The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-08
THE OCEAN STEERAGE ABUSES.

To THE EDITOR THE HERALD
SIR-Now that the question OF excessive emigra-
ton from the Continent OF Europe Is attracting
the attention OF the nonproducers, ycleped states
men and politicians and that feeling Of animOsity
is growing up in the bosoms of the governing
classes against the Republicans appears from your
Berlin correspondence OF the Esd ut.-it is, con-
sider high time that additional advantages should
be offered to immigrants from every European
nation and efforts made to show them that from
the moment they leave the soil OF the old countries
and place themselves beneath the Stars and stripes
OF America they enter into the full enjoyment
OF the protection which citizens OF this great
land are entitled to. Those most Interested In the
prevention OF emigraton--to wit, the wealthy
oilers of Ireland, Germany and other European
countries-are fast becoming conscious oil the iac'
that In short time, unless the now OF emigration
to America Is stopped, there Will be none lett
to toll for them to tight their batties,
and, as natural consequence they will be
compelled to turn their hands to honest
labor Nothing is more dreaded or more desplsed
by the s'genteel' classes of Europe than honest
labor. and 1t is, therefore, no doubt that Deputy
Won Gottberg, in recent debate in the Prussian
House OF Deputies, demanded special measures for
the prevention OF emigration and called for the
prohibition of all emigration agencies. 1t is I'M
necessary to say that emigration cannot and Will
not be stopped by legislative measures no matter
how severe, and that America will always have, Us
for many years past she has had, golden hori-
zon," to use the words OF your Berlin correspon-
dent, for the German, the Irish and the working
classes generally. In all quarters Of the Old World
the material condition OF the working classes is
bad, and they. therefore, turn their eyes with long
ing anxiety to this western land, In which so many
millions of their kith and kin have found happy
homes, and from which so many millions OF money
have been sent for the purpose OF enabling rela-
tives and friends to abandon homes Of misery and
desolati0n. From the moment that he resolves to
leave his native land for this the emgrant becomes
new man. His hopes OF improving his material
condition are high The miseries OF his past life
fade before the vision of happy future; he feels
that he IS about to enter upon new existence In
a new world, and he steps upon the emigrant
vessel he shakes the dust of his oppressed land
from his feet in the full confidence that he is
from that moment under the protecting
agis OF the republican flag, and that
his interests will be carefully looked
after and Kindness dealt out to him. not only dur
ing his Atlantic voyage, but his arrival at Castle
Garden and his railroad journey, If he be bound
to distant parts OF the Union. He has heard Of
Castle Garden and the grand objects for which it was
established, and he labOrs under the happy delu-
sion that is all its noble founders desired it to be-
iantic lines in the newspapers and on the walls,
which set forth in glowing terms the admirable
arrangements @ which each line possesses for the
comfort and convenience of steerage passengers.
He has been told that on his arrival in New York
he will be safe from the articles of sharpers and
runners; that he will meet with kind fatherly men
Ia Castle Garden and that his trip the railroad,
especially If he DC bound westward, will be supe-
rior to anything that his poor Imagination could
conceive. The vision is bright one. and cheers
him during the early days OF his exile
Alas that it should be of such brief duration.
Things look bright and fair enough for the first
twenty-four hours, but alter for the worse imme-
diately afterwards. The steerage department he
discovers to be large hole i'll drained, i'll venti-
lated and altogether unfit for human use-in fact,
more fitted for a Kennel than habitatiOn for men,
women and children; the food coarse, and not un-
usually bad; the sleeping Accommodations inferior
10 that of q poorhOuse casual ward; the steerage
stewards very frequently rough and incorporates;
In fine he finds himself treated in all
respects as an inferior animal. deserving
neither good food nor good treatment Let him
be ever SO illiterate he Is keen enough &c the
distinction made in his treatment ana That Of
tune, il able to pay few dollars more fol- a cabin
passage. For the first time perhaps in his life he
becomes alive to the inhumanity OF man. On the
one side he witnesses courtesy luxurious food ard
comfort oil every description: on the other insults
bad food, pigoty airangements and inconvenences
sengers load and unload themselves yet are not
handled as carefully freight; and he wonders IL
the great, free country III which he is about TO
seek q home sanctiens sucn monstrOsities. 1t may
he that he grows ill., and that the cause Of his i'll
ness Is want OF proper light or ventilation. Bad
air produces feelings OF exhaustion and owness Of
spirits, and want OF proper lignt-especially
yea voyage@has the same effect upon human
generally careless casts passing glance at the
sick emgrant, and orders him pills or castor OIL
thn for alln
sengers. II he droOps and dies, as have seen six
persons drOcp and die his body is cast into the
fest over the dead body OF q favorite dog. If he
happened to be horse or dog, or valuable
piece OF cargo, every attention would have been
paid to him, but as it was his misfortune to be
poor toier, he met with the attention, and finally,
the end which his poverty deserved. nis friends
there ends the history Of the poor murdered
emigrant.
Mans inhumsnity to man makes countless thousands
II the emigrant survives his illness he becomes
dlsgusted with everything about HIM, and by the
time ne arrives at Staten Island his mind is made
Tor the rich even on the ocean. His delight leav-
ing his hideous ocean abode is iDexpressible. He
more humane treatment, but even IN Castle Gar
den-that boosted home Of phianthropy--all his
bright hopes vanish. He may be asked il nc has
any complaints to make, but in ninetynne out Of
every one hundred cases he fee grateful at be-
ing freed from the horrors to which he was sub.
jected in the ocean steerage that he gives a brief
affirmative and gladly takes his departure. Apathy,
necessity, or q belief that he is powerless to act
against rich company, induces the poor mmi-
grant to abandon duty and the result has been and
Is that companies and their officials, having no
dread OF exposure, act with impunity. But all
great evils end i'll revolution, and the revolution
that will now take place in the treatment of pas
scngcrs Will be greater than any one anticipates.
A war against those horrible abuses is war which
can DC prosecuted without fear or loss and in the
certainty OF success--a war in which we are all
bound to bear our part-a war against disease, dis
order, inhumanity, JObbcry, dirt and death; In
fine. holy war. If the immigrant passes scath-
less through Castle Garden lie has reason TO
he thankful, but IL he IL bound westward he soon
finds tina: the h0rrrrs he abandoned with the YES
sci rcc0mmence under new form on land. The
evidence which have now before me, In the shape
OF letters from various quarters. proves that the
immigrants treatment on some Of the railway lines
IL scandaOus, and that they are treated as cattle
usually are, IL Is not my province TO enter mere