The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-07
SOUTH AMERICAN
COUNTRIES NEED
MORE I'M MIGRANTS
Three Times Present Popula-
ton Can Be Sustained, is
Claim of Writer.
(New York SUM


The continent is large enough to
maintain a population at least three
times its present size, as there is still
plenty Of elbow room and a sufficient
quantity Of good, livable territory that
can be developed for the purposes OF
feeding an increased number Of peO-
pie that may choose to go there.
An indication that certain European
countries are soon to open their doors
and permit natives to leave the coun-
try for the new world Is given in re-
ports that the Germans are preparing
TO emigrate to South America on a
large scale. The German population in
South America Is already a large one,
and covers nearly every section of the
continent. German colonies may be
found in Chile. Argentina, Uruguay
and Brazil. German colonies may be
found in Central America and in Mex
leo. 1t seems that there isn't Latin
American country that hasn't been
touched by the great food of German
immigration before the great war.
Whether this great emigration pol
icy will be followed by other nations
in Europe remains to be seen. Europe
needs a lot of patching up and lot
OF labor to reconstruct all the things
that she lost during the war. Labor
IS required to rebuild Belgium, France,
Italy as we'll as certain parts Of Rus
STA. Whether these countries will be
able economically to release this po-
tential factor in reconstruction Is a
question that the future only can
answer.
On the other hand, while Germany
suffered from the usual consequences
involved in the fate Of the vanquished,
nevertheless she came out Of the
struggle with her country practically
intact. No cities were leveled; no
productive regions were laid waste,
and no immediate reconstruction prob
lens are facing her. 1t would seem,
therefore, that of all the nations in
Europe, Germany is in a far better po-
sition to permit emigration to foreign
soil. Press dispatches seem to indicate
that she is preparing to adopt this pol
icy on a tremendous scale, part1c-
ularly to South America.
Argentina Half Foreign.
In view of the heavy immigration Of
Germans before the war, and the pros
pective coming of thousands OF others
to the South American continent, the
impression has been given out that or
all foreigners in that land the Ger
mans are in the majority. This, OF
course, is not so. Take a single coun-
try, Argentina. Nearly half the popu-
lation Of Argentina is composed OF
foreigners According to the latest
statistics Of the last fifty years. there
settled in Argentina over 100000
Italians. The Spaniards were a close
second, with 100000 immigrants,
while only 10000 Germans were re-
ported to have come to the country,
The French alone were represented
during this period by over 100000 i'm
migrants, the English by 10000 Aus
tro-Hungarians by 10000, Swiss by
10000, and Belgians by $1,000.
The Italian population in Argen-
tina is so pronounced that it has eXer-
cised a strong influence over the orig
inal Spanish language, as spoken in
Argentina Spanish words have been
mixed with an Italian vocabulary, re
sulting in a compound product. While
the newspapers have not been lnhu
enced by the Italian language and
continue to write their text IN good
idiomatic Spanish, nevertheless in
conversation with a native of Argen
tina one can readily see that the ltal
ial u" has replaced the liquid 81"
peculiar to the pure Castilian.
In Brazil Italy has also led all other
nations in point of immigration with
the exception, of course, OF Portugal
which during the period between 1897
and 1917 sent 2.S92 5000 to the cOun
try that was formerly her colony
During the same period Italy sent
GS6.557 immigrants; Spain, 146,9lS;
Austria. 34O5o. while Germany dis
patched only 1890. This low number
was due to war conditions in Europe
In Valparaiso, Chile, the foreign
population is almost equally divided
between Germans. Spanish and Eng
lish, while in the small southern city
of Valdivia. Chile. the population /.
composed mostly of Germans
Countries of Immense Size.
The immense size Of the SOutt
American countries is adequate tc
contain large populations. Although
there are many regions whore it Is i'm
possible for a human being to live
nevertheless there is still sutflcien
quantity Of acreage with ideal Condt
lions and a healthy climate to absort
a much greater population than The
continent now enjoys.
For the purpose of comparison
take the republic of Argentina. with ;
population of S.574 600 inhabitants anC
with an area of 1,139, 900 square miles
Argentina is larger than Austria, Bel
GUM. Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Ger
many in Europe, Italy and Japan com
bined. The larger portion of thu
country Is inhabitable. Yet the popu
lation Of Argentina as compared to tn
combined populations of the countries
mentioned is triding.
Chile, with population of 100000
has an area of $4,000 squar'
miles. The northern portion Of thu
country, of course, consists OF a des
ert, from which the nitrates are taken
but the southern region IS garden
spot. Chile is larger than what form
crly was Germany. II is almost thre
times as large as Italy. 1t is twice a
large as Japan Yet Italy contains
population of 36,O00.000 people AM
Japan 100000.