The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-04-15
IGNORING THE-.LAW.

II
The Treasury Department Takes TO Tssk
by senator Chandler for Its Interpreta-
tion OF the law GoverninG the Admls-
! = siDn nIof-fmmigrants, Thus Hs3teving tho
sfeanfshlp Companies From kssDonsi~
bifftS Imposed.
WEsHiSarUN, April The immigra-
ltion tzss passed by the fifty-second con-
gress March 8, to talte effect May 3.
has been the subject Of inquiry by the
senate. initiated by Mr.. Chandler, un-
Gil recently chairman of the inmigra-
ton committee, who contended that
the section of the law. requiring SEP
arately verified manifests was not being
complied with. The resolution pro-
duced the following correspondence:
Commissioner Weber, from New
York, wrote to the secretary of the
treasury, under the date OF March IS.
In reply to query for his suggestions
from the department: THE oaths OF
the commanding officer and surgeon
hate attached ut the end of the whole
number Of lists. This might not seem
to be in accordance with the letter OF
the law, but as we have lad cases which
would involve the making Of forty to
SEVERITY of these lists for one steamer,
it would become rather serious burden
upon the ships officers as well as the
consul to complete them during the
hurried moments preceding the ships
departure. The responsibility Of the
officers does not seem to me to be les
sered by che single affidavit at the end
and If it is deemed by the department
10 be within the requirements, would
recommend that you 81 rule"
March "a Assistant Secretary Spald~
ing wrote Dr. CLAWS, of this city, rep
rescnting steamship interests, as fol-
lows: "The manifest is to be the
width of sample sheet and of length to
permit of entry of thirty names with
out crowding. Lists of whole number
immigrants taken on board Of the ves-
sci may be securely fastened together
at the top and in this case only one
oath of master or surgeon need be at
tachcd."
The copy sent the senate includes
reply by Senator Chandler, as follows:
your answer to my letter that the
interrogatories to be made to the emf
grants are not to be placed on the same
>SheetS with lists of manifests, but are
to accompany them on separate papers,
leads me 10 say that 1urtner considera-
tion of the subject convinces me that
the additional requirements devised
and adopted by the department Of its
own notion and not IN accordance
with any lsw' are IN danger OF I'M
pairing rather than AIDING the opera
tions OF the law ana ought NOT 10
De put IN force at TINS time
The responsibility OF the
united states "cgins only aiteF the
voyage ana at the pGff on ARRIVAL upon
the reception OF the immigrant and MS
list: The above being the limitTa 'dea
and inethod OF the act the treasury ae-
partmentt instead OF carrying 1t out 1T
orally and unaccompanied by any other
idea and method and allowing the
practicability and usefulness of the act
to be brought to test unlncumoered
and unembarassed by additlonal ma
chinery, has seen hit to supplement the
method OF the act by very material adj
ditinns dit, nf its own to the statute
ui"' ,. In. NJ
c,S'a. ...,.. 80 Iii -, ao.,;nst
80 80, ;; a.. -. ,t,e,
",,,;,i. ."e ,""", ~ i,,, - ,hn ..oa,,sh;n ~ com.
"''s .I IT." - '. q .i,1I,- -
.:a.. pn =, ' .,.o .;,n,f - tha, ,bo
80 ~, :. a. - ,t,a,,,-
e.'-as In 10, ~os,.onsi,,;,;tU 80 -
,.o,;aDa,b,, .hao,,sr,+
1...w,,nn. ~, rar,,I,-
Il. III =: Fl ;,s,.,.., 49,, ,bs
iar ~ conrr.ss i , mistol.e Ii,sclv to
-, :. az ,b1;shnant ~ , r,atboa
- rro-I,;no, tha l.,y m,toria,ly differ
~. - .ha. ,rL;oL tho law Il.
-. .anto,Io,as Tbo 1,.- ;s not IN
y. 80 - .as,od ~, ;tsoIf ,io,e Inn,
-. - 80 r,.o,,;s;ons rI,s an inr,ort-
.ond,non, ;rSa-,ed b, tho sa,.r,.
60 o. - ,ho tre,srry IresnccffulIv ad.
r,.o ~. d.r,rt,nent m cancel article
"a of ;ts c;rcnIar of March II. 1898. and
t-v tbe experiment of enforcing the
law exactIv as congress proyided Il.
If ,b. .tcamsb;n comnanies wish 10
- a. a,,s,,ors ~ tho am;or,nts Lot
them do this ON their own RESPONSIBILITY