The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-04-19
BAR THEM OUT.
Canadian Border Will be Closely
Watched For Immigrants.
Undesirable Ones Who Come 10 Through
the Canada Border VIII be Turned
Back...-Steamship Companies
to Cooperate.

| Washington correspondent to St.
Paul Pioneer Press says:
Conferences have been held at the
treasury department during the past
week which will have an important
bearing on the immigrant inspection
service on the Canadian border. AS
sistant Secretary Taylor, who has
charge Of the immigration bureau, is
determined to close up the border as
an entry way for immigrants who are
debarred by the laws of the United
States. The conferences were between
Assistant Secretary Taylor and repre-
! sentatives of steamship companies
landing at Canadian ports, and assur-
ances have given the department that
the steamship companies will accord
hearty cooperation with the officials
| to prevent immigrants coming across
| the Canadian border in violation of
| the law. 1t is the intention of the
| officials to enlarge the corps of inspec-
| tors on the border, and attention will
be paid to the territory eastward from
Sault Ste. Marie to the Atlantic. The
officials are also impressed with the
| idea that the personnel of the corps of
inspectors have been lax in perform
| ing their duties. Arrangements were
made some time ago to prevent the
landing, and subsequent entry into the
| United States, of immigrants who are
diseased, and in the main they have
worked satisfactorily However, COM
! plants continue to be received at the
department, and prompt steps are to
be taken to remedy this condition of
affairs. The officials say that the stu
! alton Minnesota is satisfactory, and
that very few complaints have been
received from the state recently.
1t is not surprising that Secretary
Hitchcock of the interior department
is in doubt what to do in regard to
questions pending before the depart
ment in regard to the opening of large
tracts of land in the west and settle
ment under the homestead laws dur
ing the present season. According to
information furnished the secretary
| by Judge John G. Clark of Oklahoma,
it is highly important that the govern
ment should exercise great care and
discretion in respect to the procedure
for opening these lands. Judge Clark
| is a Wisconsin man, formerly of Ian
caster, Grant county, and has served
as United States judge in Oklahoma
for several years A remarkable state
ment is made by Judge Clark in a let
ter to the war department, showing
the large number of cases Of crime
which are tried in the federal courts as
a result of the mad rush for land that
has followed when tracts were opened
to settlement in recent years Judge
Clark says that only by system of
drawing by lot can justice be done to
the poor, the decrepit, and especially
old soldiers, who desire to obtain lands
at these openings. Judge Clark says
that in the federal courts Of Oklahoma
as result of frauds and crimes re-
sulting from ''sooner" business, the
dockets are overburdened with cases
which grew out EFF disputes over LAND
claims. On one docket Judge CLARK
says there were seventy cases for per.
jury, growing out of land claims, an6
a large per cent of murder and minol
criminal cases arose from land con
tests. In addition to this nearly all the
equitable actions and large per cent
of others arose out of disputes in lan6
cases. Judge Clark says the oppor-
tunity extended to the swift to wiz
!, rules out the pc +, the slow, and the
decrepit soldier even if all in the race
should be honest. But there will be
thousands of INSCRIPTIONS men in thu
mad rushes for land who will be read,
to swear that they were there first,
and they will be armed ready to fight
for the claim. He says only by 6
drawing in advance of the opening
several days can such frauds ant
CT lines be prevented.