Evening star., 1901-10-22
Review of Testimony Heard by In
dustrial Commission.
MEDICAL INSPECTION is INSUFFICIENT
Operations of the Law Restrict
ing immigration.
A MODERN PADRONE SYSTEM

A review of the report of the Industrial
commission on immigration has been made
public. 1t is in the form of summary of
the statements of witnesses who have been
before the commission and does not con-
tain recommendations or conclusions.
Witnesses who discuss the effects of i'm
migration on industry take two opposing
standpolnts,' the report says. ION the one
side, 1t Is held that they add to the. pro-
ductive energy of the country, and that
immigrants of low intelligence are desra-
BILE to do the rough work On the other
side. 1t is claimed that the rapid influx
of low-standard population, especially those
of southern and eastern Europe, depresses
wages and lessons the amount of employ
ment available for American labor. While
it is admitted that the Irish and Germans
who came to this country before 1875 added
materially to It's growth and prosperity,
witnesses hold that those who have come
recently from southern and eastern Europe
have had an injurious social effect and have
been exceedingly injurious to American Ia
Dor. 1t was not necessary nor desirable ten
or twelve years ago to apply an educational
test, but this changing character of imml-
grafton makes such a test now desirable
"On the other hand, it is stated that the
American workingmen do not appreciate
that it is industrial depression rather than
immigration which affects their wages, and
that population of 7O000O00 can at the
immigrants than the smaller population of
4OOOO 600 or 10000, 900 in 1880 could absorb
the 100000 to 100000 immigrants who came
at that time. Statistics are offered going
to show that with continuous Immigration
wages have risen during the past thirty
years.
Canadian Birds of Passage.
Zone peculiar effect of immigration is
that the so-called birds of passage, Of
whom 1t is estimated that 10000 come an
nually from Canada to work during the
busy season and return to that country.
This class of immigrants is also very eX-
tensive among the Italians. of whom 1t IS
asserted that examination in April, lS96,
of 3174 of that nationality landed at New
York showed that 27.7 per cent had been
in this country before. When these people
return to Italy they take with them S2oo
to $1,000 with the intention of purchasing
a home and remaining In their own coun-
try in comparative prosperity.
ION the other hand, it is maintained that
the reason why Italians return to Italy in
the winter Is because they cannot ma EN-
ployment here and that Italian immigra-
ton is becoming more and more permanent;
that the number of women and children
who accompany Italian immigrants is In
creasing proportionately to the total lmml-
grafton. Formerly one-half of the Italians
who came to this country returned but
now the proportion does not exceed one
fourth.
The PadrOne System.
1.-The padrone system has been particular
ly reported upon by various witnesses, and
it is shown, both by their testimony and
by the special report upon this subject,
that the system, as it existed in the early
DAYS of Italian immigration, has ceased,
and that the Italians are now coming in
such large numbers that 1t Is no longer
necessary for contractors to go abroad and
thoy inf
drone system, as 1t exists at the present
time, is simply the mode of oppression
which Italians who are acquainted with the
language are able to exercise upon new
comers through their ignorance and power
ty. AS a remedy for this new form of
padrone system, which Is not a violation of
the contract labor law, 1t is proposed that
any immigrant VINO comes on the invitation
OF any person whatever except relative
should be deported
1.-The Armenian and Greek immigration
also presents resemblances to the Italian
padrone system. These immigrants are
believed to be under the control Of GEN.
trail organization which sends them out as
notion peddlers"
Restricting Immigration.
OF the existing legislation restricting i'm
migration the report says:
THE early immigration laws sought to
regulate immigration rather than to restrict
1t, and provided head tax to defray the
expense. 1t declared that no convict, lu-
matte, idiot or person likely to become a
public charge should be permitted to land.
but there was provision for returning
such persons to their homes. The con-
tract labor laws were enacted between 1882
and 1891. The law of 1891 defined more
strictly the persons to be excluded, and
the act of 1893 added a large number of
ineligibles, so that 1t is estimated as a
result of this law that fully $4,000 persons
were refused the sale of tickets within
year after 1t was passed. The tmmigra-
tion laws, thus added one to another, are
not clear at many points, and they have
afforded many opportunities for evasion.
Regarding the efficiency of the existing
laws there Is difference of opinion. One
witness testifying in 1889 held that the
recent decrease In immigration is largely
due to the restrictive effect of the law of
1898, but his conclusion seems to be un-
warranted in view of the increase which
followed In the two years since his testi-
mony was given. This witness lays en-
phasis on the annoyance and vexation to
which immigrants are exposed On the
other hand, the larger number Of witnesses
considers the laws and the inspection Of
immigrants as unsatisfactory, and that
only very small proportion Of the unde-
sirable immigrants are excluded. The
actual number deported Is from one-half
Of to per cent of the total number of
immigrants. The question as to whether a
person is likely to become public charge
Is indefinite. The inspectors are hurried
and cannot ask questions in sufficient de-
tail to elicit the facts The procedure be-
fore the board of special inquiry Is cum
brous and not frequently resorted to.
THE methods of inspection are described
at length by various witnesses connected
with the inspection service at New York
When a vessel approaches the harbor 1t Is
boarded by one or two inspectors who ex-
anime the cabin passengers. These men
are confronted with 100 or $50 passengers
at time. and they have an hour and a
half for an examination covering the period
of time from touching at quarantine and
landing at the dock. Cabin passengers are
asked questions calculated to ascertain
whether they are likely to become a public
charge or whether they are under contract
to perform labor. If one is suspected he is
brought to Ellis Island for further investi-
cation. No one Is allowed to mingle with
the steerage passengers until they have
passed through the inspection office at the
island.
Medical Inspection Insufficient.
AFTER landing at Ellis Island immigrants
pass before the medical officers of the
marine hospital service. The rigidity of the
medical inspection depends on the general
appearance and character of the immi-
grants In many shiploads only a casual
N ION, yc