The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-10
NEW YORK TOPICS.
DRIFTS AND UNDERCURRENTs OF
THE METROPOLIS.

Impending Strenuous Battles Be
tween Railroad Gfnnts-WiI the
western Union and the Postal
Telegraph Company Consolidate.
Increased Rightly of the Immi-
grafton Bureau in DepOrting Unde-
sirabIe NewcOmers-ItaIy's Unique
Care for Her Children Seeking
Homes in other Lands-HOn. A. $.
Hewitt Endorses General James,
Views of Common school Teach
ing-A Generals Practical Joke.
The plan of the New York Times
to Desert Park Row for n LOca-
tion Uptown.
New York, Aug. BY all odds the
most important announcement which
has for many years been made in the
Greater New York will be made with
ir a few days-that will be the an
nouncement of a five cent fare over the
new underground railroad system and
its connections from one end of the
vast city formed by the creation of the
Greater New York to the other. One
end is in Westminster county and the
other end is at the eastern extreme
of Coney Island. This will make the
longest fve-cent ride in the whole
world, probably. 1t has long been
project dear TO the heart of Mayor
Low, but one which he undoubtedly
for a time considered impossible of
accomplishment. On what basis the
details have at last practically been
arranged; but that the difficult task
has now been practically accomplished.
I am assured on the highest authority.
From time to time the newspapers
of this town publish startling stories
about a great impending war between
the more important railroad figures of
the country, to be led on the one side
by the Goulds and their friends, and
on the other by those who sympathize
with the Pennsylvania interests. This
strenuous contest has already begun,
say these prophets, and the forcing of
the Western Union Telegraph off the
Pennsylvania lines is said to have
been the first move in the game. James
Stillman, the Rockefellers, H. H. Rog-
ers and Henry NJ. Flagler have been
put in the list of the Gould supporters,
while in one paper at least, those who
stand for the Pennsylvania have been
limited to A. ]. Cassatt. president of |
that road. VIM. K. Vanderbilt, Will |
liam Bliss and one or two others.
Now, the truth is that the railroad |
giants are planning how to avoid a |
great battle rather than to bring one |
on. Contests of one sort and another |
there will be between them from time |
to time, of course, and the Pennsylva-
mia and the Goulds are now enjoying |
a right lively scrimmage, but there is
nothing to give color to the statement |
that the Rockefellers, James Stillman |
and their friends are in the anti-Penn-
Eylvania ranks. Why should the |
be on one side of the fence,
when the Vanderbilts (placed as Penn
sylvania's supporters by the paper in |
question:, are Oh the other? 1t is fully |
realizsa by all concerned that strenu-
GUS contests would tear down, not
build up their properties, and just now
they are bending all their energies to- |
ward upbuilding. 1t would be more |
sensible to prophesy still further COM
binations of railroad properties.
And, by the way, there is more
than a well defined rumor that sooner |
or later we shall hear something about |
an impending consolidation of the |
Western Union and the Postal Tele-
graph companies.
Some news has been given out of |
various reforms effected in the Bu-
reau of immigration on Ellis Island |
and more is coming. Commissioner |
Williams is addressing himself to the |
task of making the bureau as nearly |
ideally efficient as possible with rare |
enthusiasm and vigor. One of his first |
moves on assuming the office was to
institute reform in the matter of de- |
porting undesirable immigrants. 1t |
should be explained that according TO |
the law of this country no persons
under contract for employment, no |
criminals and no persons liable to be- |
come public charges by reason of age, |
disease or other cause are permitted to |
set foot on American soil, being or |
dered back to the country from which |
they came at the expense of the steam
ship company bringing them, as soon |
as their undesirability as American |
citizens has been determined by the |
authorities. Previous immigration
commissioners have enforced the law
with a reasonable degree of rigidity
so far as contract laborers are con-
cerned, but many have been allowed
to land who should have been classed
as liable to become public charges. OF
this Commissioner Williams was con-
WINGED by the fact that in this city
alone, within the past year, $500
homeless and destitute aliens have APP
piled to the authorities for help. Ac-
cordingly, he began soon after his in
duction into Office to increase the
rigidtty of the laws enforcement, with
the result that the total deportations
for the year ending June 80, 1902, were
1888, as against 3,059 for the previous
year. In May, 1901, only GA were sent
back; in May, 1902 the number was
1,0S5. In June, 1901, only 395 were
deported; in June, 1902, the number
was S22.
The result has been remarkable in
that the number of contract labor inn
migrants, criminals and those liable to
come to want arriving at this port has
already fallen off perceptibly, the
steamship companies evidently refus-
ing on their own account to bring
many of those offering themselves for
passage. Nor are the steamship COM
panies alone in exercising greater care
over immigrants than formerly; the
Italian government, stimulated by the
greater rightly of the laws enforce
ment, has issued broadcast in Italy
under the authority of the Royal Ital-
ian Emigration Commision-a sum-
mary of the reasons for which dmmi-
grants to this country may be refused
a landing here.
The Italian government, by the way.
give more attention than any other to
such of its citizens as decide to seek
homes in other lands than their own.
1t maintains a regular commissioner
appointed by the King and sent here
from Italy on Ellis Island and besides
lie fal .a-,efs Il.