El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-12-19

at the rate of 100000 souls a year, is
to be a blessing and an economic as
set to the nation, ways and means
must be found whereby 1t may be dis
tributed widely throughout the cOun-
try-for then only can the digestive
juices Of American influence reach the
entire mass and fit it for assimilation
into the body polite. So long as it
crowds into colonies and holds itself
aIOof in communities that never feel
the touch of American customs and
ideas, how can we expect it to become
like US and a part of US?
Immigrant Colonies.
And yet, that is what is happening
right along Three-fourthS of our
Russian immigrants are to be found
in cities that have a population of 25,-
600 and upward More than half Of
the Italian immigrants, the POLISH
the Bohemian, the Hungarian and the
Austrian immigrants gravitate to such
centers- Of population On the other
hand, less than one-fOurth of our ma
tive Americans are to be found in such
cities, and the same is true of our
SCANDINAVIAN immigrants. More than
half Of the great population OF New
York city is of foreign birth, and
there are sections of the metropolis
that are as foreign to America, as far
as influences go, as are Warsaw, Naples
or Vienna The list of American cities
where the foreign population exceeds
the native, is a large one There are
some oU clNlGS where Lu6 pOpuldNlO4
of foreign birth. represents more than
tWo-fifths of the total, and among
these are some 20 where the foreign
element is in the majority.
Keefe Opposes Distribution.
Commissioner general of immigra-
ton, Daniel J. keefe, asserts that
many of the arguments in favor of
the distribution OF aliens other than
to plant them on the land are falIa-
ciOus. He SAYS that ORGANIZATIONS
struggling to solve the problem of put
ting the alien where he is needed,
vary from those moved by purely
business impulses TO those which are
''or pretend to be, patriotic or philan-
thropic in their purposes They
range, he adds, from combinations of
ticket agents, money lenders and labor
agencies TO state and municipal or
/, ganiZations" conducted bona fide and
from high, pure motives" he further
adds however, that the latter often
incidentally produce some of the
same effects as the selfish organiza-
tiOns'
Viewed from a national standpoint,
he says, distribution tends to increase
the difficulties Of immigration rather
than TO reduce them. He concludes
that distribution will tend to IN
crease immigration, and that this will
in turn tend to drive down the wages
of American Workingmen.
Congress Has Different View.
1t is pointed out by those who Op-
pose the conclusions of Mr.. Keefe that
neither congress or the immigration
commission has agreed with him, but
have taken the opposite view. Con-
greSs created a bureau of information
for the purpose OF collecting infOr-
nation concerning opportunities for
immigrants and disseminating it among
them with a view to encouraging a
beneficial distribution of immi grants.
The main purpose was to cooperate
with the several states in acquaintinS
immigrants with their advantages.
The immigration commission likewise
concludes that the reason the immt-
grant goes to cOngested cities is be-
cause he knows of no better Oppor-
tunities elsewhere 1t says that "a
large part of the immigrants were az
ricultural laborers at home, and their
immi cation is due to a desire to es-
cape the low economic conditions
which attend agricultural pursuits IN
the countries from which they come.
With no knowledge of other cOndi-
lions, 1t is but natural, therefore, that
they should seek another line Of &C
tivity in this country"
Own Homes Given Chance.
It is pointed out that the thing to
do is to plant the immigrant where
he can secure plot of ground and
build a house on it, because there goes
on most rapidly the process Of Amer
icanizauOn. Go to Brown Park,
Omaha, which has been improved by
the Bohemians, Poles and Lithuanians.
What was a few years ago a rolling
prairie is today studded with near,
well kept homes, schools and churches.
having well cultivated gardens and
flowers, and conforming to the best
American standards among wage earn
ers. Go to the Italian settlements in
Rockland county, New York, Provi-
dence. Rhode Island and Rosetta
Pennsylvania There the immigrants
have their gardens, no matter what the
soil is, and sometimes in striking con-
trast with adjacent homes o. the
neighboring Americans
The Poles on the abandoned farms
of New England, the Italians on the
swamps of New Jersey, and the POrtu-
guese on Cape Cod, have shown what
they can do under conditions that have
driven out older Americans, have
shown that they can rehabilitate worn
out soil and build up a competence in
waste places.
The lowest wages paid in America
90 to the foreigner and the highest to
the native American, and yet the in
vestigations of the immigration COM
mission into home ownership in cities,
reveal the fact that, while only AZ
percent of the native born Americans
OF native parentage own their homes,
more than 10 percent of the foreign
born and native born of foreign par
entage own theirs.
Thousands Seek Information.
The work Of the division of infor-
=
affords an interesting indication of
what may be done in the direction OF
distributing immigrants, and of the in
terest immigrants themselves take in
the work. More than 10000 applicants
received information during the year
1911, and it is estimated by chief Pow
derby that these applications repre-
sented at least 1000 immigrants. The
division directs no skilled craftsmen,
miners, or other underground workers.
1t simply gave them information as
to places where they could settle in
villages and towns where they could
follow other lines of activity and
avail themselves of garden plots and
low house rent The division does not
arrange contracts for employment, out
simply gets a list of reputable en-
p1oyers who need help. and furnishes
a medium through which the man who
needs work can be brought into touch
with the man who needs help.
In addition to this the division gath
ers and disSeminates information con-
corning the resources, products, and
physical characteristics of the various
states, giving the immigrant the name
and address of the state official in
each state whose duty it is to en-
courage and aid immigration into the
state. Its work has been highly en-
dorsed by the southern commercial
congress and by the National board of
trade, which also strongly endorsed
the recommendation of president Taft