Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-10-20
NEW YORK LETTER.
SITTING UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS
FROM WELCOME ONES.
some Sad Cascs--Ncw York Society and
General Sickies a Gay
Lothario M sixty-Slx.
Of the Rlchmona plspA.ch.l

IOthario M sixty-SlX.
tCorrespondonco OF the Richmond Dispstch.l
NEw YORK. October 10, 1899.
1.-THE United States Government de-
Clnos TO receive you rs citizen, even Ia
inicnt."
What must doYH
Return 90 your native land. You can
not remain on these shore"
This conversation occurs on an average
twice o day 90 the big stone portals Of
Castle Garden. II is rendered into every
language under the sun, and ditcrs IA
tongue almost os often as uttered. II IS
always addressed 90 an undesirable immi-
grant. The immi grants who are not per-
mittcdto land would ia a year make good
sized regiment.
Through that gateway has passed more
than one tcnth Of the population Of the
United States" said IN official yesterday,
a. he pointed 10 the low, not very broad
nrchc0 d0os leading from the docks % the
inside of the sombre old barracks that
once echoed with the thrObbing strains Of
the Swedish nightingale. Jenny Lind. The
gateway ~ an old sallyport of the iort, and
affords the only means of access from the
water 10 the garden.
MILLIONS OF INmGRANTs.
On tho docks Just without the walls the
lilNilAAANAH Nlf ANAUftls hDA tN'lN At'M-
conner who has stepped for the first time on
American soil at Now York has passed
through that low, broad gateway. over
5000 900 sOuls have emerged from under
It's arrow arch 20 the light OF freedom or,
as the official said. moro than one tenth OF
The ontire population Of the United States.
They are now scattered from Maine 10
California. from Florida 10 Washington
Icrrit0v.
OF the vast number who have stood out
side this gate there have been thousands
who left homes OF abject poverty and even
wee. and who, seeing the shores Of liberty
for the first time. felt better impulses and
new strength but who were downcast and
utterly dishcBrtcucu by being refused ad-
mission i'm the solemn words quoted above.
II has been % sad and bitter-hcarted pro-
cession that has trampcd discOnsola'cly for
years ont Of Castle Garden back through
The gate hy which 10 entered. They were
the immigrants who could not stay.
THr IMMIGRATION COMMISSION.
Unless the good were separated from the
bad comparison would be impossible and
virtue iudis'inguis from vice. All the
emigrants 20 through o big sieve cstab-
hshod by law. and the same law orders
that the sieve shall be called the Emigra-
tion Commission. There are lust seven
holes IN ttis sieve, and they are all differ
cnt in shape There are, respectively
President hideeway, Of the commits
sion, md Messrs. Wyland. Stephen
son. Staee. Hausolt, Bourge and
lrich, members. IL IS for these gen
tlomen t. decide whether tho omigrant
may turn his face westward toward the
land ut plenty or turn his head and sadly
Tetraco his stops out through the big gate
WAY and on board the steamer that VIII
land him again on the shores he Quilted
for Americas soil, whore rest was denied
him. hemaiortv of the cmigrants bring
some prin,a flcie proof of their lndepend-
once and arc readily passed hy the repre-
s.utativcs Of the commission; but when
ever there is q doubt the cm,crant IS held
- appear before the commission for their
decision as 10 his fitness for American cltl-
2inship.
UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS.
There are three classes Of undesirable
immigrants for whom the sieve naturally
holds many terTors, and II Is for these that
flt commissioners are mainly on the alert.
France and Italy. and even industrious and
frugal Switzerland, have not hcsitated at
different times within few years to per-
Mit the shipment to these shores of known
criminals i'm the guise of desirable immi-
crauts.n On one occasion II was shown
That o jml-dohvery in Switzerland had
bcon effected evidently for the purpose of
rettinC rid If the OCCUPANTS 10y transferring
inc III TO tilN Nlff OF iit At ltllAlh N'l ll'i-
rant italians, pennies and contract-bound
20 native employees. contract labOrers from
Scotland, England. and Belgium, paupors
from the almshOuses of many districts IN
Ireland. and Migrants from the London
fiums, Of whom the English police were
clad 10 have % radiance, were assisted
here in order that they might begin life
anew as good American citizens. Besides
AN these there was the great Eolploss army
Of the uuskillcd, whose fingers have never
been trained to labor, and whose lnchna-
tious were the reverse of INDUSTRIOUS con-
stautlv driftingt1 this country unhlndercd
and helping 10 swell the ranks Of the crimi-
mails in our large cities.
HOW THEY ARE sTTrD.
This is where the sieve comes in. The
cmierant makes affidavit to his name. age,
nativity, destination, friends, if any here,
money. baggage, trade. or what soeycr
proof he may be able 70 bring 10 demon
Rtrate that he Is neither a criminal nor
luuatic, nor vet likely 10 become public
charge upon the county IN which he may
find himself when his immediate financial
resources have been exhausted. Then hers
put into the sieve II he gets through one
or the other of the holes, oil right; hut #
le can pass through none. why then he
must return home. As baS been sad. each
hole is differently shaped. and the differ
eucos are due 20 the individuality oi the
gentlemen forming the commission. Poll
ties aside, the differences are quite re-
markablc.
There was q large batch Of doubtful
emigants To De decided upon q few days
ago. and attended 20 soc how many get
through the sieve. To fit the hole 10 was
necessary that the omigrant then IN the
sieve should strike the pet theme Of the
commissioner representing that particular
hole The neat. mcthodiCal secretary of
the commission. who has seen thousands
az emerants sent back and who has served
through many changes IN the sieve, called
out an unprououncablc Austrian name.
For answer. there came into the room
sturdy man. a small, brold-browcd, bright