The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1907-06-06
Washington Letter.
rom onr reoular correspondent.

the report of Frank Sargent, the
commissioner general of immigra-
ton, more than ordinarily interest
ing. Of course the vast tide of i'm
migration from Europe to this
country is an old story and it has
grown SO steadily that it has come
to be looked upon as natural and
inevitable condition. The fact how
ever is that it is the greatest migra-
ton of the human family in recorded
history. The movement of the leu
tonic tribes southwark across the
Rhine in the middle ages was mere
child's play to the present move.
ment and the invasion of Russia by
the hordes of Genghis Khan was
Coney Island excursion to it. The
present invasion is peaceful one
we may be happy to say, and it is
good in way for it throws into the
country the mixed blood of many
nations which, as scientists declare,
builds up the best race of people.
But it gives the United States an
awful lump to leaven and it is up to
the best leaders of thought in the
country to see that the foreign mass
is properly assimilated into good cit
liens.
The most of the new corners &C
cordiDg to the report are young men
and those in the prime of life. Less
than 10000 of the immigrants last
year we're over As years old and
there were 1876, 1852. under IA years
old. All the rest were between IA
and As. There were two men and
boys to every woman and girl. TIE
bulk of the immigration was from
Russia and Italy, but there were all
sorts in large numbers, Hollanders,
Romanians, French, Austrians, and
English. The Scotch al, d Ger
mans brought the most money with
them and the German Jews the
least. The latter as rule were
glad to be able to get here at al
and had little except the clothes
they wore and the necessary cash,
$50, to pass the immigration in
spectors and prevent their being
cIassed as paupers and deported,
Perhaps the most serious phase of
the immense influx was the persist
ence with which the immigrants
chung 10 the big cities and avoided
going west and south where their
labor was wanted and where they
would have been welcomed to bet
ter living conditions than they can
find in the slum sections of the
crowded northern cities. Over 80
per cent. of the new Corners an
nounced their intention of remain
ing in the states of New York
New jersey, Pennsylvania or Dele
ware. With all the rest of the coun-
try 10 chose from and the miles of
open territory where they could
earn a good living and rear their
children under more healthtul condi-
tions, this decision was Of course de-
plorable There is apparently no
law that can compel the immigrant
to 'smove on" after he is once ad-
mitted, Tut it is just possible to find
some way of distributing the crowd
through intelligent education of the
mass of them to their own best in
terests. This is fine field of en-
deavor among the philanthropically
minded.
On Tuesday morning of this week
a typical cow-puncher with broad
hat, leather ''chaps' and red hand
kerchief around his sun burned
neck, mounted on thin legged 1t
tie COW pony trotted up the drive to
the White House to call on the
President. He was Floyd Pegg, of
the famous "lO1 Ranch" in Okla
homa and he had lost by only few
hours his bet of riding his pony from
Chicago TO Washington in thr e |
weeks The pony was slim, ne v
Gus, little hay cross be tween u
range dam an | an Arab sire. She |
had been caught up and branded |
{ N the Miller Ranch in Oklahoma |
less than two months ago. Pegg |
had made his let with man in Chi
cago on bringing trainload of cat
tie there and rode on to Washing
ton confident of being able to beat |
his time limit. He averaged As
miles a day through Ohio where the
roads were good but in crossing the
mountains he ran into bad rains and
worse roads and had his travelling
time cut down to 35 and even 81
miles a day. Then he ran out of
money in Pittsburg and had 10
wire back for funds, So he arrived
at Rockville, Is miles out of Wash
ington, after a hard day through
the ain and mud with his pony dead
beat and his time limit expiring