The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-27
CANT ENFORCE THE Law
Many Contradictions in Immi-
grafton Regulations.
.EUROPE'S CHEAP LABOR
Most OF 1t Goes to Pennsylvania-A Pre-
ference Given to Foreigners Over
American Skilled Labor-Italian
Immigration.

| New York, July 26.-At to-day's ses-
sion of the United States industrial
commission Roman Dobbler, chief of
the board of inspectors of immigration
at the barge Office, testified that his ex-
perience was that clerks coming to the
United States DIN a second cabin with
| $40 or $50 were the first to become pub
| lie charges. The witness prepared a
table showing the comparison between
| passengers in the second cabin and the
steerage. In vessels from the Mediter-
ranean ports, however, the steerage
| passengers greatly exceeded the other
classes. Mormons, he said. always came
| on vessels of the Anchor line from Glas-
| gov in the second cabin. His figures
| showed that while 2,0S3 passengers
came from italian ports in the steerage
only 20 came as cabin passengers.
Mr. Dobbler said that many persons
came in the second cabin in order to
avoid the rigid scrutiny at the barge
office. He believed many of the new ar
rivals, had been coached as to their an
sWers to questions put to them here
DR.. Lorenzo Ullo, legal adviser of the
Immigration bureau, said there was
great difficulty in enforcing the laws
owing to the many contradictions found
in the statutes relative to immigration
A case in point was that law regarding
criminals coming to this country whom
the law requires shall be returned to
| the nation to which they belong and the
port from which they came. Sometimes
the criminal was an Oriental and came
from Bremen. He thought the law
should say such persons would simply
not be permitted to land and the steam
ship companies left to do with them as
they believed best.
Witnesses said that in none of the
immigration laws was there an express
provision for the deportation of con-
tract laborers. The laws of 1891 did so
by implication, and it was under these
acts that the department was working.
The witness said he favored
amending the law regarding con-
tract laborers so as to include
any agreement to come here to
work not rigidly contract. He would
also give persons brought here by the
steamship companies contrary to the
immigration law cause of action
| against the owners of the vessel that
brought them.
Mrs. Virginia Sucker, the chief ma
tron ait the barge office, testified re-
garding the treatment of enceinte wo-
men arriving here. OF 1,441 women ar
irving during the month in that con-
dition, 81 were married at the barge
office, % were admitted on appeal and
the others We're found to be married
women E
Mrs. Sucker thought the laws should
include an act prohibiting the landing
of girls brought here for immoral pur-
poses. There was no such prohibition
in the present laws.
William Wehe of the contract labor
bureau, who was formerly president
of the Amalgamated Association Of
Iron and Steel Workers, said that SO
per cent. of the cheap labor coming
here, Slavs, Polanders and Russian
Poles, went to Pennsylvania, where
they not only worked on railroads and
in the mines, but entered into conane-
tition in the Industrial centers in the
iron and glass works.
''It has been shown" said Mr.. Weihe,
that the companies give the prefer
ence to foreigners even when skilled
American workmen offer to work for
the same wages"
DR.. Edisto Rossi, chief of the Italian
bureau at the barge office, said his
bureau was supported by the Italian
government. His government did not
encourage emigration to this country.
The bureau had been established here
to regulate the padrone system and
for the purpose of keeping record
of Italian immigrants arriving in this
country. While he would not say that
his bureau had destroyed the padrone
system, yet he had been able to pre-
vent many new arrivals from Italy
coming into contact with the bankers
and padrones in this country.
do you still regard Italian tmmi-
grants in this country as colonists 2"
asked Chairman Smith.
1--WE consider as colonists all Ital-
ians who have not taken out natural
ization papers and notified the Italian
crNx ant tnf fhnHy nd on6
allegiance to King Humbert.''
rs it true that you issued circular
letter on April 81 last in which you
said that owing to the war with Spain
labor and industry had ceased in this
country and advised your government
not to grant passports to immigrants ?"
mo, the person who gave you such
information did not understand my
Italian circular Many persons We're
arriving from Italy with insufficient
funds and I simply called upon the
government to urge upon the mayors
and projects the necessity of being
careful in issuing passports, the more
so as this country was engaged in a
war and industrial enterprises were in
a measure suspended"
I'VE have been informed that certain
Italian government ofncials are inter
ested in sending contract labor to this
country, and share the profits with the
pduroHeS9 Salu MAYOR f'arQufar.
Il do not believe it possible said
DR.. Posi-. ''I should like names and
data. American foremen, acting for
American contra ctors, have been en-
ploying the methods of the padrone
system since we have been able to re-
press the operations of the latter"
Commissioner insolvency was called
and examined on several matters, and
the convention then adjourned to meet
in Washington in September.