The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-17

obtain from the United states consul u
clean bill of health, be able to show
sound physically and prove that he would
not land a pauper. TO some degree this
would lessen the the existing evil IL IL
could be eflectually carried out. But so
long as our government Is conducted as IT
is. and especially SO long as its consuls are
selected because of political influence
rather than general fitness for such an I'M
portslnt post, just so long would sucSa n
law be practically imperative. In the
great majority OF instances the consul has
To depend upon an interpreter. 1t Is the
most natural thing in the world that the
interpreter. who is usually underpaid,
should be in sympathy with his fellow
countrymen and he would not hesitate 10
assist him in the practice Of deceit in order
to obtain the certificate.
Senator Chandier's bill proposes rather
unusual means OF checking immigraHon,
and combines public policy with philan-
throphy. He wonld have the steamship
companies bring no third class or steerage
passengers whatever; every lmmigrant
should leave his native land as second
class traveller and be afforded all the
comforts rs to food, quarters. ventilation,
baggage, etc, given to such an individ-
ual at present. OF n necessity the great
transportation companies would be com
PEELED To materially increase the price OF
the passage, and this, IT is thougnt,
now emigrate from seeking new homes
beyond the ocean.
"AnotheI suggestion is that every adult
arriving on these shores shall prove the
possession of a certain amount OF money.
Gov Walker saws he would have the
country enjoy decade free from immi-
gration; he would have the world under
stand thai this indiscriminate welcome OF
foreigners was TO cease until 1902 But
ii people of other nations persisted they
could land upon depositing with the gov
ernment 800; il they desired to return
within three months their deposit should
! be refunded, aud If at the end Of three
| years they could show they had been good
/ citizens the amount should be handed
over 10 them.
But in all the suggestions made for
bettering the condition of affairs in this
respect one great evil appears to have
been entirely lost sight of, namely. the
| dangers which surround the Immigrant
/ in landing and remaining in "a great city.
1t is an injustice TO the people residing
there, and it is no kindness to the new ar
| rival. i have no hesitation in declaring
that not one immigrant in twenty has s25
upon landing.
"The general understanding abroad
among the ignorant is, that this@country
! is IA perfect FL Dorado, and the time has
! been when steamship agents would
| preach that sort of thing in season and
out of season. The intending emigrant
has an idea that he can get money almost
| for the trouble of picking il up. And
s25 is a large sum TO him ut home, though
how quickly it goes If he falls into the
traps laid for the unwary by the sharps
| tha, infest the ,neighborhoods where the
| immigrants land. So his little all flies
| quickly, and there he is in "A large city,
! without work and without an abiding
/ place. Poverty first, and then, with the
| tempter constantly on the alert, crime not
| infrequently follows. IL would be wise
! provision OF law that should compel the
| immigrant to proceed to less populous
| cities TO growing towns, where the sup
| ply of labor is not so Overwhelmingly
| greater than the demand for il is, as is the
case in every one of the large seaports on
| the Atlantic coast
Il have no Hesitation in agreeing with
General Walker, who as you all know is a
man OF liberal as well as very clear views,
| and who expresses the conviction that
| there should be practical cessation of
immigration for number of years or at
| least until we should be able TO formulate
! and put into healthful, vigorous operation
some plan which should keep from our
| shores every person whose past, whose
! present and Whose probable future would
render him offensive in any conceivable
way.
1T may be said that sweeping law
which should prohibit immigration even
for time would work very great in-
! Justice TO worthy people In many coun-
! tries who would make most acceptable
! citizens. My answer to that IL, first, that
it would be impossible to discriminate
against any European nation for our rela-
tions with every one of them are of such q
character as make such step most inad-
visable; second, no great reform was ever
attempted without injustice being done
somebody or some principle and we all
know that there are times when evil has
90 h..I Il taaf TaI cor ea
then, immigration should be restricted
Statistics OF IN official character inform
me that paupersm in the large cities. par
ticularly in the Atlantic ports OF any SIZE
has wofully increased in twenty years, u
fact that is to great extent traceable to
the indiscriminate immigration during
that period
IL have referred to the timidity or indiff-
| erence or cowardice, call 1T what you will,
of Our congressman aud want To Illus
| trate it. A day or two since learned that
| there had been several bills presented to
the lower house dealing with this subject
telegraphcd to Col Lapham for copies
and he most kindly sent them to me yes
terday morning. In all, there are no less
than ten measures, but they only play
around the subject, there is not one that
| attempts to deal with it, i have read
through hundred or more pages of the
| printed bills and failed To discover any
suggestion which may be termed n vigor-
| Gus remedy for the evil complained of.
II have said that honest labor alone will
| have to wrestle with this very grave ques-
ton The press is behindhand in this
matter, though the pulpit appears to be
alive to the dangers of the situation. A
well-known Boston divine uttered these
words on Sunday apropos of indiscrimi-
nate Immigration:
"Let Am erica be for Americans and for all
| who will be American We cannot admit the
! heather to set up his joss house, or the man
| who comes TO practice Turkish concubinage,
| the sweater and his system or the people who,
| without knowledge of our laws or our lam
| guage. can be bought for n song when they
! come over. or a foreign legion which owes its
| allegiance To "a foreigd potentate. America
needs this country for her own boys and girls
| in the future. and the time has come when we
ought TO say to those foreign countries: No,
we cannot receive. any more OF your immi-
grants at present"
Labor, too, appears to be arousing
| itself Six hundred men of Respectable
appearance and pleasant demeanor gath
cred together in the same city on the same
day, and had the identical theme before
them which interests us tonight. Listen
To what their intelligent leader said
lab al to la., IL.