The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-04-08
NETTLETON LEAVS.
Secretary Foster Transfers tb
immigration Business.
Mr.. sPAULD1NG IN CHARGE
The Change Made at Mr. Nettletou'l
Request

He VIII be Gone from Washington Tw,
Weeks, and it Is Understood That II,
VIII Enter Private business at the Enc
of That Tims-Before Leaving He Ad
dressed Letter to Immigration Com.
missioner Weber.
WASHINGTON, April D. Assistant Secre
tary of the Treasury Nettleton has left
Washington, TO be absent two or three
weeks. 1t is understood that Mr.. Nettle.
ton, at the expiration of that time, will
enter into private business, a step which
he has postponed for the past month
because of the pending Congl essional
investigation into Ellis Island.
AT the request of Mr.. Nettleton, Secre.
tary Foster transferred the emigration
business of the Treasury Department,
heretofore under his charge, to Assistant
Secretary Spaulding.
Prior to leaving, Assistant Secretary
Nettleton addressed the following letter
to Colonel Weber, superintendent of i'm.
migration at New York;
"Dear Sir-On the 10Th ultimo ad-
dressed you a letter which seemed to
imply criticism of your official course in
landing certain classes of immigrants
upon receiving the assurance of persons
or societies that they should not become
public charge. That letter correctly
stated the attitude Of this department
on the main question referred to, which
Is that whenever an immigrant is found
upon inspection to be likely to become a
public charge, he will not be landed be-
cause Of any written or oral assurance
of any person or society, except upon
distinct written authorization of the
Secretary of the Treasury. But your
subsequent oral explanations have con-
vinced me that we did not place the
same construction on certain language
of your former letter, which furnished
the basis of mine.
'In your communication, after refer
ring TO certain destitute alien immi-
grants who had been landed by the au-
thority of the Superintendent Of Immi
grafton at Washington, upon the guar
aaty of certain parties that they would !
not become a public charge, you used |
this language: These aliens in question |
would be considered in the category of |
persons likely to become public |
charge
"From this language, and from the
fact that these cases had been held up
and referred to the Department at all, l
fully understood that they had been duly
inspected, found to be persons likely to
become a public charge, and yet had
been finally landed contrary to law, upon
the assurance of some charitable society
that they should not in fact become
burden upon the public. This under
standing of mine was not modified by
your next sentence, to wit; THE deter
mination of this likelihood depends upon
the circumstances surrounding the case
in point.
"You now explain that the misleading
reference of these cases to the Depart
ment was an error committed during
your temporary absence. You further
explain that the language first above
quoted from your letter meant simply
that these particular immigrants, being
otherwise eligible, were persons whose
status on gnal inspectiun would be prop
erly considered in connection with the
provision Of law, excluding persons
likely to become public charge. You
further inform me that at the date Of
your action, and of your letter, you were
not aware of the Department circular
fixing the authority of the Superinten-
dent Of immigration,
'In the light of this explanation there
was, of course nothing in your official
action calling for criticism, and | cheer
fully make the correction. My letter to
you was based upon the statement con-
tanned in the first quotation from your
language herein given, and upon the
attendant circumstances.