Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-12-31

titutes and about 1900 were lAborors who
came to work under contract
Million New Brothers and sisters.
And now let us look at the million new
brothers and sisters who got in. We
have adopted them oil into our national
family. Who are they and where do they
come from7 / wish you could have
tramped over Ellis island with me and
taken look for yourselves at the sawed
off. anemio. uninteligent classes who
passed through the doors at the same
time die. There were $500 OF them
altogether, and the majority we're under
sized and uneducated. They came from
southeastern Europe. and were composed
largely Of Hungarlans, islavs, Italians.
gypsies and Polish and Russian Jews.
They were In about the sathe proportion
as those we imported last year. only the
number this year Will be greater. In
1910 We admitted 1.0IL00O immigrants,
and of these more than $4,000 we're
shipped hero from Europe. We had more
than $4,000 from Austria Hungary; we
had over 10000 from Italy and 10000
from the Russian empire and Finland.
There was only a bagateIle from north
Europe, and the bulk Of the whole camo
continent. where from % to 80 per cent
Of the people are nlitsrate. and where in
some places more than the majority can
neither read nor write This holds true
Of the immigrants We are now getting,
and II is In striking contrast to those WHO
came in in the past.
For many years our adopted brothers
and sisters were from England, Scotland,
-
Among these the percentage of education
was high. Only about per cent of the
Germans were illiterate and 1 per cent
OF the English and Scotch. Only per
cent of the Irish could not read and
write, and the same was true of the
Firms. while the illiteracy among the
swedes and Norwesians ran as low as
one I'm a hundred f
The people we are bringing in now are
almost barbarians In comparison with
those we had a generation ago, and tho
question Is how Uncle Sam is TO take
care OF them and still maintain the high
standard OF American character.
The Great American Peril.
We talk OF the yellow peril and shudder
as we think of Chinese and Japanese
immigration. ! believe one OF our great
est perils today is from European immi-
grafton. and also in the exploitation OF
our country by lot of steamship COM
panIes whose stock Is owned in Europe
and whose only aim is to keep up their
dividends. In the past the bulk OF the
immigrants went 10 the west, and their
pure, fresh air OF America and the smell
OF old Mother Earth, a part OF whom
was owned by themselves for the first
time, drove the servility OF Europe out
Of their veins, and by association with
Americans and contact with American
problems they were finally ground over
into good American citizens.
COnRestinE the cities.
Now the immigrant comes In by the
million, and hundreds OF thousands OF
him are dropped down into New York.
Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston and other
big cities. They lead there a life much
the same as IN Europe. Many OF them
go to the sweatShops, and their blood is
thinned by the dust of the factory or
mine. They speak their own language
and intermarry. They have their own
newspapers and are largely moved by
politicians or agitators who preach so
cialsm and anarchism free from re-
straint.
The situation is, indeed, far different
from anything we have had in the past
and It becomes more and moro serious
from year to year. ] have before me the
numbers of immigrants who have landed
In this country since 1892 There have
been, all told. 100000 or 2eOOO.OOO, and OF
them about one-fourth have come in
within tho last five years. We struck
the million mark first In 1906. We brought
In another 100000 in 1905, and more than
l,2O'OOO I'm 1907. In the two following
years times were hard and there was a
decrease, but in to- we came up to 1000
900 again, and this year We have even
more. Can Uncle Sam stand Il? The
question bulks big In our prospects for
the future. and II Is one that should be
settled forthwith.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.