The Morning herald., 1876-04-19
THOMAS FRANCIS BAYARD.
FOR PRESIDENT !

THOMAS FRANCIS BAYARD.
Subject to the Decision OF the
st. Louis Convention.
raE EMIGRATI0N PROBLEA.
By all means the United States Govern
msnt should efectually protect enigrants,
or by law prevent them from seeking
home in this country. The horrors and
outrages Of the anti-commission days are
likely to be renewed, unless the law, either
State or National intervenes to protect
the innocent emigrant victims that land
upon our shores.
The abolition of the Emigration Com
mission by the recent decision Of the Su-
preme Court Of the United States, practi-
cally breaks the barriers which efectually
protected the emigranb from the
rapacious land sharks that infest
the port of New York, and prey
upon the newly arrived steerage passen-
gers.
From the settlement Of this country
down to far in the present century, there
was system of selling emigrants that
was very little better than negro slavery.
In the early days Of the country, most Of
the emigrants who came here we're very
poor people, too poor to pay their passage,
and to meet the obligations incurred for
transportation and support, they were
sold into servitude to the person who would
give the highest price for them. Old peo-
pic, erippcls and others not able bodied
were slow of sale, while healthy parents
and children of both sexes found ready
market At good prices. When parents
died on the passage, the children were sold
for term long enough to pay not only
their ow, passage, but the passage of their
dead parents. Adults usually had to serve
from three to six years, children above ten
years served until they became ofage, and
younger children were given away to
masters who could provide for them. All
Of these persons were known as linden
tured" servants, and were advertised when
they ran away in the same manner as
black slaves. Occasionally some Of these
servants fell into good hands and were
kindly treated.
The first law for the protection Of emf
grants was an act of Congress in 1919, reg.
ulating their treatment on shipboard, and
it is only since the passage ofthatac which
went into effect the First Of October the
same year. that we have complete stats.
tics ofarrivals. But the frauds upon the emf
grants continued TO be practiced until they
assumed such gigantic proportions, that ir
1S46 several influential citizens Of New
York undertook 10 secure legislative
remedy. Prominent in this work wal
Archbishop Hughes, Thurlow Weed: Leo
bold Bierwith, Robert Minturn and An
drew Caragan, who were stout]y opposed
by the boarding house runners, ticke
swindlers and other harpies who wer
preying upon the poor emigrant Th'
history Of emigration to the port Of Nev
York, as given in the Herald Of a recen
date, up to the time Of the creation Of the
Beard Of ofCommissioners, recently broker
upby the Supreme Court, is:litt!e less thai
record of robberies and outrages tha
would disgrace the most degraded savage
on the earth.
The United States Supreme Court re
Gently rendered an important decision t
the effect that the Federal Government
only and not separate States can contro
immigration from foreign countries. Un
der this decision the New York Emigra
ton Society, or rather Commission has n
longer any power to levy head money o
incoming aliens for the support Of tn
destitute among them. Being thus lei
without any resources, unless the Me-
York Legislature comes to its aid, til
Commission will have to dissolve and il
work pass: into the hands Of a Feeders
bureau. The decision has created a gre'
deal of excitement on the Pacific coas
Republican and Democrat, rich and POO
native1 born and naturalized, all unite
earnestly besssching the government