Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-24


Report 10 the Secretary Of the Treasury
After visit to the Principal European
Ports Of Embarlation The Anarchists
and the Nraaa.
WASHINGTON, Nov. "a Surgeon Gen.
eral Hamilton has made repc-.tto the
secretary Of the treasury. giving the re-
suits Of visits paid by him to the prin-
cipal foreign ports Of embarkation Of
emigrants bound for the United States.
He says he visited the ports Of Naples,
London, Liverpool, Glasgow, Bremen.
Trieste and Hamburg, and found that
there is at present no systematical med
ical examination Of emigrants at any
port Of embarkation.
Not Properly Inspected.
Some Of the steamship lines, he says,
require their surgeons to make pre-
liminary examination, which, however,
in no case compare with the exalnina-
tions made at New York by the officers
Of the marine hospital service, as the
purposes are entirely different, the pur-
pose of the steamship company being to
pass all that can be passed, while the
purposes of the marine inspection are to
report to the superintendent all cases
that are likely to becomea public charge
from permanent disability or present
disease, 1t may b. positively asserted
without fear OF successful contradiction
that the immigrants bound to the
United States are not generally required
TO undergo q proper Inspections
Points ia the Report.
DR.. Hamilton says:
$50 far as my observation extends,
and so far as / can learn, there is no
country in the world in which citizen
ship ii so cheaply obtained as in the
United States. The general question Of
restrictive measures against the income
ing mass is one Of the most important
that can be considered, whether
from an economic or political standpoint, |
and viewed from an American stand !
point there is NO doubt that the welfare
OF the country demands more restrictive |
measures that the present laws seem to
be able to furnish
The advocacy Of restrictions upon
immigration does not necessarily imply |
hostility to foreigners, nor legislation |
adverse to the interests Of those natural |
lied citizens now in this country. On |
the contrary, ii is believed to be for the
general interest of those now on the |
soil, who, having been invested with the |
rights OF citizenship are entitled to all |
the protection that our laws can give
and it is in their interest not less than in |
that of the natural born citizen, that |
further influx Of persons not bringing
skilled labor or material wealth to the |
country should be restricted. 1t ought |
to be q privilege to be an American citi- /
DD1 aTH f571.n tk.4,
gratuitious concession to the immigrant. |
the immigrant should be ol such char /
actor, morally, intellectually and physic-l
ally, us would make him more or less
valuable addition to the body polite, |
and it would appear the least the immi- |
grant could do in return for this con-
cession would be- to render cheerful /
obedience and conformity to the laws Of |
his adopted country. But in many in-
stances this has not Teen the experi-
ence. We witness in New Orleans and /
Chicago, for instance, the fact that GER l
tain foreign nationalities insist on main
tanning their murdetous assassination /
societies and putting them in practice
on our own soil, in contravention of our
laws and of the public peace, and this
leads irrisistibly to the conclusion that
the class of immigrants has changed I
from the classes of former times.
In looking through the vast litera-
ture of this subject as contained in vari-
GUS public documents, IL is found that
there is general rule regarding the |
tluctuation Of immigration into this
country which is that the movement
closely follows in its elevations and de-
pressions the material prosperity Of the
country. It is q fact that most foreign
to the United States, or, If ii is encour-
aged. it is Of d class they can well afford
to spare.
During the last six years, under the
operations of existing law, the vast
number of 2,666,276 immigrants have /
arrived on our shores
The introduction of this vast number
of people into our political organization,
NEST of whom are entirely ignorant of
our traditions, customs and laws, can
not be viewed without eencern and ap-
prehension, and without making n sug-
gestion looking to still further restric-
tions, it is not unreasonable to insist
upon the most rigid construction of ex-
isting laws in favor. of those who are
now here not less. than in the interest Of
the natural born citizen.
1T is the settled policy Of most for
eign governments to encourage the emf
grafton to their own colonies of such in
tending emigrants as are desirable addi-
tions to the population, and it is be-
lieved at the present time that no gov
eminent in Europe encourages enligra-
tion TO the u1ifed States. ] was un-
able to find any evidence Of assisted en-
igration, except to Canada, where,
undera certain circumstances, the e1ni-
grants are assisted and as the influx
into the United States from Canada is
less closely watched than that from
Eurcne direct. it is possible that many
of bsIose assisted enigrants may find
their way into the United States through
Canadian channels.
It is suggested that tire law be
amended so as to provide that hereafter
the United States shall produce to the
United States consul nearest him EVIL
dence from the proper local authorities
satisfactory to the cansni, that he has
not been convicted for any crime, that
he has not ag any time been public
charge In tho country, where he lives,
nor has he at any time received public
assistance. And, further, chat fle also
produce to the conss:l a certificate from
{. legally auslified resident physician sss
Tho effect that such elnigrant Is IS the
time suffering from no contagious or
epidemic disease or disability such az
would make him public charge
That on the production of these GER
tif1ates 10 the cossrl he ehal iessle %
the intenslias s.sssssl grant HIS ifEeate
10 the effect that the foregoing evidence