26 the immigration problem 
came from Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, 
Montenegro, Poland, Portugal Roumania, Russia, 
Servia, Spain, Syria and Turkey. The brief table 
for the years 1882 and 1907 puts the matter tersely. 
TOTAL EUROPEAN IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES 
In years specified, by class of immigrants 
Class 
Year 
Per cent, of total 
immigration 
1882 
1907 
1882 
1907 
Old immigration 
563,175 
84,973 
38 
227,851 
971,608 
107 
86.9 
13.1 
(a) 
19.0 
81.0 
(a) 
Not specified 
648,186 
1,199,566 
100.0 
100.0 
a Less than 0.C5 per cent. 
The change in the character of the immigration is 
especially marked by the fact that during the last few 
years more immigrants have come from any one of 
the three countries of Austria-Hungary, Italy or Russia 
than from all of the North European countries taken 
together that formerly furnished the bulk of Euro 
pean immigrants. 
The rapidly rising post-war tide of immigration 
shows no change in this tendency. Southern and east 
ern European peoples predominate. The enactment 
of the recent legislation which limits the number 
entering the United States to a percentage basis 
of those already here was passed in order to modify 
this tendency. The figures for 1914 are very strik 
ing. In that year only 10 per cent, of the entire im 
migration came from northern and western Europe. 
Certain characteristics of the immigrants exhibited 
in the period since 1900 also emphasized the fact that 
the new immigration differed more radically in type