Immigration to the United States has varied greatly from time to time. It is a well known fact that the founders of our government were practically all of English, Dutch, German or Scotch-Irish extraction. Unfortunately no information of any consequence is available regarding the aliens entering the country prior to 1820, when their study was first undertaken by the federal authorities. As far as can be determined, during the ensuing ten years about 128,000 were admitted at the various ports of entry. The history of immigration since that time has been determined very largely by existing conditions in other countries. The famines and political disturbances in Ireland between 1840 and 1850 were the occasion of a large influx, concededly of a highly desirable type. The nature of the tide of incoming immigrants was changed by the revolutionary troubles in Germany during the decade following 1848. There was a decrease for a time during the civil war. This was soon followed by a considerable increase which continued quite consistently until the outbreak of the world war. There would at this time seem to be every reason for thinking that an unprecedented invasion can be expected during the next twenty-five years as a result of conditions prevailing abroad unless some restrictions are imposed. In 1850 and 1860 the number of Irish people in the United States exceeded the German born. The 1890 census showed a predominance of the latter race and they have exceeded the Irish element in the population for some time. Nearly a million Germans were admitted between 1880 and 1885. Since 1890, however, the number of Irish and Germans entering have both decreased markedly. After the Spanish-American war a great increase in immigration was noted and the rate of admission per year reached a million in 1905, but the source of supply had entirely changed.