Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-12-21
IMMIGRATION.

MIR. Grimth Submits to the Con
gressional Committee Valuable In
formation Regarding the Laborin,
Glasses of Europe In the District
Where the Greater Part of Our Inn
migrants Comes From.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-Some very in
teresting and valuable information rela
tive to the laboring classes of Europe wa
submitted to the joint committee on i'm
migration, which met this morning to con
fer about the bill introduced by Mr.
Chandler in the senate to suspend immi
grafton for one year. Graphic pictures Of
European life among the lsboring cIassel
and the poor were drawn by Mr.. Walter
T. Griffin, commercial agent of the United
States ct Limoges, France.
Acting under orders from the state de
partment Mr.. Griffin began, three year.
ago, to investigate the condition of tn,
laboring classes of Europe in the districts
where the greater part of our immigrant,
come from, and in those sections wher.
the means for earning livelihood ar.
least.
Mr.. Griffin said that he visited thu
countries of Switzerland, Italy, Hungary
Silesia, France and Austria, Galcis, Bo
hernia, Holland, etc. It was in Italy that
he found the most deplorsb1e state of af
fairs; but line drawn from the Adriatic tc
the Mediterranean seas through the city
of Rome divided the country into two sec
tions that were vastly different in theil
conditions. The upper part was the abode
of class of people who were honest and
energetic and made good citizens; but this
class did not emigrate to America. Below
the line named, Mr.. Griffin said the condi
tons were all changed, and the whole OF
the territory was honeycombed with soci
cites, all communistic and criminal in their
intent and purpose. Dealing with these
organizations, Mr.. Griffin showed how
they operated, and related to the almost
fruitless efforts of the italian government
to drive them out of existence. All of the
young men of the country belong to some
one Of these societies and the coming of
every immigrant from that section means
the importation of q man who carries to
his new home the ideas that dominate him
in the land of his birth. Last year alone
200, 900 of these men left Italy; q great
part of them coming to the United States.
Speaking of the desire of the people of
the people of Europe, of the lower class,
to come to America, Mr.. Griffin said that
1t was a common thing to hear, along the
territory forming the plains of the Danube,
the expression America Is the heaven Of
the world"
The height of their ambition was to
come to the states, and Mr.. Griffin said he
had many people offer to bind themselves
to serve him for an indefinite period IL he
would only bring them over, They look
to home in the United States as the acme
of all human happiness.
Mr.. Griffin alsu found innumerabls In
stances where the people of a particular
locality would club together and buy the
passage of bright young man and send
him over to prepare the way, make the
money and send for the rest of them. In
this and other ways clubs were operating
all over Europe and sending thousands OF
people to this country.
Many stories were told by Mr.. Griffin to
show that the morals of the people were
not such as to make them at all desirable
and that their peculiar ideas and customs
were such that they could not be assimil-
ated and become American citizens. 1t was
from this vast number of undesirable,
poor and illiterate people that the great
mass of immigrants came; and the recital
given by Mr.. Griffin was sufficient to show
the committee that the whole subject was
one requiring the most careful considera-
ton.
After hearing Mr.. Griffin the committee
went into secret session and discussed the
various measures introduced in both
houses for the suspension of immigration
during the prevalence of cholera abroad.
The discussion was general and resulted in
an agreement that q subcommittee on
legislation to consist of six members
three from the senate and three from the
house-should be appointed by the chair.
man of the two committees, Senator
Chandler and Representative Stump. The
sub. committee is to consider all measures
now before the committee proposing to
suspend immigration, and is to perfec
some measure for this purpose by Thurs
day, on which day they are to report to thu
full joint committee. The members of TIT
subcommittee have not yet been selected
The committee seem to have reached the
conclusion that measures suspending i'm
migration are necessary in order to keel
cholera out of the United States during tn
coming summer, and will doubtless agret
on bill at an early date, and press 1t t.
passage in both houses.