Foreign Language Press Service

The Emigration from Sweden and the Cause of It. (Editorial)

Svenska Tribunen, June 7, 1882

The Swedish Tribune re-prints an editorial, which has appeared in Dagens Nyheter, a newspaper in Stockholm, Sweden, and which shows that its author is familiar with both Swedish and American matters relative to emigration. He writes: "It was generally known some twenty years ago that exile was the severest punishment a man could get, but we see in our days how thousands of full grown persons joyfully go into exile of their own accord. There are many reasons for this. The means of travel between various countries has surprisingly expanded and distances are not such barriers as they were some thirty years ago. It is, therefore, easier to change from one country to another. Such change does not require large sums of money or any revolution in opinions or habits.

Six million persons have emigrated from Europe to America since 1860 with upward of half a million annually these later years. The Irish number one third of the immigrants and other nationalities the balance, of which the English 2and the Scandinavians are in the majority. No European country, except Ireland, has contributed so much to immigration as the Scandinavian countries, especially Sweden.

Our country is a small country. There were 4,555,668 persons in 1880; 250,000 have emigrated in 1860-1879. The Swedes in America, with the Swedish-American born children, number considerably more - about 300,000, of which one tenth are living in Chicago.

Here, is an official emigration statistical statement:

1860-1879 em. 250,000
1880 " 45,000
1881 " 50,000
1882 " 60,000

or a total from 1860-82 of 405,000.

The immigrants belong to the working class and are mostly from the country.

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Nearly half of the immigrants are between 20 and 30 years of age.

The author of this interesting articles writes what he observed in Gothenburg, where all the emigrants gather from all parts of Sweden before they go aboard the big ocean steamers, which leave that city every Friday for New York. About 2 to 3,000 persons arrive every week at Gothenburg. The people, he continues, behave very nicely and are well dressed. They have much to take care of in Gothenburg: rent a room, buy their tickets and also some dishes, mattress, trunk and other necessary things for their journey.

Then comes the big day for their departure, when they all gather at Gustaf Adolf's Market place. From here they march to the harbor where they are taken out in small vessels to the big steamers of the Wilson Line. The regular boats are Romeo and Orlando. Soon all are aboard, men, women, young and old, children and babies. A couple of hundred spectators are standing on the shore, mostly from the working class, wondering when their time for such a departure will come.

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Some of the wealthy merchants of the city stop for a moment on their way to their offices. What they think, we do not know, but a lady of their class talks freely, and thinks that the emigrants are fooligh in leaving their native country, "where they have it so nice, to meet an unknown fate in such a land as America."

The anchor is now lifted and the big steamer starts slowly forward. A jubilant hurrah is heard from the crowd aboard and the people on the shore depart. At least three steamers leave in the same manner every Friday, carrying emigrants to America, week after week, month after month. Sweden has, through this emigration, lost one eleventh of her population during the last twenty years.

Now comes the question: Will these removals of a great per centage of the people decrease the population in general; increase too much the population of women, cause a considerable reduction of the most productive groups of the working men's class and bring about great economic and social disturbance? Yes, to a certain extent. According to reports from various places, this condition exists in Sweden. All farm hands in one parish emigrated except those on the priest's farm.

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Out of twenty young men in another parish, who were supposed to be enrolled in compulsory armies, only six came on a certain day for that purpose. The other fourteen had emigrated. Small farmers are compelled to abandon their places for lack of farm hands, or to hire fifteen year old lads or seventy year old men. Instead of hiring strong young unmarried workers, the farmers must now be satisfied with poor married ones with large families. As these married men cannot get higher wages than the unmarried farmhands, it is probable that they and their families must depend upon charity.

The emigration causes also considerable economic loss in cash money for the country, amounting to several million Swedish kronen. But all this is nothing compared with what the loss to the nation in the intellectual field is. This we will not admit perhaps, as the emigrants are recruited from the poorer classes of society.

Let us then hear what the American government says in an official statement relative to the benefit America is gaining from the emigration;

"The emigration of Scandinavians, who already own properties in the North-western states, is very noticeable in general, and although this movement 6does not go further back than a few years, it is now considerable and grows speedily.

These immigrants are industrious, economical, moderate. They ought to be specially welcomed. It is, however, impossible to get any exact idea regarding the value to the country by the arrival of the foreigners. Their culture, their good taste, their artistic talents, and their good taste, their artistic talents, and their aptitude for inventions make them dominating figures. A Swedish immigrant, known by the name of John Ericson, arrived in New York in 1839 from London. What value has he not been to America?

When, however, one considers that emigration has assumed such proportions that Sweden has in three years lost nearly as many people as there are in its capital, the cause must be of a general nature.

The Swedish working man emigrates because he cannot see how it is possible to live on a yearly income ranging between 400 and 700 Swedish Kronen; There is no possibility of earning any extra income, when he must work twelve hours 7daily for this small amount. This wage is hardly enough for an unmarried man, but with great economy he might get some knowledge of the conditions under which he is living. This will be impossible if he is married, and he can scarcely participate in social life.

Then comes the good news from friends in America, that they can make a good living on ten hours work and that a common worker is not prevented from obtaining the education necessary to participate in society life of the community.

He, therefore, longs to go to America. There he can hope to attain peace and comfort in his old age through hard work, which will be impossible here. That is the reason why the young emigrants pack their trunks and start for the land on the other side.

The small wage is not the only cause, though it is the main cause of the emigration. There are other reasons, namely: social ones, for according to the writer:-

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The worker in Sweden feels ill at ease not because of ill will, but because of a sort of mercy from his boss who allows less strictness and makes him feel that he is incapable of achieving anything very well. He is more satisfied with the strictness of his American foreman, when the motive is just, than when his faults have been overlooked.

He knows that the American worker is more respected socially, even if the requirements for good work are higher than here, and he submits to these strict demands, because it increases his self respect. He, therefore, emigrates.

Even people with small capital emigrate. They go along all right in the old country all by themselves, but they emigrate for the sake of their children, when they understand that they can't give them any other future than that of a common worker. They have found out from experience that work does not ennoble a common worker, and they fear that it is not going to be any better here in the old country as long as the authorities do not even try to find out the real cause of the emigration. Something must be wrong in the make-up of society.

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They, who are satisfied with their existence in Sweden - any they are many - may say, that these emigrants are asking too much and are spreading discontent among the working class.

The emigrants opinion ought not to be depreciated, because when such opinions are spread, they will be taken up by the younger workers and cause them to emigrate.

It is very difficult to predict the future of emigration. If low wages are the principal cause for the emigration, then it is clear that it is going to decrease when this cause ceases. It can, therefore, be taken for granted, that the emigration caused by low wages will regulate itself. It will, however, never stop until the conditions for securing a decent living in Sweden are on the same level as those in America, and that is going to take a long time.

It is probable that the wages are not going to rise as long as old folks and children can substitute and be satisfied with the same pay the strong worker finds too low.

When the organization of the work in Sweden is such that it is more important to 10maintain low wages, then there will always be substitutes as long as they last. When these substitutes are gone the wages will be corrected and there will be demands for skilful workers. Hence emigration will continue until the supply is nearly gone.

The risk for the emigration will be less when a greater part of the Swedish population has moved over to America, because it will be much easier for the immigrant to get a job with his own countrymen or through them. Relatives and friends are also a mighty strong power, together with free tickets which are sent home.

It is, therefore, probable that the emigration is going to continue for some years to come, but it is also possible that good years and favorable times would stimulate business to a certain extent and so help to better the wage condition and thereby decrease considerably the emigration problem.

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