The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1893-04-14
IGNORING THE LAW.

| The Treasury Department. Taken to Task
by Senator Chandler for It's Interpreta-
| tion OF tho Law Goyerning the Atmis-
sion of Immigrants, Thus Relieving the
Steamship Companies From RESPONSE
bility Imposed.
WASHINGTON, April 9.-The immigra-
ton law passed by the fifty-second con-
gress, March 3, to take effect May g,
has been the subject of inquiry by the
senate, initiated by Mr.. Chandler, ur-
til recently chairman of the immigra-
| tion 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 %,
in reply to query for his suggestions
from the department: THE oaths of
| the commanding officer and surgeon
| have attached at 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 had cases which
would involve the making Of forty to
seventy of these lists for one steamer,
it would become rather serious burde1i
upon the ships officers as we'll 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-
sened by the single affidavit at the end,
and IL it is deemed by the department
to be within the Requirements, would
recommend that you so rule.
March ~ Assistant Secretary Spald-
ing wrote DR.. CLAWS, of this city, rep
resenting steamship interests, as fol
| lows: "The manifest Is to be the
width of samp1e sheet and of length to
permit of entry of thirty names withs
out crowding. Lists of whole number
| immigrants taken on board of the YES
sci may be securely fastened together
at the top and in this case only one
oath of plaster or surgeon need be at
tached."
The copy sent the senate includes Il
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 r11anifests. but are
to accompany them on separate papers,
leads me to say that further considera-
tion of the subject convinces me that
the additional requirements devised
and adopted by the department of its
own motion, and not in accordance
with any law, are in danger of inn
pairing rather than aiding the opera.
tions of the law, and ought not to
\ The responsibility of the
United States begins only after the
voyage and at the port of arrival upon
the reception of the immigrant and his
list. The above being the limited idea
and method of the act, the treasury de-,
partment, instead of carrying it out lit
orally and unaccompanied by any other
idea and method and allowing the
practicability and usefulness of the act
to be brought to test unincum bered
and nembarassed by additional ma
chinery, has seen fit to supplement the
method of the act by very material adj
ditions of it's own to the statute.
These regulations are quoted.
Il cannot help feeling" adds Mr..
Chandler, that this will work against
the main purport, which is to put the
responsibility upon the steamship COM
panies at the time and place of embark
alton of the emigrants, and that the
companies will use it to relieve them
selves from responsibility.
y | believe that the attempt
of the treasury department by regula-
ton to add to and improve upon the
law of congress is a mistake likely to
-oe,14 ~ +ba ort. III al u1apt of n natbod
of working the law ma terially differ
ent from that which the law it
self contemplates The law is not to
be tried and tested by itself alone. but
by it's own provisions plus an import
ant amendment inserted by the secre'
tary of the treasury. respectfully ad.
wise the department to cancel article
13 of its circular of March IL, 1898, and
try the experiment of enforcing the
law exactly as congress provided it.
If the steamship companies wish to |
take the answers of the emigrants let
them do this on their own responsibility |
and not on that of the United States"
Continuing, Mr. Chandler says, re-
ferring to the manifests:
1.-The law requires that the certifi- |
Gates of the master and surgeon OF
steamships shall be placed upon each |
of the lists and manifests. Any rule |
which contemplates allowing one cer-
tificate to cover in any form of words |
more than one list or manifest will be |
in direct disobedience of the we'll
worded and clearly explained intention
and direction of the statute. The law /
requires that no list shall contain |
more than thirty names in order to have
the lists separate from each other for /
the purpose of examination there to be
made. Toallow the steamship compa-
nies to fasten them together and make
one certificate for all the lists instead
of one certificate for each list would
defeat the whole purpose of the first
four sections of the law, as well as dis
obey its express injunction"
The matter has been referred to the
committee on immigration.
Arrival of the HekIa. /
New YORK, April 10.-The Thing
val1a steamship Hekla was docked at
the company's pier in Hoboken yester-
day and the passengers landed after
their eventful voyage. There were
thousands of sightseers at the pier,
many of whom had friends on board
the disabled vessel.
Miss Bessie Mitchell Finishes Her Trip
CHICAGO Apri1 TO- - Miss Bessie |