Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-13
IMMIGRATION.
1.-THE "OLD" IMMIGRANT.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

| wegan have moved into better quarters
| and have taken up more attractive work.
| The immigrant from northwestern Eu-
rope quickly becomes citizen. More
! than nine-tenthS of the SWedeS and the
Swiss entitled to citizenship papers have
them. approximately seven eighths OF
the Germans, Welsh. Danes and Nor
wegians have taken them out, and four
| fifths of the Irish. English, Dutch and
Scotch have cast their lot permanently
with us. Compare this with the allies in
the Balkan-Turkish war. and the re
markable difference in the character OF
the aspirations of the two types or nm
migration will appear. Only one-eighth
of the Servian immigrants have taken
out citizenship papers. one-hfth OF the
Greeks. and a little more" than third
of the Bulgarians. Seven-tenths OF the
southern Italians hold aloof from cit
izensh!p.
When will our affairs reach that situa-
ton where there is an economic balance
and an end to
Sustaining Power immigration to
of Soil in the U. S. States? The
late Prof w MCGEE once declined
that the soil of the United States has
sustaining power of 800 to the square
mile. Assuming that one-third OF our
territory is waste land, we still. upon
this basis, would have room for rouhd
billion of people. DIR. McGee estimated
that in three centuries we can reason
ably hope to approach that nuhiper
But to reach that high population we
would have to make heavier drafts upon
Europe than Europe could bear. Assum-
ing that we would need proportionately
as many immigrants to expand from our
present population to the Dillon Hiafh
as we needed to reach our present pop
ulation. we would have to draw draft
upon Europe for :O1,ODWo souls-a MI,
lion every year for three centuries Ana
when we consider that in two generations
the foreigner-both of the old immlsra-
ton and of the new-becomes so THOR
oughly Americanized that he follows the
tendency Of the native American toward
race suicide. it Will be seen that .ne
small family inclinatons of Americans
will prevent as heavy contrlputions 10
the swelling population as "a billion IN
three centuries would call for.
Many economists think the immigration
from northwestern Europe has settled
down to a basis that is about normal
and that we hencefOrth may count upon
receiving about a quarter or a hlllllon VI
them during the average year but
there are others who say that the dlsap-
pearance of cheap farming land and the
filling of the factories with cheap LABOR
from southern Europe will cut down the
figures probably to half their present pro-
portions They believe that Germany IS
about the best example of what We may
EXPECT of the old immigration in the
future, and Germany now gives us only
one-eighth as many of her good citizens
in a year as she did thirty years ago.
All students of the immigration prob
lem agree that the passing of the old
immigration accentuateS the problems Oh
the new" and since it is becoming the
latter or nothing. it behooves the nation
to try to make the most of 1t and to
aid it to fill the place in the future tnat
fine odd has filled in the past. The
consensus of opinion is that this is not
SO much a matter of the restriction OF
immigration as it is Amer1canizing the
immigrants.