Jewish Immigration to the United States from 1881 to 1910 Part 19

[3] Total for all races.

TABLE LXIII

ILLITERACY OF "OLD" AND "NEW" IMMIGRATION (JEWISH EXCEPTED) AND OF JEWISH IMMIGRATION, 1899 TO 1909[1]

---------------------+-----------------+--------------------------- | | Immigrant illiterates 14 | Immigrants 14 | years of age and over Cla.s.sed | years of age +------------+-------------- | and over | Number | Per cent ---------------------+-----------------+------------+-------------- Old immigration | 1983618 | 52833 | 2.7 New immigration | | | (Jewish excepted) | 4471047 | 1667754 | 37.3 Jewish immigration | 744395 | 191544 | 25.7 ---------------------+-----------------+------------+-------------- Total | 7199060 | 1912131 | 26.6 ---------------------+-----------------+------------+--------------

[1] From _Emigration Conditions in Europe_, p. 30.

TABLE LXIV

ILLITERACY OF PEOPLES FROM EASTERN EUROPE, 1899 TO 1910[1]

---------------------+-----------------+------------------------- | Immigrants 14 | Illiterates People | years of age +------------+------------ | and over | Number | Per cent.

---------------------+-----------------+------------+------------ Jewish | 806786 | 209507 | 26.0 Lithuanian | 161441 | 79001 | 48.9 Polish | 861303 | 304675 | 35.4 Russian | 77479 | 29777 | 38.4 Ruthenian | 140775 | 75165 | 63.4 ---------------------+-----------------+------------+------------ [1] From _Statistical Review of Immigration_, p. 51.

TABLE LXV

s.e.x OF ILLITERATES OF PEOPLES FROM EASTERN EUROPE, 1908[1]

---------------+-----------------------+--------------------- | Number illiterates 14 | Per cent.

| years and over | Race +-----------+-----------+----------+---------- | Male | Female | Male | Female ---------------+-----------+-----------+----------+---------- Jewish | 9455 | 13762 | 21.9 | 40.4 Lithuanian | 4215 | 2897 | 53.4 | 63.4 Polish | 14573 | 8813 | 36.7 | 42.9 Russian | 5820 | 828 | 40.1 | 50.8 Ruthenian | 4203 | 1836 | 49.6 | 57.4 ---------------+-----------+-----------+----------+----------

[1] From _Report of New York State Commission on Immigration_, 1908, p. 171.

TABLE LXVI

DESTINATION OF JEWISH IMMIGRANTS, 1899 TO 1910, BY DIVISION[1]

--------------------------+-------------------+---------- Division | Jewish immigrants | Per cent --------------------------+-------------------+---------- North Atlantic States | 923549 | 86.0 North Central States | 110998 | 10.3 South Atlantic States | 25149 | 2.3 South Central States | 8324 | .8 Western States | 6384 | .6 --------------------------+-------------------+---------- Total | 1074404[2] | 100.0 --------------------------+-------------------+----------

[1] From _Reports of Commissioner-General of Immigration_.

[2] 27 were destined for Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico, and 11 were tourists.

TABLE LXVII

DESTINATION OF JEWISH IMMIGRANTS, 1899 to 1910, BY PRINc.i.p.aL STATES

----------------+-------------------+------------------- State | Jewish immigrants | Per cent of total ----------------+-------------------+------------------- New York | 690296 | 64.2 Pennsylvania | 108534 | 10.1 Ma.s.sachusetts | 66023 | 6.1 Illinois | 59931 | 4.7 New Jersey | 31279 | 3.2 Ohio | 20531 | 1.9 Maryland | 18700 | 1.7 Connecticut | 16254 | 1.5 Missouri | 12476 | 1.2 Minnesota | 7029 | .7 Wisconsin | 6369 | .6 Michigan | 5970 | .6 Rhode Island | 5023 | .5 All others | 31989 | 3.0 ----------------+-------------------+------------------- Total | 1074404[1] | 100.0 ----------------+-------------------+-------------------

[1] _Cf._ note 2 of table LXVI.

TABLE LXVIII

PERCENTAGE OF JEWISH AND TOTAL IMMIGRANTS DESTINED FOR EACH DIVISION, 1899 TO 1910[1]

-----------------------+------------------+------------------- Division | Per cent of | Per cent of | total immigrants | Jewish immigrants -----------------------+------------------+------------------- South Atlantic States | 67.5 | 86.0 North Central States | 22.4 | 10.3 South Atlantic States | 2.7 | 2.3 South Central States | 1.8 | .8 Western | 5.6 | .6 -----------------------+------------------+------------------- Total | 100.0 | 100.0 -----------------------+------------------+-------------------

[1] From _Reports of Commissioner-General of Immigration_.

TABLE LXIX

PARTIc.i.p.aTION OF JEWISH IMMIGRANTS IN DESTINATION OF TOTAL IMMIGRANTS, 1899 TO 1910, BY DIVISION

-----------------+--------------+-------------+----------------- Division | Total | Jewish | Per cent | immigrants | immigrants | Jewish of total -----------------+--------------+-------------+----------------- North Atlantic | 6368243 | 923549 | 14.5 North Central | 2116327 | 110998 | 5.2 South Atlantic | 254936 | 25149 | 9.9 South Central | 167437 | 8324 | 5.0 Western | 532824 | 6384 | 1.2 -----------------+--------------+-------------+----------------- Total | 9439757 | 1074404[2] | 11.4 -----------------+--------------+-------------+-----------------

[1] From _Reports of Commissioner-General of Immigration_.

[2] _Cf._ note 2 of table LXVI.

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A.

PRESIDENT HARRISON'S MESSAGE TO CONGRESS, DECEMBER 9, 1891.[141]

This Government has found occasion to express in a friendly spirit, but with much earnestness, to the Government of the Czar its concern because of the harsh measures now being enforced against the Hebrews in Russia. By the revival of antisemitic laws, long in abeyance, great numbers of those unfortunate people have been constrained to abandon their homes and leave the Empire by reason of the impossibility of finding subsistence within the pale to which it is sought to confine them. The immigration of these people to the United States--many other countries being closed to them--is largely increasing and is likely to a.s.sume proportions which may make it difficult to find homes and employment for them here and to seriously affect the labor market. It is estimated that over 1,000,000 will be forced from Russia in a few years. The Hebrew is never a beggar; he has always kept the law--life by toil--often under severe and oppressive civil restrictions. It is also true that no race, set or cla.s.s has more fully cared for its own than the Hebrew race. But the sudden transfer of such a mult.i.tude under conditions that tend to strip them of their small acc.u.mulations and to depress their energies and courage is neither good for them nor for us.

The banishment, whether by direct decree or by not less certain indirect methods, of so large a number of men and women is not a local question. A decree to leave one country is in the nature of things an order to enter another--some other. This consideration, as well as the suggestion of humanity, furnishes ample ground for the remonstrances which we have presented to Russia, while our historic friends.h.i.+p for that government can not fail to give a.s.surance that our representations are those of a sincere wellwisher.

FOOTNOTES:

[141] (_Messages and Papers of the Presidents_, 1789-1897, vol. ix, 1889-97, p. 188. Was.h.i.+ngton, 1898).

APPENDIX B.

ARTICLE VII OF THE CONSt.i.tUTION OF ROUMANIA.

Difference in religious beliefs and confessions does not const.i.tute in Roumania an obstacle to the obtainment of civil and political rights, nor to the exercise of these rights.