The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-07-26
THD MMlCRA1IONLAWS
Industrial Commission Investigat-
ing Their Workings.
PADR0NE SYSTEM STILL EXISTS.

So Declares Edward II. insolvency,
Assistant Com missioner of Immigra-
ton. Who Urges Amendments to tho
Present Laws.
New York, July 26.-In the hearing
of the subcommittee Of the United
States industrial commission which is
inquiring into the working of the i'm
migration laws yesterday the exam
nation of Assistant Commissioner of
immigration Edward F.. insolvency
was resumed. Chairman Ellison A.
Smyth questioned the witness regard
ing the existence of the padrone sys-
tenn in this country.
III by the padrone system" said Mr..
McSweeney, "is meant that immi-
grants are controlled by certain bank
ers after they come here; that the
commissariat is regulated by these
men; that the money of the immigrant
is sent back to Italy by these bankers
If that Is what we consider the padrone
system, 1t still exists. The system
reputed to have obtained years ago.
whereby the bankers induced these
men to come here, | do not think any
longer exists, because there is no need
for it. They now come Of their own
accord. Before they come they know
that by going to certain banker they
will find employment. My impression
is that the Italian immigrants prefer
to be under the control of the pa
drone."
What other races besides the Ital-
ians and Orisntals are held in indus
trial bondage?" asked the chairman.
There was a species Of labor selling
/ prevalent in New York for long
time, bat l believe it was suppressed
! under Commissioners Senner and
| Fitchie. There were Austrian girls who
were taken into families and kept there
at nominal wages for years"
| Mr.. McSWeeney said that while the
! girls were not brought here for i'm
moral purposes, many of them became
| outcasts owing to their harsh treat
ment. He said that many such girls
| were living in New York, according
to the police.
Mr.. insolvency was questioned at
length In regard to Mormon immigra-
ton. lie said that probably 95 per
cent of the new arrivals were women.
They all come over in charge of an
elder. They ali cain to be Latter Day
Saints, and declare, with a great deal
of force, that they intend to obey the
| laws of the United States.
MIR. insolvency said that probably
Go per cent of all the new arrivals had
their passages prepaid by friends or
| relatives in this country.
what records have you in regard
to Canadian immigration"
at has been estimated that from
| 10000 to 10000 come here every year,
and many Of them find their way as far
south as New Orleans, whore they
work as 'longshOrem1n and return
/ each year"
Gustav H. Schwab one Of the agents
of the North German Steamship COM
| pany, who was sworn, said he believed
the immigration laws were intelligent
ly and carefully executed Mr. Schwab
spoke Of the educational test and said
he thought it unwiSe to keep out the
Drawn and muscle which is needed for
the development Of the country, and de-
clared the present laws ample TO pro-
teCt the country. He believed the i'm
migrants coming here now are abso-
! lutely needed. MIR. Schwab opposed the
doubling of the head tax or making
| it S. or $40 for each new arrival which
would be prohibitory. Mr.. SchWab
| said the proposed consular inspections
abroad would be not only failure, but
farce.
Robert Floyd, representing the Cum
| ard line, said he agreed with everything
which MIR. Schwab had said. The pas
; sengers OF his company, he said, were
drawn mostly from Great Britain and
! Ireland and Scandinavia. He said his
company would not be party to any
attempt to eyade the immigration law.
| He believed the present laws adequate.
j. Ter-kuile, The agent Of the habre
line, said his company brought in
about 10000 immigrants last year,
nearly all Of WHOM were Italians.
! From Ona-third to two-fiths of these
| had their fares prepaid in this coun-
try Mr.. Kullc said that TO his knowl-
edge the evils Of the padrone system
had been wiped out.
Arthur Lederer, passenger manager
Of the American Red Star line, said his
company last year brought 5000 pas
sengers in the steerage. OF these 40
per cent were prepaid.
Mr.. McSWeeney, recalled. gave some
information regarding the sweating"
| system. He said that Gne-thrd of the
whole number Of immigrants who have
| come to this country arrived between
| the years 1850 and 1890, when the in
| fuence of foreign Immigrants began to
have an influence on trade workers.
| In 1855 the Hebrews controlled the
Sweating" trade. They were super
seeded by the Italians, and they have
now been replaced by the Greeks.
Mr.. McSweeney said that applica-
tons for TO- 600 unsklled workmen had
been made upon the immigration att
thorties since the revival of business
last spring, but these they could not
| and had no authority to furnish
Mr. insolvency offered a number Of
! suggestions of amendments to the
present immigration laws, among them
the following:
That the immigrant should declare
| whether he intended to become a cit
izen of the United States; that prOsti-
tutes he barred out; that the commits
siOner general of immigration be given
| power to expend the over fund re-
ccived at this port at the stations of
Boston and other ports where the in
come is smaller, and that false test-
uOny given before the boards of spec
ial inquiry should be punished as per-
jury.
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