Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-31

are building great works here. There Is
plenty of work for idle hands in this coun-
try. One million aliens come to the United
States: They all find work. They all write
back home to their friends and relatives
that they are getting good wages and that
work Is plenty. Thus every man Of them
Is publicity agent for the United States,
for these letters bring 100000 more immi-
grants to America. Now We constantly
hear the hue and cry raised against the
hordes of foreign invaders that are pouring
into this country. Let us look into that a
little. Those who say that too many people
are coming here usually quote the figure for
the highest years Of immigratio But there
is one side of the question that most OF
them entirely overlook. They do not con-
slider the great numbers that travel east
ward as we'll as westward. The eastward
travel is approximately 40 per cent Of the
westward travel. One of the causes of the
exodus is this: In the northern part of the
United States thousands Of laborers are
employed on the railroads. For five months
of the year the climate Is too cold for them
to work there. Most Of them are Italians.
They pay on an average about $40 month
for their board and lodging. During the
five months they are idle they would have
to pay out 500 besides the loss of their
time. Now they can purchase ticket to
Italy and return for about $50 and can find
work in that country during these five
months. although the wages are, Of course,
lower than they are here. They, however.
visit their families, save something on liv
Ing expenses and earn little money during
the time they would otherwise be without
work. Similar conditions are the reasons
for the exodus in other parts Of the coun-
try
But what are the relations between the
commerce of the United States and immi-
gration?" l asked.
Here is a point that any one may work
out" said the commissioner. If you ex-
anime the trade reports you will See that
We do the greatest business with those
viz how mil tod In,
the greatest numbers to this country. For
instance, our exports to France are ex-
ceedingly small as compared to our exports
to the British empire. In fact. they are in
much the same ratio that our citizens from
France are to our citizens from England. l
think If you look into this matter you will
find that this rule holds pretty well. During
the years when we were receiving few i'm
migrants from Russia We were doing only
small amount of business there. Today
when Russians are fiocking to our shores
our business with that country is growing
with the immigration tide. A citizen of an
other country who comes to America and
lives for number of years acquires the
taste of Americans. He returns to his own
country, and he wants American goods.
He introduces them there. and his friends
come to know them and like them. Sup
posing that the million people who came to
this country last year had landed In the
Bermuda Islands and founded colony.
Why, every civilized nation in the world to-
day would be trying to sell goods to that
colony. But those million people are here.
Don't you believe they make trade for the
United States? Arabian Lincoln said that
IL this country bought steel rails at $50
ton from England We would have the steel
rails and England would have the $50. But,
he asked. was it not Letter that we should
make our own steel rails, for then we would
have the steel rails and the $780, too?
~
Immigration statistics" continued Com
missioner Watchorn, convey no intelligent
meaning to one. unless some cOmpa rison
may be drawn from them or made by them
Now, there is a great deal said about all
immigrants going to the larger towns on
the Atlantic seaboard. The fact is that
about 70 per cent Of all immigration goes to
seven NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., Connecticut
New York New Jersey, Pennsylvania Ohio
and Illnois-and it is striking coincidence
that the industrial pay roll apart from the
agricultural earnings) Of these seven states
represents 20 per cent of the pay roll of
the United States. A ten-year-old school
boy, putting these two facts together, can
understand what constitutes the magnet
that draws these people. The settling of
immigrants in large cities is due to the fact
that factories are built in large cities At
the commencement of the last century so
per cent of the population Of Great Britain
was rural and 70 per cent urban. At the
beginning of the century those figures were
reversed. There has been no
great pouring of immigration into Eng
land, but there has been revolution in the
industrial system, not only in that country,
but of the world. A hundred years ago the
housewife spun not only her own garments,
but the garments of all her children. The
factory has emancipated her from this will
ing drudgery. and has called into existence
the great manufacturing towns that now
all industrial countries.
"A lady lecturer recently said that wom-
ans extravaganza in dress kept the world |
from bankruptcy. 1 don't know whether
this is true not. but it may be safely |
taken for granted that 100 years ago each |
individual spent 500 per cent less for dress |