Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-07

lnttare ~ be answered, Investigations
in he made; but when there are 40
liners in port much Of their work IS
waiting.
The Commonwealth was due in BoS-
ton ON Friday She was expected early
i'm the morning, and the immigrant
officers were. on hand before sunrise.
ready to sift her human cargo and re-
TACT the, undesirable. At seven o'clock
the vessel had not arrived and the
officials took time to eat Il little break
fast ct a nearby restaurant. Then they
came back and waited.
AT eleven O'Clock the telephone rang
and someone announced that the Com
monwealth was sighted off Highland
Light at ten fifteen. Ut is only on the
clearest days that thus early a warning
is giVen). The officers estimated that
they would not be needed until half
nast one. and went home to lunch. At
one o'clock the telephone rang again.
III was the Devonian, someone SAID,
that mad been mistaken for the Com
fnonWealth The Devonian was now
passing Hull and the Commonwealth
had not been sighted. Again the
officers settled down TO waiting.
At two O'Clock there was another
,uIick message The Commonwealth
was at quarantine ana would very soon
le nm in the harbor. The immigrant
officers jumped from their seats,
l,ncke9 papers, blanks, ink and pens IN
.atchcls and hurried across the wharf
10 the revenue cutter Chandler
vessel of the American navy when Is
manned by fair-haircd SWedeS and
North German matrosen, who talk N
different English or none ut al. ana
h0r sekept by two Cinnamon.
The. custom inspectors We're already
aboard. The uniformed surgeon from
the marine barracks was just stepping
on deck with a privileged few in CIV
jIian dress In minute the Chandler
was putting down the harbor.
on the commonwealth the yellow
flag of the quarantine officer was slip
ping down the halyards. denoting that
the inspection was over. on the for
ward deck, the muf!led first-cabin PAS
SengerS hung over the rail and watched
the little cutter side UP 10 the big
liner A sailor on the Chandler gave q
cultural craft-cry and threw Il rope
high on the deck Of the liner. II was
made fast. The sailors Of the Com
monwealth dropped their ladder. and
the immigrant officers climbed aboard.
Long practice had taught the immi-
grant commissioners an expeditions
routine. In a few minutes each corner
Of the second cabin ana steerage
dinng-room contained a group Of for
eigners carefully hcrded and kept
apart by the ships stewards. The
centre Of each group was an ptici'l
from the immigrant commissioner $
office In his hand h. held 4 manifest
made out during the voyage by 'he
ships officers. one by one he called
the members Of his group before him
and asked them questons-the age,
;heir EEK. nationality, married or
single. their destination in America,
their occupation. whether they have
any relatives in this country, whether
they can read or write, the amount of
money they have with them.
The grouping was n study in ethnol-
ogy. The Irish corner was the only
dark-haircd one, for. the Common
wealth bore only Northern races. Like
wise it was the quetest corner The
Irishman may become 9elf-contident
and even aggressive in the matter OF
politics after he is with us awhile; but
as an immigrant he is diiiident. He
answers the questions in a low voice
and with an negotiating smile The
shadow Of a land where he is the sub
jrct race seems still upon him.
The Swedish corner was an easy first
in the matter Of beauty. The women
were tail and Well formed; their teeth
Were good. they were clear-skinned and
clear-eyed. AS types of blond beauty
they left little to be desired. Two of
the Swedish girls. differently gowned.
with their hair differently dressed and
the touch Of a ladies' maid here and
there. would have been bellies in the
first cabin. They gave their occupation
as domestics. but nothing in their faces
or in their bearing would have sug-
gested it.
The Finnish group showed clearly
that some where in their mysterious
race history they have rubbed elbows
with the Slav. The short. upturned
nose the dead white of the com
rlexion. tell the tale. The guiding
purposes of the inspectors who pass
these groups through their official fin
gers are two: to keep out persons
likely to become public charges
through infirmity or inability to secure
work. and to enforce the contract labor
law. which says that no Immigrant
shall be admitted who has come to this
country with a definite promise of en-
ployment after he gets here
The likelihood of the immigrants be
coming a pauper is affected to some
extent by the amount of money he has
and this the inspector always wants
to know. The immigrants in some
cases have confused idea that the
more money they have the more likely
they are to pass. When the inspector
asks the stercotypcd question. How
much money" and the immigrant re-
plies. Ten dollars" and adds, do you
want to see it?" the inspector feels
safe III taking the immigrants word
but when the reply is a hcsit1ting ooh.
about twenty dollars" the inspector
insists on seeing the cash. The pro-
dpce il from queer pocketbooks hidden
away in inside pockets protected by
several butt0ned garments. Not 4 few
Of them produce it from their shoes or
from their stockings. Some have il in
United States bills, but the ma icrity
have it in odd-lOolSing Russian. Swed-
iSh, or German notes which make the
inspector DO = problem in arithmetic
before he can put down the answer to