The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-12-08
New YoRK, Dec. 5. 1870.

New YoRK, Dec. 5. 1870.
Some of the western newspapers notice,
denounce the New York State emigrant
Commission "swindling concern" and
join in approving the action Of the late
Indianapolis convention, asking congress to
invade the right of each ssa,e to regulate its
own local afaIrs in that respect. This was
the object of the callers of the anapolis
convention though the pretext was te
facilitate immigration into the states which
most need it. A laudsbie design truly, ard
one to which the most carping critic would
fail to take exception. But underlying this
specious suggestion is a determined effort TO
braek down the New York Commission, and
now, since New York has been redeemed
into its own universal democracy, radical
newspapers and radical politicians have
everywhere taken up the cry. The motive
of these is not far to seek-the potent if not
very savory one that all the world over has
swaved such as these since Esau bsrtered his
brthright for mess of pottage and Judas
sold his Master for q price. A Federal
bureau means 10 them simply diversion of
various fat holdings from democratic sinners
to radical saints. They clsim that New
York has no right TO monopolize the head.
money exaCted tor the common benefit of all
the immigrants and of all the states, but that
it should be apportoned among the several
states ratab'y to the number OF immigrants
going to each. This claim has the unusual
merit of being at once fsllscious and absurd
1t IS based on very common misapprehen
sion of the nature of the head-money which
Is net so much a tax 10 the ordinary sense
as the consideration of 6 contract between
the emigrant aud the state of New York, by
which the latter agrees on one condition to
furnish the former, at or for any time durin z
a period Of FIVE years after his arrival, with
food, shelter, clothing, medicines, and medi
cnl attendance. The states of Ohio and
1Ili"ois and Wisconsin are not parties to
this contract. Why, therefore, should they
share in the consideration They do not
agree to protect, feed, and shelter and care
for the emigrsnt. Why should they be en-
titled TO any part of the sum be pays to
those who 90
The utter righteousness of the claim be
comes apparent when, even granting its
Justice, we ask how this apportionment is to
be made. Must the emlgrsnt pay toll at the
borders of every state, and must he be duly
labelled on arrival to show that he is gu
enigrsnt Or is each state 10 be allowed
TO demand drawbacks from the New YORK
communication fund for every psuper who
alleges arrival in this country within fve
years Then, having surmounted the
difficulty, how far will the head money SO
divided GO towards supporting the emigrant
paupers of the several states
The New York Commission, instead OF
he n euiuHlIpu y hos in fha
twenty odd years of its existence, done more
to foster and protect immigration than all
.be legislation of all the other states com
bined This is not the first time that an
attempt has been made to induce congress
20 usurp control of the business. Ever since
the New I ork Com ssion was first organ
lied, IN 1S47, to protect arriving aliens from
the horde of sharpers, runners, baggage
5mssn hers, boarding house keepers. ticket
swlndIeTs and the like-who preyed upon
them, tteeced and outraged them In every
conceivable way, its vigilance and value
nave been proved in the unceasing attacks
made upon 1t by the various mercenary
interests II baffied and kept at bay. At
almost every session of the Legislature a
rich, INSCRIPTIONS, and per:inaclous lobby
has besiegsd the capitol at Albany, aud
lavished money and eloquence TO break
down the only b1iwarkc between them and
their prey. This worthy band has been
recruited from very different sources the
unntigated shark of the bogus exchange
Office and the fraudulent express has Joined
his efforts and his money TO those of few
ship owners, who demurred to the payment
OF hard money of certain railroad agents,
who grew FESTIVE under the first restrictions
and strict surveillance OF the com missioners
of political hacks and place hunters, who
cav IN the multitudlnous officers of a recon.
structed immigration bureau glowing vista
of plumber and corruption. The commiss
toner's were, as they now are, unpaid and
bipartisan officers selected for character
and probity, and discharging Office of
beuevoience with impartial and unimpeach
able integrity. Naturally enough they
arrsyed against themselves and their mission
al the forces of avarice, chicanery, and
fraud. Increasingly the legislature was
pied to hamper their resources, to impair
their usefulness, TO abolish their Office. But !
Ia vain. Even a radical senate and assem-
bly, could not so blind itself to the true
interests of the people of the state.
Then the foiled couspirstors turned their |
attention to Congress Here they were at )
first more successful That patriotic body, {
CN'H nfoEt u DutuuiB III STATE bHhlfs, chugH ut
81 the suggestion so far as to create a
National Commissioner of immigration,
with superintendents at the chief sesports. |
OF these only the Office at New York was
actually filled by appointment Of a gentle. |
man then and afterwards serving as one 0f
the State Commission. The duties of the |
new bureau were mildly supervisory and !
genteelly contemp a;ive in a word, nil |
Tho Eaderel eu no 1dapt sfaoJ br with /
his hands in his pockets while the State |
officials did the work and sent yearly
report thereof to his superior at Washington,
who spent the year with his hands in his
pockets waiting to receive it, The Federal
authorizes had not yet attained that height
of serene insolence aud tranquil contempt /
for the guaranteed rights OF States which We
aaw exenpliiied at the late election. But
the New York super ntendent was q person
OF boundless ambition. His noble spirit
ohated against the elegant leisure of his
81, 800 sinecure, and he betook himself to
" ashington to undermine the State Com
mission, of which ne WAS still a member.
be procured to be introduced into the
senate bill transferring to the Federal
bureau the control of the i'm migrants and
supersedng the State Com The
bill was referred 10 the Committee on Com
nerce of the Senate, then including Messrs
VI lore !, of Maine; Howe, of Wisconsin
chandler, of Michigan ard Morgan of New
I ork; and there promptly squelched,
ogether with its author, whose comfortable
'inecure was thought on examination to be
and therefore abolished Thus
'rueily was the engineer hoist with his own
petsrd.
What effect the conspir,tors will have in
congress, this winter, in invading the right
OF New York to manage per own local
affairs, remains to be seen. Z
few words in regard to excessive voting
IN this city For years it has been ding
donged INTO the ears of the people of the
U nited States, that the vote of this city was
large in proportion
to Its population. So persiatently has this
cry been kept up that many Democrats
began to think that there wera ,,orrds g..