Germans and something like 12O, 900
English. Irish and Scotch. AS to our peo-
pie from ON southeastern Europe, we brought
Crotians and Slavonians. 10000 Bohemians
and Moravians and 1900 Greeks.
How do these immigrants compare with
those Of the past as to nliteracy?' I asked.
''They contain many more who cannot
read or write The immigration from north
ern Europe from 1880 to 1885 was extraor-
dinarily well educated. OF those from Dem
one who could not read and write: only
about 3 per cent of the Scotch, Irish and
English were illiterates and only per cent
of the Germans. In contrast take our i'm
slams and Austro-Hungarians, one man in
every four more was illiterate, and of
the Italians 4S per cent could not read or
write. During that time over 10000 Ital-
them were totally uneducated. Our Scan
dinavian immigrants are on the whole the
best educated.
Where They Go.
Where are these immigrants now 60
ing, Mr.. SARGENT" asked.
THE majority seek the large cities and
the various factory, mining and industrial
centers. They are. as I have already said,
largely laborers who have come here to get
an easier job and better wages. New York
state gets more than any other. It swal-
of last years million. Pennsylvania came
next with 100000, and after that Illinois,
Massachusetts, and little New Jersey. The
SOUTH which needs labor to develop it's
great agricultural west comparatively little.
A large part Of Pennsylvania's immigration
went into the coal mines. Ohio had also a
large number of these immigrants"
But you must not think that all of these
immigrants are laborers.' Mr.. Sargent went
on. There are many who engage In other
businesses. The Hebrews, for instance, Of
ten go into merchandising. They are small
shopkeepers and also tailors and members
of the clothing trades. The northern Ital-
ians are usually better off than those from
about Naples, and many of them become
| farmers. The Germans and British go into
all sorts of trades and enterprises"
Brought Twenty-Five Million Dollars
II suppose most Of these immigrants were
very poor?"
Eyes, the majority had little or nothing.
Nevertheless the total sum brought in by
them in 1870 amounted to more than $25,
100000.
II suppose the most of that sum came
| from the English and Germans did 1t not?
Eyes, proportionately so. There were co.
| 600 English and they brought about $1,000,
brought less than $7OO 600. The 5000 Irish
| had almost million and a half, while the
| more than double as many Jews had only
about 100000 more. The $4,000 Germans
1 brought in $36OO,OOO. and more than dou-
| BILE as many southern Italians had not as