An Editorial: One of the editorials in the Swedish Tribune for December 27, 1882 deals with Sweden and the Swedish Americans. This is the headline for this article.

"Soon there will be a Little Sweden in America. If immigration continues a couple of years more, at the same pace as it has for the past three or four years, the Swedish-American population, when the next census will be taken in 1890, will almost be as large as the population was in Sweden two hundred years ago.

There are now about 100,000 Swedes in the State of Illinois, which is a much larger number than many of the provinces in Sweden can present. All together the number of Swedish -Americans might be just as large as the number in half a dozen provinces in Sweden. One fifth of the Illinois Swedes are living in Chicago. Then comes large Swedish Settlements in Moline, Andover, Galesburg 2Rockford, Princeton and Bishop Hill. These settlements are growing fast. Have our brothers in the old country forgotten the emigrants just as quickly as the ship disappeared on which they left the shores of their country? Impossible, because the ties which knit Sweden and America together are so many and so strong that one cannot travel half a day on a Swedish train without meeting people, who have relatives in America. If one is then a Swedish-American himself he has to tell them everything about the great country, because nothing is more interesting to them that that.

The Swedes like to know everything, the progress the emigrants make, the various kinds of work, and their recreations.

Do not the newspapers in Sweden give their readers news from America? Yes, but usually not always good news. Sometimes we read articles in the newspapers in Sweden about all the hardships the immigrants had to go through as newcomers, and how they beg for bread and slave away or don't get going.

When a Swedish company travels through Germany, France, or Italy and stops 3in one of the cities for a dinner, makes speeches and sings, the Swedish newspapers immediately print long articles, but the fact is that what happens among the Swedes in America really does interest the people in Sweden just as much and more. But, the Swedish papers are mostly silent when it comes to pleasant items they could publish easily in regard to the Swedes' progress and happiness in the United States. Why? What is the reason for this silence? Why do they ignore us Swedish-Americans, who are struggling and working hard for an honest living on American soil?

Well, they are afraid to encourage emigration. If the Swedish papers really should inform their subscribers about the real conditions in this great republic, the publishers and editors would not be patriots.

The future of Sweden depends upon the people, and if the kernel of the Swedish population is drawn to America, the future will be dark. Therefore, when the law cannot stop the westward bound masses, the newspapers do not desire directly or indirectly to encourage the emigration.

Nothing can stop it! Westward, the star of empire takes its way, in spite of 4the Swedish papers patriotism and their efforts to hold Sweden in ignorance regarding the Swedes in America.

But these immigrants are surprised that the newspapers in their old country try to forget their brethren in the United States. If we, on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, had cooled off in our love to the old land, or were no longer interested in it, there would not be so much to say about this negligence, but the truth is, that a Swede in America, even if he may be very much Americanized, will never forget his native land or cease to love it.

He might, through his new experience in this free country disapprove of much he thought very highly of when he was at home, but in the depth of his heart he preserves as holy treasures thousands of precious memories from the time he was home in the old country.

To prove this, let us only mention the large sums of money the immigrant sends home every year, especially around Christmas.

Some of our bankers tell us that immigrants have sent home to their relatives 5in Sweden over $250,000 between Nov. 1 and Dec. of this year.

This money, which greatly encouraged thousands for Christmas, would be three times as much at least, if we count what is sent home through banks in New York and other large cities. If we should count all the money sent home to Sweden by the immigrants during the whole year the total sum would be twenty-five million dollars at least.

A people which in this manner remembers those, from whom they were forced to depart through certain circumstances, really does not deserve the silence the Swedish papers bestow upon them.