Show scandinavians IN AMERICA the atlantic monthly for may contains an interesting article on the scandinavian contingent to the population of the united states the author shows that of the now living eleven and a half million descendants of the ancient North men more than one ne fifth or reside on this side of the ocean there are few provinces in either sweden denmark or norway that contain as many scandinavians as minnesota where there are wisconsin and illinois have such each and iowa nebraska and the two dakotas have large contingents while the remainder are lound found in utah california and washington or in the large manufacturing centers of the east bast the ioa migration immigration commenced as early as 1624 when gustavus Gu adolphus adolphia Adol planned the colonization on the banks of the delaware this was UDder undertaken takeo not as a commercial speculation but as a blessing to the common mati man 2 a home borne for a 8 iree irce people prom 1688 1638 to 1655 the flag of the foreigners floated over the colony their friendly relations with the indians prevented massacre and wars they had bad placed the church and the lort fort side by side acquired homes and obtain obtained eti prosperity in 1664 the colony become became a part of new york of the descendants of these first settlers hon thomas thomaa P F bayard wroe I 1 make bold I 1 to 0 say that no better stock has been contributed in proportion to its numbers toward giving a solid basis to society under republican forms than these hardy honest industrious law abiding god fearing swedish settlers air on the banks ot of the christiana in delaware while I 1 have never heard of a very rich man among them I 1 have never heard of a pauper I 1 cannot recall the name of a statesman or distinguished lawgiver law giver among them nor of a rogue nor a lelon felon the story of this cent im migra tion from the north la Is but a repetition on a larger scale of this first colonization the motive with the has always been a betterment of then their material conditions the forerunners of the later immigration were some norwegians Norwegia ns who came in the twenties and thirties poor but neither paupers haupers nor criminals from these and others that followed in their wake wonderful stories were sent to the old country of the opportunities tuni ties of the fenew new worlds world s and these attracted thou thousands sande concerning the political influence of these settlers cottiers the author of the article in the atlantic points out that their taste for building homes seems to be stronger than their desire to appear on the political arena in minnesota although a fourth part of the population they have rarely had more than one sixth of the members of tile the legislature in early days they naturally joined the republican party because of their antipathy to slavery but toward the close of the decade 1880 90 their allegiance to this party was somewhat shaken and the division politically to la going along the same line as among the native born americans Amer ioane the populists lists have twice elected a norwegian to congress from the seventh minnesota district the article closes close with a hleb high tribute to the moral character of the scandinavian contingent it to is undoubtedly correct to may aay that few immigrants are from the be first better prepared for a popular government than coming from the lands land of the ancient vikings A democratic form of government Is natural to the North men they have experience in elections and other obber republican publican sin institutions they may not furnish great leaders leaden but they will Itene rally he be found la in the front of the rank and file faithful to those in whom they have confidence |