The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-09-14
DILLINGHAM; DISCUSSES THE QUESTION OF IMMIGRATION

States. Nearly all OF the aliens enter
ing our ports the last ten years have
gone to the Atlantic States, where are
located most Of our basic industries
They went to that part Of the country
because their own nationalities had To-
Gated there, and in a great many in
stances they oversupplied the labor mar
ket. When that happens, as have
shown, competition follows and trouble
is apt to occur. The oversupply OF I'M
skilled labor could be used on our farms.
but such labor will not leave manufacture
ing and mining centers.
"In the course OF two centuries and
up to the. beginning Of the civil war We
had opened 100000 farms. The great tide
of Western European immigration set in
toward our shores during the closing
years of the war between the North anG
the South. The construction OF rail-
road was undertaken to the Pacific Coast
There was a waiting wilderness In the
Northwest. Lands wsre given away by
the national government. Germans,
Irish, Scotch. Dutch, and Scandnavians
came TO work on our railroads and to
break up our prairies into farms. We
opened 100000 farms, / said, In two
centuries. We opened $4,000 farms In
the hall century following the civil war.
Southeastern Europe Also Helped.
THE agricultural area Of the United
States Is now as large as Great Britain
and the whole Of Continental Europe.
emitting Russia. Thirty-four Senators sit
in Congress from States created sIrce
the close OF the war over slavery and
dlsunion. The trackage Of our railways
has increased from 5000 miles TO 10000
miles. Railway values equal one-seventh
of the total wealth Of the nation. The
development OF this country, as / imper-
fectly sketch II. has been largely brought
about by the immigrants who have come
to us from Great Britain. Germany. and
the other countries In Western Eurooe
which 1 have heretofore named In 1860
the United States was at the bottom of
the list among manufacturing nations.
In 1870 our manufactures equaled those
Of France; in 1880, those Of Great Britain:
In 1890. those OF Great Britain and
France, and in 1900, those OF Great Bril-
tain. France, and Germany combined.
Western Europe made us the greatest
agricultural nation In the world. South
eastern EUROPE, ] am bound to say,
helped to make US the greatest manufac-
turing nation In the world by supplying
We Nhh Pi1hNy VI SSIihioA VI "aSN4"SA
labor.
In the twenty-eight years between
Iss2 and 1910 our capital invested in man
ufacturing establishments Increased
sevenfold. Wages and the value OF our
products increased fourfold. News OF our
remarkable expansion was carried to
Europe. Workmen went hack and spread
the word from village TO village. Let
tiers pictured America as a land OF riches
and opportunity. Shiploads OF South
eastern Europeans came across the At
lantic. The newcomers knew exactly
where they were going Seventy-nine
per cent OF them landing at Ellis Island
in New York carry railroad tickets to the
cities and towns where they mean to
settle temporarily. They have worked
out their plans In advance Theirs is no
sudden flight from cruelty and despotisIr,
but a premeditated economic adventure.
For most part they are farmers at home.
Few of them, however. do any farming
In the United States. And that mainly,
is the trouble.
Now the Gates swing Out.
Fifty thousand new manufactures
were established In this country between
the years 1890 and 1910. Seventy-two in
each 100 OF our immigrants during that
decade came from Southeastern Europe.
Sixty-nine OF the seventy-two went to IN
dustriRl and mining centers In the At