The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-01-25
RESTRICTING IMMIGRATION.

A good illustration OF the barren re-
suits coming from some of the long
wInded and expensive investigations OF
congressional committees is found in the
bill just formulated by the Ford commit
tee, which has been for several months
investigating the question of restricting
immigration. The bill will be a great
disappointment to those who have ex-
pected something substantial from a
committee which has devoted 80 much
time, labor and expense to the investi-
cation. 1t might be doubted whether,
if this bill could be enacted into law, the
existing conditions would be in any way
improved thereby. The first and most
important duty which was imposed up
on this committee was to define with
greater particularly the conditions un-
der which emigration can now be per-
mitted, and especially to remove the
doubts in the existing law relative to
contract labor. In this respect the new
bill makes very little changes in the ex-
listing law, and those changes can hardly
be said to be for the better. Section 1
of the new bill enumerates the persons
who are to be excluded almost in exact
ly the same language as the existing law,
taking the same range from idiots to
nihilists. But the provision is stricken
out under which paupers are permitted
to come into the country whose relatives
here give security that they shall not
become public charges. The vague and
consequently senseless prohibition of
the emigration of anarchists and nihll-
lists is retained in all of its existing
vagueness. The doubt which the author
of the law may himself have had upon
the subject is intensified by the fact that
the word socialist in the exististlng law
is stricken out and the word nihilist SUBJ
stitution. Ford, of Michigan, and Oates,
of Alabama, are chiefly responsible for
this new bill. They don't appear to be
acquainted with the striking articles
which Mr.. KEENAN, has recently publish
ed as to the conditions in Russia, and
very clearly do not understand that the
persons who in Russia are prosecuted as
nih;lists are in great many instances
simply accused of crime because they
are making very earnest efforts in behalf
of constitutional monarchy. The
words socialist and nihilist and anarch-
list do not seem to convey q very clear
meaning to the author of this proposed
new law. They make one general class
ification under which they assume that
the opponents of European systems of
government whether republicans or an
archists are all to he put under the same
general ban of condemnation. Kossuth,
uuder the bill which this committee ad-
vocates, would have been excluded from
our shores just as much as Herr Most
would have been in his most violent
days, after one of his most pronounced
speeches against social order. The Sec
ond section regarding contract labor is
modified in important particulars, but
left in vague condition, though it would
seem that the proposed new section alb
solutely prevents relative of any citi-
zen of this country from coming to the
United States with money furnished by
his relatives, provided that relative
shall have held out any hope whatever
to give him employment on his arrival.
Section four regulates the number of
passengers vessel shall carry, and the
next provision is that tax of IS shall be
imposed on every passenger who comes
to the United States by vessel or sail
boat. The bill does not seem to be so
much directed to the effort to improve
the quality or character of the immi-
grants who shall come to this country
and to exclude undesirable persons as it
is to restrict. the number of immigrants,
no matter whether they are good or bad.
The number of immigrants to this coun-
try last year was about SOC, 600. On the
basis of this S. tax, the receipts of the
government would be $3,OOO,O 600 from
this source alone. This large amount
does not include the tax which appar-
emily would also be imposed upon tour
lists arriving in this country. There are
some very complicated and almost inn
possible provisions with regard to the
control OF persons who propose to emf
crate to this country. One OF the pro-
visions is that they shall give notice to
the nearest United States consul or dip
lomatic representative Of the United
States of their intention to emigrate
three months in advance of making APP
plIcation for an emigration pass. 1t
shall be the duty of the consul to make
inquiry as to the persons who make
these applications. The law does not
explain how he is to obtain the desired