Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-15

One neeuS look no 1urther tnan the Std
tistics of the ebb and flow of the immi-
grant tide to discover that the real basis
of American immigration is more eco
nonlic than idealistic. At all times In
our history immigrants have come to
America seeking an asylum from perse-
cut.on of one kind or anothcr-pOhtical
or religious. But the vast majority have
come because they thought America Of
fered better opportunities to get on In
the world. With the returning alien of
the new immigration this is patent, but
it is no less true Of the one who comes
and stays, else why should the tide rise
50 high in fat years and fall SO low In
lean ones?
1t always has required some period Of
unusual economic distress or Of religious
persecution to start an important move
ment Of immigrants to the United States.
1t was the Irish potato famine that
caused Irish immigration to double IN
in many years. In the middle forties
conditions in Germany began to swell
the immigrant tide. and in eight years the
number Of our German Immigrants In
creased sevenfold.
But, as a rule. especially in the case Of
the new" immigration. the number com.
ing from any one country is very small
at first. In 1870 only twenty Greeks We're
WelcOmeQ our SHORES. MOI unLll Ics'O
did the Greek arrivals reach the thousand
mark. But during the succeeding twenty
years the stream continued to grow until
in 1910 1t was mare than a thousand!old
greater than in 1870. and more than
twenty times as great as in 1890. In 1870
fewer than 5000 Italians came to Amer
lea. But the Italian immigration had
increased to 1900 n year by 1880, 5000
year by 1890, 100000 a year by 1900.
and to nearly a quarter Of million by
Austria Hungary less than
5000 immigrants In 1870 and more than
quarter Of a million in 1910. The RUS
sian immigrant wave had barely started
in 1870. and yet 1t has brought us nearly
3 OOO. 900 souls since then. while Austria
Hungary and Italy have each sent us
more than 100000 in that time.
All European countries except Rus
sian and Turkey recognize the right
Of their peo-
Infuxes Not Stayed pie to come
By Despotic Nations. ca. Under
the laws of Russia citizens are
forbidden to leave the country for a
permanent residence elsewhere. but the
fact that upward Of three million OF
them have come to America in forty
years demonstrates that even des-
potic nation cannot stay the ire
sistible wanderlust OF humanity when
economic necessity forces it to move
on. Turkey has the same sort of law.
northern Europe bids farewell to it's
breach than in it's keeping. When
northern Europe bide farewell to it's
immigrants it knows that when once
they reach their American port of en-
try they are lost to Europe forever.
But with southern and eastern Europe
1t is different. Here the emigration of
their people to America is looked upon
as more in the nature Of movement
of transient industrial workers, a fair
percentage of whom will return. 1t is
felt that the ones who return. plus the
money and the experience they bring
back are worth more than the larger
number who went out.
The present day immigration en-
braces a comparatively small proper
ton Of inhabitants of the larger cities.
Only the Russian Jews form an ex-
ception to this rule, but that arises
from the fact that they are compelled
to live in the cities. The immigrant
usually comes, not because he is un-
able to make living at home-for the
possession of enough money to get here
argues his ability to live at hOme-but
in the hope Of making a better living
than Is possible at home. He Is simply
a man with labor to SELL and he sees
much higher price for it in America.
today is the letter writer and the re-
turning immigrant. 1t is from him
that the European peasant hears Of
this great land of high wages across
the seas. Their messages tell OF pros
perity. Of earning as much in a day,
often. as the peasant earns in a week.
There is scarcely a village in all southern
| and eastern Europe which has not con-
tributed its share to the immigrant
tide. and. in fact, scarcely man or
woman who has not a father. a brother,
an uncle, or cousin over here in
America or who has been here. Thirty
million dollars year Is sent back in
American money orders as mute but
indisputable witness of financial sue
cess in America. The whole neigh
borhOOd hears about it when money
order arrives. For instance. when the
Italian saves a hundred dollars and
sends it home-thats five hundred lire
in Italy, and five hundred lire buys
home. If some one sent you enough
money from across the seas to buy
nice little bungalow. wouldn't your
friends soon know about it? And if
your brother were to go to South
America and send enough money back
to his parents in a single year to buy
a home, and with 1T a letter saying
do just as well, and that he had places
for them all, wouldn't you want to
go? Well, that's exactly what happens
when the new" immigrant sends his
In many cases a proud father and
mother, when they receive such letters.
pass them from
Whole Community hand to hand
Learns Of Success. na;ahhora ca '".n
the great prosperity of their son, until
the whole community knows of his sue
cess in America. And there is one class
that this news particularly appeals to-
the boys with budding ambition. They
are as eager to try their luck in Amer
lea as is the American country boy to
go to the city.
These letters tell little of the hard
ships and the privations endured to
make saving possible. Come closer
home. country boy whose parents