Omaha daily bee., 1891-11-18
SUFFERING on SHIPBOARD.
shocking Depravity Among the I'M
migration OF Tr mp Steamers
5i3 FOURTEENTH STREET, ?
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Nov. II.

Ou oNSIy udlu cip bOuhl NV iSiphhH
matte disclosure OF immigration Commits.
sioner Schultiez, who landed from the steam
ship Servla disguised as Il steerage immi-
grant, excited much comment. Especially
was this true in the official circles of tito
Treasury department. After immigration
Commissioner owen had read the sensational
narrative very carefully he said to The BEE
correspondent: 'Schultiez has done a very
clever niece Of detective work ana 1T will
serve a good purpose In bringing to the at
tention of the public what is now known In
Official circles to exist. We are aware of tue
misery and squalor with which the immigrants
are surrounded during their passage and 1T
is simply appalling. A short time ago when
| was making a personal Investigation OF
this subject / went to New York with sew
eral other gentlemen and determined to stop
one OF the incoming tramp passenger ships
for the purpose of getting an idea OF the
exact conditions of the passengers. We
found over 800 Italians aboard. They were
crowded below decks, the mon, women and
children being there promiscuously. The
stencil which arose from the matches was so
great that none of us could get down the
ladders to see the mass OF humanity. When
the decks were cleared we found that there
was not a single pump below decks for
the great crowd of immigrants. If they
managed to struggle up two flights of lad
ders they could find two pumps AT which
LWUEIln DdSlUS were pldCeu anu IheSc bWO
pumps and two basins were serving for
nearly 1000 people.
There were no water closets on the lower
decks and only three or perhaps four on the
upper decks. 1t was grossly inadequate for
the calls of nature of nearly 1000 people aud
the result was that filth abounded every
where. They were living in filth. In short,
what we saw was exactly parallel to the
shocking scenes which Mr.. Schultiez de-
scribes. l have reported these obser-
tIn nnH than ora ~ nNsy n flntfnr
of official record, but Mr.. Schultiez
has gone further and by surrounding him
self with detective methods and Il somewhat
ingenious and picturesque scheme, has
brought out some facts which we know in
an official way so that they will be read and
understood by the public at large"
The commissioner was asked if any other
immigration official had ever found that de-
bauching among the women Immigrants and
a crew as Shultiez describes.
NO. continued MIR. Owen, land | doubt
very much if the debauchery which Schultiez
tells of Is anything more than might be
be expected among such people. The
women immigrants are not of the higher
class of course and they conduct themselves
on shipooard just about as they would on
land. Even Schultiez does not charge that
the crew of the Servia used force in their
dealings with women immigrants. On the
contrary, it is plain in this case, as it usually
is in all such cases which we investigated,
that the women immigrants are willing vic
tins to the solicitations of the crew. One
thing is apparent, that the crews never in
trade into the immigrants quarters, but on
the contrary, the women immigrants, leaving
their quarters, would 60 to the coal bunkers
and machine rooms, where they might natur-
ally expect to come into contact with
the crew. Mr.. Schultiez could hardly
overestimate the depravity of the steerage.
1t exists not only on the tramp ships but on
such as the Servia and Umbria, which are
regarded as palaces on the ocean. But they
are palaces on the upper deck alone, below
everything is vice and filth. 1t is Fifth ave-
nue. and Five Points side by side"
Mr.. Owen was not inclined to support Mr..
Schultiez in the attack which tho latter had
made on the immigrant officials at New York.
who are indirectly charged with being In
league with the steamship companies. Mr..
Owens says ScEultiez' cleverness of action
abroad ooZed out when the landed.
Convention Will Come West.
Delegations from various cities seeking TO
secure the republican national nominating
convention next year will arrive here every
day now until the national committee meets
on next Monday. The indications are that
there will be a sharp contest for the Conven-
tion and it is generally believed that it will
go far west, not to San Francisco, but to some
city beyond the Mississippi. The first to
arrive today and enter upon the campaign
was ex-senator Gilbert A. Pierce, formerly
of North Dakota, now the editor of the
MluuedpOllS lTlUunS. AlJ6F u Cdll uJ Inc
white house this morning, ex-senator Pierce
sand to The BEE correspondents:
ut will go either to Minneapolis or Omaha.
We intend TO convince the members
of the national committee, that we can give
ample hotel accommodations. Our eXposi-
ton building will seat 5000 persons, all
within full view of the proceedings of the
convention and within hearing distance of
every word uttered. The building is situated
within forty minutes walk of ninety zone
hntn1Q INrNm tho hnildinp r1Hinta
street car lines to Minneapolis,
ST. Paul and a number of towns having no.
tells sufficient to accommodate everyone who
will come. We have secured photographs of
every hotel that will be expected to accom-
modate visiters to the convention and at
tached to each photograph is u statement of
the proprietor of the hotel giving the num-
Der of the guests he can
and the prices he will charge; Minneapolis
will appreciate a convention like this, and it
will do the republicans good to hold it there.
| DO not know anything about the hotel ac-
commodations of Omaha. it is not our de-
sire to beiittle other cities aspiring for the
convention. presume Omaha has
good hotel accommodations, but she
has no hall or amphitheater in
which to accommodate a meeting of this
character. | do not think that 1t is any use
to talk about holding the convention at San
Francisco. 1t is too far AVA to be even
considered. Cincinnati Is VIGOROUSLY dis
agreeable, climatlcally and otherwise, There
would be no possible sense OF holding the
convention in st. Louis, while the proposition
to take it TO New York is simply ridiculous,
politically speaking, Chicago has already
announced that she does not expect the con
vention, and Of course, if it went there, she
would feel no obligations to exert herself for
the accommodation of her guests. In my
opinion it has dwindled down betweep Min
neapolls and Omaha"
Delegations from Omaha, Minneapolis, San
Francisco, st. Louis, Cincinnati, Philadel-
phia and New York are expected here by
Friday morning. The members of the ma
ttonal committee or their proxies will about
all DO here by that time. No place stands a
better chance of securing the convention
than Omaha, although 1t is conceded that
the contest will be spirited and close.
VIII Begin Work at Once.
Charles Biendorff, a native OF Omaha and
one of its oldest architects, was today rec
commended by Senator Henderson for APP
pointment as superintendent of the new
federal building, and his appointment by the
supervising architect OF the treasury is
expected at once. His compensation will
be s. n day and he will be en-
ployed till tho building is ready for
occupancy. Callahan, lowest bidder for the
excavation, is expected to begin his work Mt
once.
An award for excavating for the Beatrice
public building is expected 10 be made this
week as soon as the bids arrive here. They
were opened on last Friday.
miscellaneous.
William L. Amin and family and Mrs.