Arizona weekly citizen., 1894-06-09
To RESTRICT IMMIGRATION.

TO RESTRICT IMMIGRATION.
A very important bill, says the FL
Paso Times, has been favorabIy report
ed to the house Of representatives by
the judiciary committee for the purpose
of restricting immigration.
In addition to present requirements
of law the immigrant is compelled by
this bill to secure from the consul or
other representative of the United
States nearest the immigrants last
rlece of residence, certificate showing
that the representative has made IN
vestigation concerning the immigrant
and that he is not one Of those excluded
from the country under its present laws
or any law that may be enacted.
The following quoted from the report
of the judiciary committee will give
some OF the reasons why every citizen
should favor this measure:
"The purpose Of the bill is to pre-
vent the criminals and paupers OF Eu-
rope from being sent here as immi-
grants.
statistics show that much too large
q proportion of the immigrants now
coming here are incapable of self-sup-
port. By the last census the per cent
of persons born in foreign countries is
IA n per cent and yet this census
shows that 26 per cent of the white
prisoners confined in iails and simple
prisons are persons of foreign birth.
The total number of white ccnvlcts ID
our penitertiariee whose birth place is
known is 2S,440, composed OF 1878
native born and 14,725 foreign born,
showing that more than one-half OF all
our white convicts are of foreign birth
sour benevolent institutions con-
tain 60,962 inmates by the last census,
of which the foreign born compose "a
Der cent. The total number of white
inmates of our poor houses is 1896
of which numb Der 7,64S, or little over
81 per cent we're born in foreign coun-
tries. These statistics show that with
q foreign population Of II n per cent
more than half our white penitentisry
oonyicts and more than half of the
white inmates of our poor houses are
foreigners, and prove that OF the I'M
migration to this country during the
past few years too many OF the immi-
grants are deficient in morals. and are
incapable physically of self support.
"Foreign countries not only epcour-
age immigration of criminals and pau
pers, but use public money to pay their
expenses here.
This fact seems to be sufficient
reason why so large percentage OF lm-
migrants find themselves in our prisons
and poorhousee. The means adopted
have been found wholly inadequate to
keep out of the country those really
included in this excluded list.
"The superintendent of immigration
states that during the Six months end
ing December 81, 1893, 1S3,02S immi-
grants arrived, and 1,25S OF them were
debsrred, es falling within the list ex-
cluded by law; less than 1 per cent.
"The examination on the arrival OF
the immigrants must necessarily be
wholly insufficient to determine whether
the immigrant belongs to the excluded
class or not, and in many instances,
where the immigrant has made the long
journey to the place Of examination, and
perhaps has expended his all in the
undertaking, sympathy overcomes the
doubt as to his eligibility. and he is
admitted.
"Under the present system the i'm
migrants word has to be taken for most
of the inquiries, and there is no means
of refuting him if he answers untruth-
fully. This change strikes at no nation
atty, but simply at that class OF lnchp-
sbles of all nations who can be only a
burden to us, and whose moral and
scciel influence can do US much harm"