The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-05-19
TO RESTRICT IMMIGRATION.
A Bin Designed to Make Better Citizens
of immigrants.

of immigrants.
One of the most important measures
now awaiting action in congress is a
bill designed to make better citizens of
immigrants coming to this country, and
TO lessen the number of undesirable ad-
ditions to our population This measure,
known as H. 3. 5246, was introduced by
Rev. William A. Stone of Pennsylvania,
and has been favorably reported to the
house by the judiciary committee.
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
place of residence, certificate showing
that the representative has made an
investigation concerning the immigrant
and that the immigrant is not one of
those excluded from this country under
its present laws or any that may be
adopted. The following is quoted from
the report of the judiciary committee;
1.-The purpose of this bill Is to prevent
the criminals and paupers of Europe
from being sent here as Immigrants.
Statistics show that much too large a
proportion of the immigrants now com
ing here as incapable of self.support.
BY the last census the per cent of per
sons boru IN foreign countries is TAFT
per cent and yet this census shows that
26 per cent of the white prisoners con-
fined in jails and simple prisons are per-
sons of foreign birth. The total number
of white convicts in our psniteOtiaries
whose birth place is known is 2S,440,
composed of l3,715 native born and IA
725 foreign born, showing THAT more
than one-half of all our white convicts
are of foreign birth. Our benevolent
the last census, of which the foreign
born compose "a per cent. The total
number of the white inmates of our
poorhouses is $1,000, OF which number
q GAS, or a little over 81 percent, were
born in foreign countries. uhese Stats
tics show that with foreigE population
of l4.77 per cent, more thai half of our
white pendtentiaTy conwiccs and more
than half of the white inmates of our
poorho@ses are foreigners, and prove
that of the immigrants coming here dur
ing the past few wears too many of them
are defcieat in morals, ana are incapa-
bic physically of self support.
Foreign countries not only encourage
Immigration of criminals and paupers
bmt use ppblic money to pay their ex-
penses here. This fact seems TO be
sufficient reason why so large a per
ceatage of immigrants go soon find
themselves in orr prisons and poor
houses. The means adOpteE have been
found wholly Inadequate tolreep ont of
the conntry those really iacluded in
the excluded list. The superintendent
of Immigration states that daring the
six months ending December 81, 1893,
ls3-02s Immigrants arrived, and 1858
of them were debarGtsd as falling with
in the list excluded 10y laws less than
one per ceGc. The examination upon
the arrivals of the immigrants must
necessarily be wholly insufficient to de-
termiue whether the neutrality-suspicious.
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, aaas ex-
pended his all in the undertaking, sym
pathv overcomes the doubt as TO his
eligibility, and he is adGitted. EJnder
the present system the Immigrants
word has to be taken for most OF the
inquiries and there is no means Of re-
futing him If he answers Gntruthfully.
This change strikes not nationally, but
simply at that class of incapables OF all
nations who can only be burden to us,
ADD whose moral and social influence
can do US much harm"