The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-12-20
AMERICA PAYS Big
CHRISTMAS TOLL

The natives of Uncle Sans domain
are noted as liberal spenders at Christ
mas time, but, from the viewpoint of
their means to spend, they have moth
ing over the foreigners with in the
countr gates in their allowance to
the folk at home for Yuletide cheer.
Fifty millions of dollars is pretty
substantial Christmas gift. However,
it is estimated that out of total of
q quarter of billion dollars sent by for
eigners to Europe during the year
nearly $50, 900, 900 is sent by the immi :
grants in the United States to rela-
tives in the Old World during the holi-
day season.
This staten ent seems almost incon-
ceiva'ble to those of us who look upon
the immigrant as poor improvement.
1t wilf however, probably be the better
understood when it is. remembered that
the immigrant saves his earnings al
most to the last penny, and that he
lives in what the American would con-
slider almost squalor and want that he
may save every possible dollar of his
hardearned wages to return OF the
mother country. Lugui and Antonio
to this country to adopt it only as a
temporary home, for the purposes of
accommodating what would be to them
in their own country a competence,
and, in many instances, opuIence. 1t
is natural, therefore, that the larger
amounts are sent back across seas by
this class of immigrants.
The Irish, the English, and the Ger
man, as we'll as the Swede, the Dane
and the Hollander who come. to this
country, either with their families or
to establish one, and whose intention
1t is to make the United States their
permanent home, send very little of
their earnings to the fatherland, prin-
cipally because Ii is needed here or
that there is no occasion--with no near
relative left overseas to receive it.
The simple figures of the statistics
of average remittance made by our
immigrant population to their home
countries tell an irrefutable story of
what nationalities come to remain as
citizens, and which to harvest such
coin of the realm as they may, then to
fit back like birds of passage to en-
Joy it later in the old home whence
they came.
Adopting such figures as indicators,
1t is found that the Greek has possibly
the least intention of adopting the
stars and stripes as the flag of his fu-
ture protection, since his annual per
capita remittance of about $50 is the
highest sent by any Of our immigrants
back to the land of their nativity.
The Italian comes next, with a per
capita remittance OF $50 for the year,
showing that he is another visitor for
profit with our gates. Although the
Austro- Hungarian is third, with a per
capita remittance of over $2s, 1t may
be just possible that this large average
is somewhat due to his peculiar money
making proclivities, as well as to the
financial interests he retains in his
home country.
The Germans, while hardly less able
to earn money are apparently invest
ing their savings in the United States,
since their annual per capita remit
lance is but 81, which is considerably
less by comparison that the 81 credited
to the Immigrants of Great Britain and
Ireland. both ON whom are making
for themselves homes in the United
States.
The foreign-born population of the
United States is estimated to be about
100000 and the average per capita