The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-29
TO STOP IMMIGRATION
OFFICIALS THINK 1T SHOULD BE
TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED.
Many Paupers Coming in and the
DecIining-HOw Law Is Evaded.
New York Evening Sun.

New York Evening Sun.
The possibility of the introduction at the
coming session of Congress of a bill re-
stricting or suspending immigration for the
next ten years has caused considerable of
a stir among the steamship companies here
and has awakened lively agitation in ia
vor of such measure in certain quarters.
Those who most strongly recommend the
ACCESSIBILITY of at least temporarily stop
ping the tide of immigration to these shores
are officers and employees generally of the
immigration station at this port. This is
particularly true of the members of the
Board of Special Inquiry, who. perhaps,
more than anybody else, know more of the
character of the men and women who are
daily flocking here from Europe.
The various men who comprise this board
as citizens are outspoken in declaring that
the interest of the country almost demands
that some measure be adopted by Congress
to keep out the alien paupers who are emf
grating here in large numbers, and succeed
in evading the restricting provisions of the
law through various devices. The only
remedy suggested is an absolute suspension
of immigration for long period.
When United States Senator Fairbanks
visited the Barge Office in this city a week
ago he expressed his establishment at the
low order of the great majority of the
immigrants who were then passing
through. Mr.. Fairbanks is chairman of
the immigration committee of the Senate,
and the impression which he received from
his visit to the immigrants quarters, he
said, would be of immense value to him at
the forthcoming session of Congress.
Secretary Gage and his assistant Mr..
Spaulding, and Commissioner General Pow
derby have been investigating the immigra-
ton question very thoroughly during the
| past few months, and it is said that the adj
| ministration at Washington has decided up
on it's policy in the matter.
The board of special inquiry has from
| time to time vigorously protested against
| the sort of immigrants that have recently
| been coming to the country from Italy,
| Russia, and some of the Oriental countries,
| shipped weekly from ports in those coun-
| tries without cent in their pockets. On
| arrival here they are taken out by friends
| almost as poor as themselves and put to
| work for any wages they can get.
| For the most part these immigrants are
| rugged, unclean and decrepit. 1t is not an
| uncommon sight at the barge office to see
| whole family walk out into the street
! with the women and children barefoOted
! and hatless and the few rags on their backs
| showing evidence of years of wear. Such
| immigrants the board of inquiry endeavors
| to exclude as likely to become public
| charge. But it is an easy matter for them
to interfere in their behalf, swear they are
relatives and promise to care for them.
IMMIGRANTS LIE.
| Cases frequently come before the board of
| penniless women. They swear they are
| coming to their husbands, who have pre-
| coded them. One case illustrates the meth
| cd, and shows how the immigrants are
| drilled in tactics before coming here. An
| Italian woman arrived short time ago.
| She said that she had come to meet her
husband, whose address she had The man
arrived to claim the woman, and their meet
ing was of such q demonstrative but
strained character that the suspicion of the
| officer was aroused Investigation showed
| that the man had never met the woman,
although she took an oath than he was her
| husband. She apologized and said the real
husband would come the next day.
When the next man appeared he greeted
| the woman with as much affection as the
first j He was also proved to be fraud
A third and fourth man. all protesting to be
the immigrants husband, came, but the
ported.
At least 90 per cent of the class of immi-
grants now arriving at this port the
subject of investigation daily by the Board
of Special Inquiry. Forty-fve per cent. are
ordered deported, but the records show that
not more than 30 per cent. ever go back.
Many are admitted on rehearings on tech
meal grounds. Yet the DOdrQ declares tnaC
for the country's interest almost every one
of them should be shipped back.
Many of these immigrants come here in
the belief that money is easily earned. Some
of them are absolutely lazy, and want only
light employment, such as peddling. The
Syrians especially come here for that pur-
and West They are brought here for the
most part by Syrian merchants, who fit
them out with packs and send them forth
into the country to sell their goods.
Women are largely selected for this pur-
pose because they are not molested by the
police, and therefore do not have to take
out a peddler'S license. They a thrifty
lot, but as soon as they accumulate little
money they return to their native country
to spend it..
The Arabs and Greeks are emigrating to
the United States in large numbers: All of
them are apparently bent on going into the
push-cart trade. The rate at which they
have been coming in during the last year
has alarmed the immigration officers here,
and several special reports on the subject
have been sent to Washington.
If no other action is taken on the immi-
grafton subject it is said that something
recently been termed the peddler immi-
grants" They have been coming so numer-
ously of late, that it is only g. question Of
large cities to which they all flock.
THE LABOR LAW.
The application of the contract labor law
operates to stop in a measure considerable
immigration, but principally that of skilled
labor The provision of. the act is now gen.
orally we'll known throughout Europe, and
immigrants as a rule know how to avoid
coming under its ban if they are here in
violation of the law.
The matter of an cath with many of these
immigrants is of no consequence. When
caught swearing falsely they usually laugh
it off, as if it were a good joke on the
board. Here is an illustration in point,
which exemplifies the paradoxal working
Of the contract labor law: $50 at
An Italian arrived here one day not long
work?" He replied that he had. He had
been engaged to come here to work as a
barber. That was a violation of the law,
and he was deported. In a few weeks he
came back by another steamship. OF
course, he not recognized by the Of
ficers. The same question about work was
put to him.
Thinking to profit by his previous expert
ence, he replied that he had no work, and
was promptly excluded as likely to become
a public charge The knowing immigrant
declares that he has no work. If he has no
money he arrangeS to have some one call
for him, who tells the board he will look
after him.
1t is well known that men here make
it a business of securing the release of i'm
migrants by securing men and women to
go before the inquiry board and swear they
are relatives of the one seeking admission.
Blackmail, too is carried on by these ndi-
viduals, but so we'll do they cover their
tracks, and owing to the ignorance of the
.s~wsk -ws.1..