Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-04-03
DILLINGHAM; EMANCIPATION"
He Makes An Interesting Address
Before Bethany Forum.
Conditions That Led to Creation Of
Immigration Commission and of
the Results of its Inyesi-
CATION.

Before the Bethany forum in Mont
pelier, Senator Dillingham; gave his adj
dress on immigration, it's restrictions and
the methods Of dealing herewith. The
address had to do with facts and statistics
brought out in the findings OF the COM
mission on immigration created under an
act of Congress passed in 1907. in which
year 1,250,WO immigrants were admitted
to the United States. This commission
consisted of three senators three repre-
and three civilians.
Senator Dillingham; was chairman and
with him were associated Senator Lodge
of Massachusetts, Senator Latimer OF
South Carolina, Representatives Howells
of New Jersey, Burnett OF Alabama,
Bennett of New York, Prof. j. w.
jerks of Cornell University, United States
Commissioner of Labor Charles p. NELL
and Hon. William II. Wheeler of Califor-
mia. Senator Dillingham; spoke IN sub
stance as follows.
1t is a startling fact that since 1850,
%. 100000 aliens have been admitted to the
United States; that during tho last l.
years nearly 1900, 900 have been received
and that In the single year 1870, there
were admitted 1,2S5,n go. The country was
alarmed and the immigration commission
was created which made a thorough study
of the whole question,
The commission IN its findings dividod
the inflow of immigration into two
streams into what were called the old and
the new. The old was tina which came
prior to the year 1852 and the new, that
which has come since that date. They
found that Z per cent. OF the old immigra-
ton coming before 1SS2 was made up of
immigrants from Netherlands. France.
Scandinavia, Germany, Great Britain and
ireland, the greater proportion Of whom
took advantage of the homestead laws
and settled on public domain in the Cen
trail West. where during a period of 1G
years farms We're opened up which were
as large in area as the who'll Of Great
Gritain, Switzerland and Greece. and out
OF which territory have been created Il
sovereign states which nave beer admit
ted to the Union.
But since the ycar 1852, this class Of
people who become so readily assimilated
and which contained such splendid ele-
ments of citizenship, has ceased to come
in such large numbers and become rela-
lively few, while the tide of immigration
has increased in volume. Instead of 81
per cent. OF the whole immigration as
formerly. only % per cent. Of the immi-
grafton coming between 1852 and 1907 was
from these countries.
Or the other hand the new immigra-
ton. that coming from southern and east
ern Europe; Italy. Austria Hungary. and
the Balkan States has increased from 10
per cent. of the whole in lSS- to ~ per
cent in 1907.
This new immigration. which has been
coming in such increased numbers, is
made up of races differing from the old
immigrants In almost every essential.
They have come not to enter agriculture,
but almost wholly to find employment in
the rapidly growing manufactures CEN
tiers. In this connection. it must be re-
ncmoered that in 1850 when the type OF
immigrants changed. manufactures had
become SO firmly established in this coun-
try that their product e|qualled that of
Great Britain. In 1890 such products
oqualled those Of Great Britain and
France. In 1900 they moro than equalled
the entire manufacturing products of
Great Britain, France and Germany,
while in 1910 the manufactured products
of tho United States amounted to s7co,-
100000 more than 10 years previously.
The growth of American industries and
their demands for labor are illustrated
by the fact that in the @0-year period be-
tween 1850 and 1900 there were erected in
New England alone, 500 Lew factories,
In which We're invested $50, Oc0. 70 of new
capital and the amount of wages paid
increased from 500, CpN.cNo to s420. GO, 60 an
nl'ally. In one year, 5000 aliens went into
mills in Connecticut.
The reasons for their coming are found
in the very low wages paid in southern
and eastern Europe, where the standards
Of living are so inferior to those of the
United States.
Tho senator also called attention Ia
the fact that while the old immigration
settled largely in the Central West, the
greater portion of the new immigration
was directed towards the Atlantic divi-
sion of states where we'll established man.
ufactures most abound.
He referred to the fact that since 1907
substantially - per cent. of the entire
immigration came from southeastern
Europe and that - per cent OF this mum
Der went to the Atlantic division of
states. and as from 70 to 50 per cent.
of these have been common laborers in
the countries from which they came. they
took the lowest possible positions in the
manufacturing establishments where they
found employment.
The immigration commission made n
thorough Investigation Of 80 of the Larry
est industries of the United States. COW
ering the mining and manufacturing OF
the country. They came in contact with
5000 individual workmen Of whom only
20 per cent were Americans. Nearly 70
per cent. were foreign born and IL per
cent were of the first generation of
children born in the United States. Prob
ably one-third Of this number should be
clsssed with the old immigration, being
skilled laborcrs from Great Britain, Ire
land. Germany. Scandinavia, Belgium and
France. while the largest number of the
newer immigration occupied the lower
positions.
The commission found that at the seat
of the basic industries, there Is an over
| supply of common, %unskilled laborers. So
great that they could secure work little
more than from one-half to three-fourtbs
of the time, So that while they received
a fair rate per day, the yearly income
was very small, averaging for the lower
and newer class of immigrant about $685.
per year.
They also found that of the near 10 :
600, 90 immigrants in the last decade. near
ly &c per cent We're males. OF these IS
per cent. were married in their own
49,.