The Wilmington daily Republican., 1891-12-10
PAUPER IMMIGRANTS
Secretary Foster Dwells at Length
on the Subject.
HOW THEY EvADE EXCLUSION LAWS

Untitled to Become Citizens of a
Free Republic, They Come in
Hordes by Way of fCanada-Provis-
ions for Increased Measures of
6crutiny Urged Upon Congress.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 10.-Secretary of
the Treasury Foster, in his annual report,
transmitted to congress today, dwells at
length on the immigration question,
commenting on the great influx of i'm
migrants into this country during the
past year, amounting to half million,
or 100000 more than the preceding year,
the secretary says:
can analysis of the statement of ar
rivals during the last fiscal year shows
that an increasing proportion of i'm
migrants is coming to lis from those
classes and those countries of Europe
whose people are least adapted to and
least prepared for citizenship in free
republic, and are least inclined to as
simulate with the general body Of Amer
lean citizens. The vast majority of
them crowd into our cities and large
towns, with the inevitable result Of
pressing wages, while the least efficient
and more vicious among them soon drift
into our poor houses and prisons. to be
continuous burden upon our people.
Undesirable Immigrants.
Among the more obvious and fatal
weaknesses in the present attempt to
winnow somewhat our incoming tide of
immigration, and to exclude certain
elnssac pf nlianc rphn ors, adYaittaJ h,r oil
to be either dangerous or undesirable,
are these: In tho worst and most i'm
portant classes of cases, to wit, crimi-
nails, ex-conricts, polygamists, and lille
gally assisted immigrants the law sup
plies almost no means of ascertaining
the facts. The personal statements of
such immigrants obviously have little
value as evidence, and it is only by acci-
dent that any other s6irce of informa-
ton is open to the inspection of officers
at the port of arrival With the increas.
ing efficiency of inspection at our sew
eral seaports, and the fact of this vigi
lance made known to intending emf
grants in Europe, an increasing number
of aliens are now landing at Canadian
ports and then entering the United
States by rail, thus practically avoiding
all effective scrutiny, besides depriving
which would otherwise be paid.
Agents Needed Abroad.
Congress alone can remedy this defect
in system which has thus far neces-
sarily been tentative and experimental.
Plainly, the process of sitting Immigrant
should at least begin abroad to be com
pleted, and not commenced at the UniteI
States port OF arrival. Some system Ot
investigation or certification, consula
or otherwise, in the country where this
intending emigrant resides, is believe6
to be entirely practicable, and such /.
system. supplemented by continued Wig
ilance mt our ports of entry, ought to
prove effective to the desired end Con
siderations of humanity as well as o.
efficiency require that aliens of the pre-
hibited classes shall not be permitted g.
come across the ocean to our ports, onl.
to be sent back penniless and stranded
OF the Chinese exclusion tho secretary
says the department has been unrelnit,
ting in its efforts TO enfore the Chinest
exclusion acts, It with only partial sue
cess, and unie,s congress enacts new
legislation upon the subject it woulG
seem that any Chinese laborer may law.
fully enter the United States after MAJ
8, 1892 unless he shall have previously
resided here, in which case his admis
sion is prohibited. Any legislation, how.
ever, he adds, looking to exclusion will
fail of its full purpose SO long MS the
Canadian government admits Chinese
laboref's to Canada, whence, armed with
Canadian permits to leave aud ret +sii to
Canada at pleasure, they are ut .loeft4
to invade our territory along its entire
northern frontier.