New-York tribune., 1902-10-19
SARGENT ROASTS FITCHIE.
,,-n PRAISES THE IMMIGRATION SER
VICE HERE UNDER COMMlS-
SIONER WILLIAMS
Inv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE J

washington. oct. lS-Frank p. Sargent Commits
-, General Of immigration. I'm his annual re-
=. ,,bfch was made public to-day. speaks in the
is,.sost terms Of the Improvement of the service
- .he mort of New-Nork since the transfer OF the
,,,r Ar Ellis Island TO Mr.. Williams. the present
S,,ssioner Without mentioning names he in
sses the scathinc criticisms OF that official which
- made IN the recent report Of Commissioner
v,mianls which is incorporated complete. Mr
Sargent says;
The bureau has heretofore testified with much
.tsfsetIou 10 the high character of the work per-
s,rmed al the various ports, with one reservation.
- relief that The administration the principal
T- OF entry the United States has been coniided
~ conpete't and humane hands in the implicit
belief me interests of me American neonIe t
iebts ~ the great lines engaged In the transpor-
.aTon 0f aliens, and the claims fair and con
5sTste taGg treatment of the thousands impeied 10
ssek n a land of promised justice and freedom the
s-sfidcation az those aspirations common TO the
human ou homes viii All hereafter reeeiTe fgs,T IN
1roportioncd consideration At the New-York immi-
grant station
ELLIS ISLAND BUILDINGS CRITICISED
In addition 10 this reflection on the former con-
duct Of the New-York office. Commissioner General
Sargent criticses the buildings Ellis Island CON
5euring both their faulty design and the poo-
character II the material and workna nship Put
into them. He does not attempt to fix the re-
sponsibility for the foistng Of imperfect and un-
satisfactory structures on the governm ant leaving
Z the Treasury department ana 10 Congress %
IKE the bama He says this point:
Il was assumed when the handsome structure
recently erected on Ellis Island, in New-York Har-
bor was completed and turned over TO its Gus
pending the nnal discrimination OF their admissi-
bHty under the provisions Of our immigration laws
lneigentiy pt and literally provided for. and thai
thereafter mia NJ pe taken up IN appropriate order
ect al other ports. IL Is with deep regret there
fore thar the bureau feels impeled by a sense of
du,y 70 report that the Ellis island structure has
IN many respects failed TO Justify the reasonable
expectations based upon the liberal expenditure
made end the evident purpose 81 Congress 10 fur
ria ideally perfect building FOR the use 10
snsd in respect TO the subdivision of the Interior
saoe for the various uses intended. resulting IN
lie crowdiug Of migrants together IA n manner
detrimental both their health and comfort and
IN otner Ieslt'lS I @ ihLoSIls unnecessary hardship
already been this fault be corrected i'm a meas
ssms far NOR serious IS NE fauity rn S Si
construction. involving OUTLAWS for repair and re-
was accepted ou behalf of the government Where
The faults rest or these serious defects the bureau
FOR your Information and The enlightenment OF
Congress.
Mr Sargent urgently recommends the enactment
TITO law OF the bin which passed the House OF
Representatives Al the last session Of Congress
and Is now pending on the Senate calendar. amend
ing the Alien Contract Labor law SO as TO enable
employers 10 bring in aliens under contract any
time when they cannot secure similar laborers IN
the United States, providing FOR the detention OF
aliens discovered 20 be under contract, that
their evidence he secured 20 convict the
tractors al whose instance they attempted TO vio-
late the law, and proposing TO impose a fine OF
$40 on the offending steamship line for each case
OF diseased alien brought 10 the United States.
Commenting on the effect which the proposed fl
hteracy test would have the Of imm-
grafton Mr.. Sargent points out that OF the total
OF 64As4S immigrants who arrived in the United
States IN the fiscal year, 29l7 able read
but could not write. and 62lsS were unable either
write, leaving the number able both
read ana write sSS 6Ss When II IS taken into con
sideraton that the total number OF immigrants
Included 1908 under fifteen years old. and that
z was not proposed 10 apply the test TO those
Eder fifteen over fifty, II will be seen that
re reading test which proposed at the last
session OF Congress would probably have excluded
about one hundred Thousand Immigrants.