CHAPTER II.

RACIAL DISPLACEMENTS.

nigrant population of the Birmingham district-History of immigration rmingham district-Period of residence in the United States of foreignloyees and members of their households-Racial classification of employees sent time—Text Tables 659 to 644 and General Tables 378 and 379].

'T IMMIGRANT POPULATION OF THE BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT.

Illowing tables present the location by race of the immigrant on of the Birmingham district at the time of the investigahile the statistics in Table 659 and those derived from it large sense approximate figures, it is believed that they practically all of the immigrants at the localities named and strict at that time.

ollowing table shows the total population of the city of Birn in 1890 and 1900, the number of native and foreign born, country of birth of the foreign-born:

659.-Population of Birmingham, Ala., by place of birth, 1890 and 1900.

[Compiled from the Censuses of 1890 and 1900.]

referring to the above table the small number of foreign-born ity at both census periods is noticeable, as well as the fact that were representatives among the population in 1890, not only races of Great Britain and northern Europe, but also of south1 eastern Europe. It is even more significant, however, that e exception of the Welsh and Norwegians there was a falling numbers from the countries of Great Britain and northern ein 1900 as contrasted with 1890, the increase in the foreignopulation during the ten years 1890-1900 practically all arising he arrival of races from southern and eastern Europe. During

development of mining and steel manufacturing, southern and eastern Europeans, has been much g preceding decade. At the present time there are est out below, to be more than 5,000 persons of races f eastern Europe living in the Birmingham district. In the following table the present foreign populat localities in the Birmingham district is shown:

TABLE 660.-Number of families and number of persons of each town of the Birmingham district.

ing table recapitulates the statistics given in the preand includes estimates to cover miscellaneous repreraces not specifically enumerated:

umber of families and number of persons of each race, in the Birmingham district.

Y OF IMMIGRATION TO THE BIRMINGHAM DISTRICT.

statement regarding the immigration of foreign-born o the Birmingham district is as follows:

on of foreign-born persons into the district began over s ago with the coming of the Scotch, French, English, Irish miners. The next races to come were the Slovak, Italian. Within the past ten years immigration has very mixed variety, including Italians, Greeks, BulgaHonians, Russians, Roumanians, Croatians, and Swedes. r of persons of the last-named races is very small, and nployed in the steel plants as skilled workers, having other plants in the northern States along with skilled e workers.

detail, the history of immigration by races may be stated

ITALIAN.

n half of the North Italians have been in the district five years, although a few have been there as long as fifenty years. The South Italians began coming to Ensley City fifteen years ago, and quite an Italian population Ensley in 1900 and in Pratt City in 1902. By far the ber, however, have entered the district within the last and this statement applies mainly to the families of South The men without famílies, as a general rule, have been the t immigrants of their race, very few of them having been -ict over three and four years.

resent time the most permanent settlement of Italians is. now a part of the city of Birmingham, and there are fewer roups at this place in proportion to the total Italian popuin any other locality in the district. At Ensley there is

also true, but to a less extent, at Pratt City. T of Italians in the Pratt City section live in neigh ing houses and have less encouragement to becom The small tendency toward permanent citizensh of the mining camps.

MACEDONIAN.

The small number of this race does not warra sidered in proportion to the total, but the fact th into the district within the last five years, most e shows a tendency for that race to gain a foothol however, have brought their families, and they in the direction of forming a permanent colony.

POLISH.

The majority of Polish immigrant families came of them entering the district ten and twelve years without families have come irregularly since 1905. lation of the district has actually decreased since 19 time, during the period of demand for labor, num brought to the district. When the coal miners' s place, nearly all of them walked out and were thra ment through their affiliation with the union. Ma district and those who remained secured employ plants. They form a small colony at Ensley, but a vicinity of the Wylam mines.

GREEK.

A very small proportion of immigrants of this rad the coal, iron, and steel industries in the district, a 200 or less in number, are employed as unskilled plants. The rest, as stated elsewhere in this repor small businesses or in street trades in the city of the adjacent towns. Those who are employed in are very recent immigrants, nearly all of them havi the last three or four years, and they are employed the time when they feel able to enter into some small trade as their fellow immigrants have done.

SLOVAK.

The history of the immigration of the Slovaks into district is very similar to that of the Poles. Slovaks the district as early as twenty years ago, probably so the same time as the Welsh, English, and Irish c majority of them, however, now living in the dis ten years ago and the immigration of this race at has practically ceased. The most settled and com of immigrants of any race in the Birmingham di the Slovaks at Brookside, a mining town, and and munity exists near Wylam. Notwithstanding the Brookside community, at least, there has grown up a suited to the customs of their race, it does not seem t other immigrants, and it appears to be a peculiar e

FRENCH, GERMAN, ENGLISH, IRISH, AND WELSH.

e races are well scattered over the district, chiefly in communities, and, with the exception of the French ring the past ten years, were the first immigrants to e district. No colonies of any size exist, as the memong the native whites and associate with the native ractically an equal footing. The English, Welsh, and hen the first mines were opened.

OTHER RACES.

7 Croatians have come into the district, so far as can be it the present time. A few are employed in the steel hey have been there less than five years. It is probable were brought into the district during the coal miners' 8 and left as soon as the strike was over. The same is Bulgarians, although a few of this race have been here as years. The rest have come within the past two or three been brought in as strike breakers in the mines, but are d in the steel plants. A scattering number of Russians, , Magyars, and Syrians are to be found, chiefly as unskilled he plants, but it is not large enough to form colonies and e their families. All of these last-named races have come e past two or three years and constitute, with others ed, the most recent immigrants into the district. be the Italians, it is evident that no one immigrant race es in the coal, iron, and steel industries of the Birmingham alians, chiefly from southern Italy, more especially itute about 50 per cent of the total immigrant populae actually employed in these industries. Greeks constisiderable proportion of the immigrant population, but ly an insignificent number of them are occupied as eel workers.

ry of the immigration thus presents that of no particular a miscellaneous drifting in of immigrants of many races. ecent immigration of Croatians, Bulgarians, Roumanians, s, Magyars, and even of Slovaks which has supplied so e unskilled labor during the past decade in the coal and rs of Pennsylvania, for example, has practically not mingham at all. Many of the Italians who are employed ningham district, moreover, have come north from the fter passing through a period of residence on sugar plantasewhere in New Orleans and Louisiana. There has been, no decided drift of immigration of foreign-born races to , and no well-defined tendency on the part of any one ne in for permanent settlement and formation of estabmunity or colony life. The peculiar skill on the part of rants as the English, Welsh, and Scotch, and the necessity nal labor during periods of extreme labor scarcity or of e been the only reason, so far as the employers are conthe employment of immigrant labor; the immigration