Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-30
Immigrants at Dinner.

Grating colonies IN New York and Its en-
virons is at last to be relieved by the fed
| eral government.
On July l next Frank P. Sargent. tn
commissioner general of immigration, will
throw open the doors of division of in
formation"-an innovation which promises
vast results. Its function will be ito pro
| mote beneficial distribution Of aliens
among the states and territories desiring
| immigration" The official in charge will
gather from all available sources useful in
! formation regarding the resources. prod
! ucts and physical characteristics OF oact
| state and territory This information vii
| be published in different languages, anG
will be distributed at the immigrant sta
| tons among all admitted aliens who ash
| for 1t.
State Boomers at Immigrant Stations.
Furthermore. the states and territories
will be permitted to send to the immigrant
stations agents, to be given access to all
newly admitted aliens. These official pro-
| motors will point out to the newcomers the
special inducements for settlement offered
by their respective states.
To protect the lives and limbs of the aliens
who particularly at the great Ellis Island
station. will run the gauntlet of these two
score more state boomers, Commissioner
General Sargent will frame some strict and
these rules will be denied the privileges of
the stations. Some of the states, partic-
ularly those of the south. already maintain
immigration bureaus. and these will appoint
the agents sent to the immigrant stations.
Other states desiring immigrants are eX-
pected to organize such bureaus before July
I. Practically the whole of this educational
campaign. will be waged at the Ellis Island
passed last year 1885,, 900 of the 1857 900
aliens admitted to this land of ours.
How very badly immigrants are wanted
in many sections of the south and west is
disclosed in the urgent appeals which Mr..
Sargent has been receiving. These come
especially from agriculturalists. mine own
ers, manufacturers and railroad officials. A
majority of our immigrants are pouring
into the sections where they are least
wanted and where the least chance of
work awaits them. while they are avoiding
the sections where they would be well
coined with open arms and given remune-
| rative employment.
Where Aliens Concentrate.
Just how this is will be seen by the
figures for last year. Over seven-tenths of
those passing through the immigrant sta
lions said they were going to settle In
already thickly populated centers, and all
Of this while the clamor for immigrants
was coming from thinly populated districts
Over one-third of these aliens said they
were going to make their abodes In New
York state; more than one-siXth in Penn
sylvania, and one-twelfth In Illinois. Al
most as many declared themselves bound
for Massachusetts, and next ranked New
Jersey.
To put 1t in another way. there set out
for New York last year more than enough
newly arrived aliens (374 1888 to populate
second Buffalo; for Pennsylvania enough
Q9S6SD to fill another Minneapolis, two
Scrantons for Illinois enough (86, $500 to
duplicate Richmond, Va; for Massachu-
sets enough c73.S63) to fill Trenton, N. J..
and for New Jersey enough (5S,415) to fill
another Hoboken.
More than 80 per cent were destined for
the north-the north Atlantic and south
central states. Only 20 per cent were
bound for the west-beyond the Mississippi
and only is per cent for the south
Ohio alone got more of these aliens than
either the whole west or the whole south
Such Is the state of affa s against which
Mr.. Sargents new Information Office REIN
forced by the states and territories will
wage its strenuous educational campaign.
South Splendid Field for Aliens.
The south in particular wants fmmigra-
ton now. Formerly it desired nothing less.
Its change of sentiment on this subject has
been both recent and marked. 1t offers a
splendid field for the newcomer with Drawn
and energy. 1t has millions of acres of cot
ton. cane, rice and tobacco lands that have
never been cultivated. Indeed Louisiana
alone has 19,OO0.OOO acres of vacant land out
of total of 26,000,OOO, and it is estimated
that not more than one-eighth of the cotton
lands of the whole south Is under cultiva-
ton. In Louisiana there are more than
hundred Immigration societies and in Mary
land there are still more. But neither these
nor the similar organizations in other south
ern states are looking for the Hungarans
and Russians now f1ocking into the north
in superabundance. The south has been
calling for the good old Teutonic and Kettle
stock which settled the country In its first
days-the English. Irish. Welsh. Scotch and
Germans, in particular Yet, china tically
speaking, the Italians are, of all Of our i'm
migrants. those best suited to the south. and
moreover they now constitute the largest
class of our immigrants The supply of
these far exceeds the demand, in the north
They have proved to be successful farm
ers where they have so far settled in the
southern cotton and sugar plantations. The
great numbering companies of the south
are also employing them and it is estimated
that more than 100000 are working in the
southern Mississippi valley. They have be-
gun to purchase little farms, to build good
homes and to put money in the bank They
are found to be prompt in paying debts
and to have improved morally as we'll as
financially since arriving. The younger
Of these Italians do not wish to return to
Italy, which desire has caused their race
to be generally disliked in America
More Storage Room Per Immigrant.
A requirement that more and better steer
age space per immigrant be given by YES
sells is another wise innovation provided by
the new immigration law. One of the first
acts of Oscar Straus, after assuming office
as Secretary Of Commerce aud Labor. was
to look into this question He has been
abroad many times-in fact is of foreign
birth-and has taken personal interest in
the condition of the poor immigrants en-
voyage He at once appointed commission
to go over the question carefully In 1882
Congress passed a law requiring vessels to
allow each steerage passenger 100 cubic
feet on the lower decks. But since that
time the use of steel in ship construction
has permitted almost as great an increase
In the dimensions of ocean steamers as in
those Of buildings on shore. 1t was Mr..
Straus' opinion that since modern steel yes
sells now have SO much more room than In
1852 the advantages should be shared with