Ow Blood starved by Immigration. 41 



ulation of these northern states increased 389 per cent — that is, 

 in 1840 the pojDulation was 4.89 times as great as in 1790. Be- 

 tween 1840 and 1890, after separating from the white population 

 of these states the immigrants and their natural increase, and 

 thus leaving only the native element, the rate of increase of the 

 latter is seen to diminish remarkably. Instead of ranging front 

 34 up to 41 per cent, as it did in the first half-century, the rates 

 of increase by decades become 23, 20, 15, 16 and 10, while the 

 rate of increase for this entire half-centur}^ was but 112 per cent, 

 the native population in 1890 being but 2.12 times as great as 

 that of 1840. This sudden and astonishingly rapid reduction 

 of the rate in the north, following closely the appearance of the 

 flood of immigration, can be attributed to no other cause. 



The rate of increase of the north is shown by the full line, the 

 broken line, which commences at 1840 and runs up to 1890, being 

 the rate of increase of the native element alone, while the full 

 line, continuing on to 1890, represents the rate of increase of the 

 entire population of the north, including the foreign element. It 

 is an interesting coincidence that this rate of increase during the 

 last decade was almost exactly the same as that of the south. I 

 firmly believe, therefore, that the rate of our natural increase has 

 been greatly reduced b_y the flood of immigration. By alloAving 

 the poor and oppressed of Europe homes in this country we have 

 substituted them for our own flesh and blood. I believe that if 

 there had been no immigration the rate of natural increase which 

 prevailed before immigration commenced would have been much 

 more nearly maintained, and our numbers would be nearly as 

 great as at present. The sudden and rapid reduction of the rate 

 of natural increase of the north during the past forty years I be- 

 lieve to be due to this flood of immigration, and it is a question 

 Avhether we have gained by this substitution of a mixture of 

 European for American blood. 



There is another result produced by immigration which is 

 not so apparent, but which, it seems to me, is of great and far- 

 reaching importance in connection with this question. As has 

 been stated, the immigration consists, as a rule, of the lower 

 classes, mainly of skilled and unskilled labor, and these millions 

 of mechanics and laborers have filled and practically monopo- 

 lized the lower classes of avocations in the north. In this way 

 they have forced the native American element into the higher 

 walks of life. The head-work of the country is practically in 



