The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-06-20
SARGENT DEFENDS
CHEAP IMMIGRANTS
Standard Maintained Rig
idly by Inspectors.
UNDESIRABLE SENT BACK
No Matter How Many May Come, Bars
Will Not Be Drop
rcd.
UNDESIRABLE SENT BACK

NEW YORK. June 2O.-From Europe
came S,2O7 immigrants yesterday who
ha'i paid Sic each for passage
After eight hours rigid examination
nearly 1000 of them passed through the
happy gate" officially approved as fit
L. become citizens Of the United States
Tie remainder were held pending in
curry, as rapidly as four special boards
can consider their cases.
That the transatlantic steamship COM
Tcnies are engaged in n war of steer
hSe rates made no difference in the
Character and class Of the immigrants
&c be passed They were described to
he. and appeared to be. up TO the
standard set when rates were the high
est
Detained Mostly Hebrews.
They came from England, Ireland.
Scotland, Germany. Austria, Denmark.
Sweden, Norway, Russia Poland. and
Russia. OF the thousand and more
heid up. the majority are Hebrews.
The main cause Of their temporary de-
tcntion is to give to friends and rela-
tives in this country a chance to come
forward with guarantees against public
Charity. The immigrants have not suf-
ncient funds with them TO reassure the
authorities on that point
Although the rate war will result this
June in a higher percentage Of deporta-
tons than In any other month I'm the
history OF the department. Frank p.
Sargent. Commissioner General Of I'm
migration, is authority for the state
ment that no one need be afraid that
an undesirable lot Of immigrants Will
be dumped into the United States. Mr..
Sargent came over from Washington
yesterday partly to investigate the pres
ent conditions arising from the rate
war. He declared that not one loop
hole was open for the undesirable.
No Cause for Apprehension.
Why should anyone fear that lower
Storage rates or no steerage rates at
al could affect the character OF the
in migrants who are admitted" he ask
ed in reply to a question. The laws
set a standard, which is maintained I'M
der all conditions Unless a person
comes up to that standard. he or she
cannot come in.
Ellis Island may be jammed with
the scum and riffran OF the world. but
they will never reach the mainland.
They will go back The only persons
TO suffer viii be the steamship COM
Tunies, for they have to return the I'M
desirable passengers at their own ex-
pense.
THAT the cheap rate has affected the
general character of the immigrants
who apply for admission 10 the country
must be acknowledged" said Mr.. Sar-
gent we have found that since the
cut began the number of cases for
special inquiry have increased fully
twenty per cent, which means a CORES
ponding Increase in the number 70 be
deported. 1 am told that the number of
deportations will break all the records
for June.
Short on Funds.
THE principal objection to the immi-
grants detained now for special inquiry.
IS that they have not sufficient money.
nor have they friends In this country to
vOuch for them
Undoubtedly the cheap rates have
been advertised all over Europe. Many
who could not come under other con-
ditions have turned everything they
possessed into money 20 buy a ticket TO
this country We have many cases Of
this kind, where the immigrant frankly
acknowledges that the cheap rate in
duced him TO come.
Somehow he must have got the idea
that the cheap rate meant the lower
ing Of the standard or else took the
chance. II no one assures US that they
VIII not become public charges they
must go back.
'Of course, the cheap rate has also
brought over the adventurer-the
'1oater.' one might call him. We have
dozen or more in the detention pen
now. Young fellows such as we see
warming park benches in this country
see the Advertisements Of cheap fares
nd nv nc
sary SO. They arrive here and are held
What does II matter TO them il they
do go back? They have had an ocean
trip. a glimpse Of a foreign land. food
and shelter for several weeks for a very
small sum"
Seeks Trip Only.
Later I'm the day other immigration
officials said they believed that some Of
the young men took advantage Of the
trip for itself
The question was asked OF a likely
looking young Austrian through an in
terpreter. He smiled and answered that
he hoped his brother would come for
him. He did not know where his
brother lived. and had sent him no word
but still he hoped
He Joined a group Of other poune
men, and soon afterward. laughing
loudly. they went to eat heartily Of the
wholesome food provided for them at the
expense OF the steamboat company.
The steamships which arrived yester-
day were the ST. Louis. Of the AmerI-
can Line. from Southampton. which
brought 72l steerage passengers; the
Etrur.a. from Liverpool, with 495: the
Adria. Of the Hamburg American Line.
from Mediterranean ports. with 33j: the
Arabic. Of the White Star. from Liver
pool with 30; the Bluecher. OF the Ham
burg-American line. from Hamburg.
with i.01i. and the Columbia. Of the An
Choir Inc. with 347
Large Consignment Of Yiddishers.
On the English lines the English Ian
guage was tho principal tongue. as il
was on the St Louis. which had. how
ever. large contingent Of Yiddish
speaking passengers. From the Column
Ola. which sailed from Glasgow. came
many sturdy. fair haired Danes and
scandinavians, men and women, vino
passed as rule and departed joyfully
Tor the West. The cosmopolitan groups
came IN the German lines which tap