Evening star., 1914-08-16

In the weighty problem Of distribnttQn
cooperation is often extended by the rail
road companies which bear the cost Of
transportation. Often employers TO. whom
immigrants hire themselves send railroad
fares and expense money. So those who
come to the United States with little
more than the clothes on their backs
need not be deported as -paupers II they
can thus arrange for employment and
transportation to their work. !,
As usual, the bulkiest alien class during
Italians Almost 100000 peasants left
their native shores Of sunny italy to come
TO the United States. Ranking next in
number were the Hebrews and the Poles
In the case of the Italians and the He
brews this years figures were record
breakers. In the Polish statistics there
was falling OF which amounted t.
almost $1,000.
The occupations OF this last batch OF
our immigrants differed but little from
those Of previous years. A greater num-
Der OF teachers emigrated to our ports
from the old world than In any other
will have more foreign farmhands. tai
lors and servants than in the past.
*x
New York will receive the mass OF this
immigration. as usual Ranking next will
come Pennsylvania and Illinois. South
Carolina receives the smallest number oi
all-less than 800. For some reason our
entire south continues to hold out cold
hand Of welcome to the immigrant.
Yet, to the newcomer with Drawn and
energy. It offers splendid field. It has
millions Of acres of cotton. cane, rice and
waited. It is estimated that Louisiana
alone has 19000. 600 acres of vacant land
and 1t is said that not more than one
eighth Of the contton lands OF the whole
south are under cultivation.
climatically speaking. the Italians are.
OF all the immigrants, best suited to this
section and the supply of this class in
the north already far exceeds the de
full farmers wherever they have settled
in southern plantations. The great lum-
bering companies OF the south are COM
mencing to employ them In large num-
bers.
The italian Is a desirable immigrant.
because he buys his own house as noon
as he can amass sufficient means. He Is,
therefore. especially desirable to tho
south because he aids in the development
of agricultural industry by establishing
his own home and lands
The immigrant today is cared for while
en- route to America. The immigration
laws demand that he be given q certain
breathing space. whether he be on upper
or lower steerage decks. Those on the
upper deck must be given eighteen square
feet Of deck surface and those below at
least twenty. This is a humane improve
ment on the old metohd which herded
aliens like cattle anywhere in a ship that
they could be squeezed.
-
All Of this relates to the subject Of i'm
migration from the standpoint Of the
eastern port. What a different sight
meets ones eyes IL he views the mass Of
aliens arriving upon our Pacific coast Al
Angel Island, the San Francisco funnel
through which they are poured, we see
natives from the oriental countries-the
aloof Hindoo. the placid Chinee and the
alert Japanese. They are as carefully
sifted by rigid entrance requirements as
are the people of Europe.
But veery different entrance laws apply
to the oriental Chinese especially are
scrutinized almost microscopically. They
are personally examined by the comnlis-
sioner in charge of the immigrant station
and from his dictum there is no appeal.
The Hindoo Is considered one OF the
most undesirable aliens who come to
America. His mode Of life has no sym
pathy with ours and because he is SO
caste ridden he is unyielding In ali Of his
manners and customs. He lives on less
than nothing and becomes a professional
underbidder to American workmen. Tn
like all other types Of aliens he con-
tributes nothing to American citizenship.
The bureau Of immigration is self-sup-
porting and turns into the Treasury about
half OF its revenue. This is due to the
fact that each alien is required to pay n
head tax of a. The net proceeds from
this 1894 immigration will amount to
more than 81 10000.
Nowhere on the continent Of Europe can
the peasant undergo such metaporphosis
as transforms him here. He passes from
Germany to Italy, but Is still a peasant
He comes to the United States and be-
comes a producer. Only one question re-
mains; can these people continue 70
now in upon US In boundless hordes with
out detriment to our native citizens?
Copyright, 1914, by John Ezfreth watHins1