New-York tribune., 1903-06-28
IMMIGRATION ABUSES.
STRICTER LAWS NEEDED.
Steamship Companies Held Re
sponsible for Undesirable Aliens.
EFRoM THE TRIBUNE nUREAU.I l

dental agent Of the Bureau of Immigration. has
made disclosures to Commissioner General Sargent
in series OF reports covering two months work IN
the territory which feeds the great emigration
ports Of Europe with constant and increasing
streams Of American bound paupers, peasants and
contract laborers, which indicate beyond question
that it is the desire for business the part Of the
great transatlantic steamship lines that is causing
the present alarming Increase in immigration to
this country. Secret emigration agents have been
established In every village and hamlet, however
remote In many instances these agents are the
peasants themselves. who are selected whenever
they possess the ability read and write. And as
they have to work in fear OF their own govern
ments, their operations governed by perfect
system of orders. and conducted with the ut
most secrecy The results attained have this year
broken all records IN the number of immigrants 10
land in the United States IN any one year and un-
less some means can be found to prevent the con-
tinuance Of the system the results for next year
promise to be greater.
While the names of the steamship companies in
volved, also of their general ana of their
local agents. are given in the reports OF Braun.
publication Of them at this time would obviously
defeat any pan TO pu: stop to their practices.
Enough which to the officials Of the In
migration Bureau before Mr. Braun went abroad
has been disclosed, however, to show beyond a
doubt that a further modification Of the immlgra-
ton laws is absolutely necessary. Such modiaca-
ton II Is believed can be drafted to good purpose
with the present information at hand. and will be
presented to Congress Immediately at the begin
ming OF the next session.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT INTERESTED
The Braun reports have been recently submitted
TO President Roosevelt. who has scanned them
with interest. The first report Is under date OF
April 27, and is written in Hungary. after Mr.
Braun had visited Borsad Ung. Abanj and Saras
from which most of the Hungarian Immigrants
come II find that every village IN these countries
is visited by rowing agents., he writes. who not
only solicit emigration TO the United States bur
who also instruct and coach persons how TO an
swer the various questions which may be put
to them for the purpose Of ascertaintng Wnetner
they belong to the desirable class Of immigrants
These agents do not represent the steamship com
panes directly but act for some general agent
Here Mr.. Braun gives the name OF a general
agent" who figures in his reports such In every
country from which he reports The Hungarian
Government, he says Furnishes such agents Sc
verey whenever the evidence is at hand, a11 ne
declares II to be difficult to get Information ror
that reason
On April q Mr. Braun reported from Ratbor
that large quantity of literature of a Bremen
firm soliciting emigration was seized that DAY oy
the Austrian police On the German-Aust1lan
frontier found agents booking ennigrants over
particular steamship line 10 certain points in the
United States He there found a crying emf
grant with a wife and children, who said
he had paid 77s rubles for transportation to the
United States, but had been turned back by the
agent of the company. Mr. Braun followed up
this case and found that the man was turned
hack because he was Russian and would have
to undergo a process of 'purthcaton," which could
onlv be administered at Vienna; that this process
was necessary before the police and transportation
companies would pass him aboard ship.
While at Ratibor Mr.. Braun obtained evidence
| in the case Of Polish Jew who had been turned
back by the physicians on the ground that he nad
favus The man was allowed to proceed on his
tourney to this country when he insisted that he
would make the trip his own responsibility
Solicitation, he declared going on in Austria
Hungary and Russia by local agents of various
general agents In ore instance, out of one nun
dred emigrants at Ratibor, ninetyone had obtained
transportation through local agents in their
native villages. In most Of these the local
agent distributes the literature Of the general agent
and when transportation is sold he simply writes
statement to the general agent that the emgrant
has paid a certain for passage on a particular
ship. This statement is not signed by the local
agent and there is no possible manner Of IDENTIFY
ing him The eInigranLs theTnoeI instructed
that if they tell the of the local agent they
will be turned back and not allowed TO sail for
America.
In this report from Ratibor the name of a woman
of immoral class is given. and the Information
added that Interview with this woman brought
out the fact that she intended gong TO the United
States, where many OF her friends Of the same
Class had gone before her. and were "doin. Well
in New-York ana Philadelphia. Although Mr..
Braun could learn VINO the persons that were
10 call for this woman her arrival in this
New YoTk in which they lived
PAUPER AND CONTRACT LABOR.
On May Mr. Braun wrote from Hamburg that
q certain ship was about 10 sail. with something
ike twenty-five hundred emgrants, for the United
States. this number he said there were at least
one thousand destitute eraigrants, and twelve Hun
sarians destined q town in Ohio, whom ne
strongly suspected were contract laborers. de oe-
ieved that the postmaster in their native town was
the agent who Induced Them 10 go 70 the LnI1eu
states but ne was moi allowed 10 question them,
because the general asent Gold them to keep their
mouths shut
Writing from Croatia on May IS Mr.. Braun says
that no sucn thing as the United States inlmlgra,
lIon laws are Known there, ana none are Cdte1
LoT Iho ponce act GuIues IoF lls eIl44ei ialLtS
.2es ana MI. braun politely out bFLlIy III
ylLed 10 leave the eInigrants dIoAe by Inese guar
austria he writes il this same report, IS Just
ahou+ 70 aoopt new law, whicn she believes VIII
oUt a cheek 10 the emigration OF her ciuzens. he
said that an Austrian OElCI2l, whom Ae IIdAco'
uade a strange admission 10 nm, but tact Wnlch
ne mad aueauy discovered MS Arst visit IN some
OF the provinces OF A4sLla aIG III the hl-SuoLn %
scnool ieacher village notary ana postmaster acIs
sub-agent foL me Hal1ou9I tI u a5so
Inc admitted tnat, WLl4e tteIe - was rt'oo
Iutelv 40 aouDt OF this cOnaltlon, the government
had 70 absoIue proof ana therefore CooId tahe no
acuon. The law in question Is utsiShtu as d
remedy against THIS evil IL hungary Tie o4iic4diS
40 not wan. TO ADMIT that me country ncLaI4es are
ma lnInery OF the general government .z
is made on June 3, il winch MT Braun says tnlt
since his report he mas Deen tI4FeILILg con
sidaTabIv along routes ana PAGES WL1cn are
nj vyITrin the reach OF railroads, ana mas
iJ 10 - Interesting details Of how steamship
oInpalles or Their asents get business by the en-
pn3SolSes PM thai he had caused the Of of
H.. alants wnicn 1LuraeuIaJely led to the arrest
81 ~ n 9tEtTs and he mac been informed that
result o. arrest al least one huhdFeQ more
zrCuId fo loW in the immediate future In the ar
resIs made the police seized a great many printed
Braun said were be turned over 10 him ano he