Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-18

in their vessels shah be occupied and In order
to accomplish this they employ emigrsnt brokers
or agents to whom they pay from s. to IS for each
emigrant obtained. Sometimes even more than
the latter sum Is paid, the amount depending on
the competition or b eurgency Of the case. The
brokers, as may be imagined, are a low, lying,
dishonorable set, who will state and swear to
anything TO induce the poor, ignorant people TO
emigrate, and thus earn their fees. They tell
him that work Is plentiful aud wages very high,
and that AFTER they shall have lsbored for a year
or two they will have saved enough to return TO
their homes and live the balance Of their lives
without doing anything. Thus the poor, ignor.
ant people are wheedled into selling or mort
gsging what little they may have, and aner the
broker has received his fee Eom the transports
ton company he never thinks or cares more fol
the poor people whom he has swindled.
Consul JOHNSON, at Venice, writes,
smigrants, as 3 rule, are recruited from
the people their native country does not
desire to retain, adding:
They are onen fugitiyes from justice, and, in
many cases, those leaving their native countries
TO evsde legitimate duties imposed by law-meu
whose ~tupenious ignorance is unequsled by
any otner class Of people 'cund in the civilized
world. They are no more fitted TO perform the
duties Of citizenship than slaves newly released
from bondage. They have no intention of be,
coming citizens OF the United States. They de
sire simply TO get more money for their work
and todecresse ssmuch as possible the amount
Of work TO bedone for the money received.
Consul General JAssEN, at Vienna, says
Of the Austrian immigration:
The bulk OF emigrants c0me from Bohemia,
and is composed ofthe lower classes. Tn edu,
Gated, intelligent Bohemian remains at home.
Many Of the emigrants have most perverted
ideas of liberty. They believe that in the United
States no policeman interferes with entire free,
dom OF action. Many OF them think they have
been governed too much at home, and hope 70
find n country where they will not be governed
~ all.
During the last summer no less than 80 runner
ofthe Hamburg-American Packet Company and
Of the North German Lloyd were arrested in the
province OF Galicis, oa the charge Of fraud and
encouraging emigration. There can b. nc
doubt that they were on the hunt for contract
laborerS.
And as to German immigration, Coasul
GOODWIN, writing from Annaberg, Sax
oDy, says:
A few days ago | saw at q railway junction
two common freight cars filed with emigrant
for the United States, forlorn looking creatures,
halt starved aud not decently clad. In these
cars were men, women and children, with all
| tho ya,r1HIy g,Nlg fbn,. yneSauvaA na,l.o1 nfl,
SardineS, to the number ofGO. There was not a
seat in the car, not 50 much rs a board on which
the poor mothers with infants might rest. l have
ASeen whole trains of Just such emigrants. l have
OoSsEved these people on all occasions, and / do
not faitate to say that one-thlrd of all the emf,
grafton the United States from the continent
Of EurOpeS not only undesirable. but positively
Injurious and dangerous. So much OF the scum
Of the pOpf atiOu Of these old countries has
been trauSlagr ped to us that among well ordered
people who hmain it has become a settled idea
and a comuson expression that America rs the
asylum fOsa al the disreputable persons o.
Europe.
Consul GOODWIN adds that much un.
desire e immigration reaches the United
Stats by way of Canada. These spsci-
msns of future American citizens are so
grorsnt that rascally German agents,
aware that they are 50 poor that they might
not be received at New York, sell them
tickets to Montreal or Quebec, reresenting
that the passogs is much cheaper and that
they have only 10 step over the border to
be in the United States.
How shall we remedy this state of at
fairs? There can be TO doubt that the
greedy steamship companies are largely to
blame. 1t is suggested that the offending
lGG&psnies Re denied the freedom Of our
ports.