Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-05-26
TO KEEP OUT THE SCUM
New Move to Exclude Undesir-
 able Immigrants.
TO BE EXAMINED BEFORE SAILING.

Provisions of the Bin Reported from the
 Immigration Committees of Both Houses
 --No Attention Paid to Several sugges-
 tions of the Secretary of the Treasury. WASHINGTON, May 26. - The General Immigration bill, reported from the Immigration Committees of both houses of Congress as their ultimatum for the present session, is understood to be sat- isfactory to the Government so far as it goes, but an examination of it's pro visions and comparison of them with the recommendations of the Secretary of the Treasury last February will show that these recommendations have been generally ignored. In February last the Secretary of the Treasury sent to Congress the reports made to him by the special commission detailed to investigate the immigration question in Europe, and in his letter of transmission he recommended that ad ditional legislation should be had to cover the following points:
 First-That the cubic air space for immigrants on board ship should be largely increased.
 Second-That the present head tax of fifty cents each upon immigrants should be abolished, and special license tax upon the steamships amounting to $1 for each immigrant be substituted there tor.
 Third-That the owners or agents of immigrant vessels should be required to furnish bond of $5U,000 for the faith full performance of their obligation to
 return to the countries from which they came all immigrants landed here con trary to the laws of the United States. Fourth-That some system of inspec- tion of immigrants before their em- barkation at foreign ports should be adopted.
 The Composite Committee bill, now presented as containing the only legis- | lation to be attempted this year, makes hardly an allusion to the first three of the Secretary's points. The bill pro- vides stringent regulations to be ob- served by captains of immigrant vessels in making out their manifests and des- | criptions of their passengers, with a | view to preventing the landing of unde- | sirable immigrants, but, instead of ex- acting 8 bond, the bill imposes fines for the failure of captains to comply with | the provisions of the law.
 The most important feature of the new bill, perhaps, is that which relates Go the Secretary's fourth point. It is provided that the lists of manifests of emigrant passengers shall be made out before sailing, giving full and com plete information as to the character l and condition of each emigrant, and | that they shall be verified by the oath l of the captain, taken by the United States Consul at the port of departure, | to the effect that each emigrant has been thoroughly examined by himself and the surgeon of the ship, and that | he believes that no one of the emigrants is insane, idiotic, 8 pauper, 8 felon, 8 polygamist, 8 contract laborer, or 8 sufferer from contagious disease. The surgeon must make oath similarly. The United States Inspectors are ordered to detain for special inquiry any immi- grants attempting to land, concerning whom there is any reason to entertain doubt in regard to any of the above points.
 Further than this, the bill compels all companies engaged in transporting emigrants to display in their offices printed copies of the immigration laws of the United States. Immigrants de- tained for special inquiry are not to be admitted except after 8 favorable de- cision by at least three of the four in spectors.
 The bill is to take effect after thirty days from it's passage, and Chinese per- sons are excepted from the operation of ! it's provisions