Speech #570064518

From 1881 to 1890 the highwater mark was reached. the total being 5.246.6138. the number in one year. 1882. being 788.992. In the last decade of the century. 1891 to 1900. the number was 8.687.564. while the grand total from 1820 to 1900 was 19.123.596. Add to this the immigration for the fiscal year 1901. which was 487.918. and we have a total of 19.011.514. It must also be borne in mind that in this computation no account is taken of the cabinpassage immigrants. of whom there came last year alone about 80.000. It would be a conservative estimate to say that for the eighty years covered by the statistics fully 2.500.000 immigrants were of this class. Nor are there adequate records of the innaigration through and from Canada. which. since 1885. would doubtless add many hundreds of thousands. thus giving a grand total not far from 22.500.000. It is safe to assume that at least 5.000.000 alien immigrants have entered the United States since 1890. We calculate that there has been at least 80.000 cabin passengers annually who were alien immigrants and 70.000 annually from Canada. Neither the cabin passengers nor the Canadian passengers have been taken into our accounts. The tide ebbed and flowed as the conditions for employment varied in the United States. or as famine or pestilence in foreign lands incited an exodus. This is clearly shown by the table annexed. wherein is given the influx each year for the entire time named as far as recorded. .Number of alien passengers arrived in the United States. 1520 to 1855. and numbcr of immigrants arrived. 1856 to 1901. 1820 ............................ 8.85 1861 ............................. 89.724 1821 ................... -----------9.127 1862 ............................. 89.007 122 . ..----------------- ------- 6.911 1883 ............................. 174.524 1823 ---------------------------- 6.354 1884 ............................ 193.195 1824 ............................. 7.912 1865 ............................. 247.453 1825 ---------------------------- 10.199 1866 ............................. 314.917 1826 --------------------------- 10.837 1867 -----------...-------- 310.985 1827 ............................. 18.875 1868 (6 months) -------------1 538.810 1828 ------------_----------- 27.382 1869 ----------.................... 352 768 182............................. 22.520 1870 --_--------------- - 387.2)3 1&30 -------------------_------- 2..322 1871 8--------_------------------ 321.850 1831 ............................. 22. ( 3 1872 ............................. 404.806 1832 (15 months) ------_------- 60.482 1873 ------------------------ 459.80:1 i s --------------_---------- 58.640 1874 .............................. 313.339 1834 ------------------------- 65.35 1875 ---------------...... .------- 227. 498 18w-----------------------45.374 ......................... 169 8(. 1836 ............................. 76.242 1877- -------------------- 141.857 1837 ----_--------------------- 79.340 1878 ------------_------ 188 469 1838 ------------------------ 38.914 1819 .........................1. 77.862 1839- -------------------- - 68.069 1880 . -------------7.............. 457.257 3840 -------------_---------- 84.066 1881 --------------------------- 669.43L 1841 -------------------------- 80. 2.9 1882 ---------------------- 788.092 1842 ----------------------------1 04.565 1883 ---------------------------- 603. 322 1843 (9 months)----_---------- 52. 480X 1884---------- -----_-------- 5I1592 1844---------------------78.615 ............................ 395.346 184i5--------------------- 114.3i1 186----------------- 834. 20 1846------_----------_------- 154.416 1887 ----------------------- 490109 1847------------------------- 234.9( 68 1888 ------------------------- 548.88 I ------.-----228.527 889 ............................. 444. 427 1849 ------------------------- 297.024 1890 ------------------------ 455. c)2 1850 (15 months)------------3. 8 ................ - 50.319 181 - ............................. 7 1882-------------- 579.63 185 ........................ 371.603 1893-..--------------------49.730 1883 3-----------------_-------8 38.645 1804 ............................. 9195.1 184 ............................. 427.833 1895 ----------------------------.258.88 1855 ............................. 20.827 1892 ............................. 343.27 18956 -----------------------195.7 1897 ...................17....... 230.832 1857 ... ....----------------240. 945 1898 ---------_-----------2292809 158 --------------------119. 5 1899 ............................. 811715 1859 ............................. 318.616 1900- ............................ 448 572 1860 ...---------------------- 150.287 1901 .......................------ 487.918 An interesting fact is shown by comparing the immigration with the population. By this test the maximum was in 1854. when the ratio was 16.2 immigrants to each 1.000 of population. while the average from 1847 to 1854. inclusive. was 13.65 per 1.000. The ratio ran down rapidly until 1862. when it was 2.7 per 1.000. the lowest ratio from 1839 to 1901. In the year 1882. when the largest number in the history of the country was received. the number per 1.000 of population was exactly 15. and in 1898. when the lowest number since 1.879 came. the ratio was exactly 8 per 1.000. For the year 1901 the ratio was 6.1 per 1.000. There has been a marked change in the character of the immigration. Prior to 1880 western Europe. including England. Scotland. Ireland. Wales. Germany. and the Scandinavian countries. furnished more than threefourths of the immigration from all countries. while eastern Europe. including Italy. AustriaHungary. Russia. and Poland. furnished less than 1 per cent thereof. These comparisons are made with no intent to reflect upon the nationalities named. but merely to show the mdrked change in the source of immigration during recent years. One other important fact remains to be mentioned. Prior to 1880 the larger portion of the immigration went inland to the farms and assisted in building up the great States of the Wesl and Northwest. The immigration since 1880. and especially for the past decade has remained almost wholly in the Atlantic States and in tin cities thereof. and thus. while perhaps not of such vital impor tance in comparison with the total population of the country. it has brought a heavy pressure of competition upon special localities. thereby giving a spur to the demand for restriction which cones to Congress with such insistence. The significance of this phase of the question is apparent when it i3 noted that the census of 1900 shows nearly 40 per cent of the population of the United States living in cities of 4.000 or more population. According to Dr. True. of1 the Department of AgricultureBetween 1870 and 1890. speaking relatively and in round numbers. 2.000.000 meii gave up farming and went : join the great army of toilers in our cities. Taling their families into account. 6.000.000 people from the farm were added to the population of the town. In the single year 1895. as shown by the report of the Commissioner of Labor. of 343.267 immigrants. 224.650 went to New York. Pennsylvania. and Massachusetts. or nearly 70 per cent of the total. That same year 36 per cent of immigrants. including women and children. had no occupation and 42 per cent were farm laborers. laborers. or servants. The percentage of the same classes. respectively. for 1901 were 30.5 per cent and 53.1 per cent. This tendency of concentration in certain States and in the cities is strikingly shown by the tables given. as follows: TAsus I.-Relative proportions qf foreign to native born. by States and Territories. arraged geographically: 1890 and 1900.