The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-28
IMMIGRATION
 RESTRICTION
PROBLEMS WHICH THE OFFICIALS
 HAVE TO FACE.
Importation of Disease, of Criminals, and Congestion of Aliens In the Cities the Three Things
 Most to Be Feared.

come over in recent years is the most perplexing problem that MT. sargent the Commissioner General Of Immigra-
 ton. and the ofiicers Of the service at
 the ports have to face.
 The three things most to Dc reared are: The importation of disease. of terminals. and congestion of aliens in the cities. MT. Sargent makes the as- tonishing declaration that foreign countries where transportation agents have been most effective in reducing native population have become alarm ed. and have made futile attempts to check an exodus which threatens seri- ously to Impair their seif-supportins capacity. Failing in this, they have taken the next possible step, that of minimizing the evil, and if possible turning 1t to their advantage in the long run. Hence all the political and social and occasionally religious. re- sources of those countries are being di- rected to one end--to maintain colo nies of their own people In this coun- try, instructing them through various channels to maintain their allegiance to the country of their birth, to trans init their earnings to the fatherland for the purchase of ultimate homes there, and to avoid all intercourse with the people of this country that would tend to the permanent adoption of American ideals.
 As Mir Sargent points out. under these, conditions emigration from cer- tain foreign countries has become revenue resource to those countries, of immediate benefit to them to the extent of the aggregate remittances, and ot prospective benefit in that 1t ensures
 the return of the emigrant wfth his ac- cumulated savings. Under present lac frr,vr for nit ed- ieal inspection at the port of embark ation and on arrival in the United States. Though the steamship compa- nies are heavily fined for bringing aliens with contagious diseases to this country, I.500 immigrants thus afflict-
 ed were denied admission last year, and s2S,400 was imposed in fines.
 The amazing pertinacity of foreign
 steamship agents in sending over unfit
 aliens has caused Mir Sargent to rec
 ommend in his last two annual reports
 that a physical examination of immi- grants be made at the principal posts
 of authorization by officers of the public
 health and marine hospital service. The present plan of sending back only l such aliens who are actually diseased, does not prevent such diseases as trachoma and favus from getting a foothold among our own people. Liv- ing for eight or ten days in a crowded
 quarters in the steerage. there is the
 chance that hundreds may become in- fected though less than a dozen pas sengers may be diseased. The disorder
 may not develop until the shipload
 has passed inspection and been here for several days.
 Practical Means to Keep Out Criminals. Every one at all familiar with the
 subject realizes that the present meth
 cd of preventing criminals from enter ing the country is farcical in It's inef- fectiveness. Incoming aliens are sim- ply asked certain questions to discover whether they have a criminal record It Is not on record that any one of | them ever answered in the affirmative Immigration commissioners have noted that the character of the newcomers of the last two years has been lower than previously. From certain sections of Europe We are getting now only the very dregs of the people. A tentative | suggestion has been advanced, and has | met with favor. that aliens coming over here to become citizens be made
 to provide themselves with passports | from their home governments, showing | whether or not they have a police rec | ord. Italian fugitives from justice have come here to terrorize their fellow countrymen, steal, and become a men, ace to to the community in which they
 live. They introduce such hideous | fruits of oppression" as the mofia. the
 Vendetta, black hand" and anarchist most dangerous and troublesome of the | criminal classes.
 Diverting ImmigratIou from Cities. MT. Sargents plan to clean out the | "gorged habitations of aliens In the cities by diverting the stream of im-
 migration to the South and West into | sparseiy settled communities where la-
 Dor Is needed, has been called vision ary. It was not so regarded, however. by the railroad men who met with MT. Sargent recently to talk over the prob. | lem and devise some scheme of co oper- ation. The suggestion that a bureau of information be established by the lines interested at the New York im-
 migration station on Ellis Island was tentative; no plan was definitely de-
 cided upon It will be a delicate under
 taking to start the new movement, but
 there IS no apparent reason why if the work is entrusted to tactful and intel ligent men, it should not be made A success.
 It is proposed in beginning this ar- tif1cial movement to follow the naturaf f
 laws that have governed the diffusion or Immigrants through the various States, controlling and directing with light rein. There Is. of course, no
 purpose to send the newcomers South or West against their will, Immi-
 grants coming here now most invaria-
 ply follow in the trail blazed by reia-
 tives or fellow townsmen. It is per-
 fectly natural that a Scandinavian coming over to seek his fortune should
 go to Wisconsin or Minnesota, where
 old friends, relatives and schoolmates
 have preceded him. The Italians have
 shown a disposition to colonize in the
 large cities. as have the Germans In a
 lesser degree.
 It Is thought that tine greatest difi-
 culty will be encountered in persuad-
 ing timid aliens to become pioneers
 in section of the country where they
 will find strange environment, and
 no old friends Once this obstacle is
 overcome. and the new settlers find
 themselves, and become accustomed to
 their surroundings and their work, 1t
 Is believed that others will follow
 No harm will be done if the scheme
 should fall, while success would solve
 one of the gravest problems confront
 ing the penal and charities authorities
 of large cities
 Contract Labor Law Violations.
 Commenting on the ingenuity and
 persistence of those whose interest im-
 pels resort to foreign markets for labor. and consequent violation of
 the allen contract labor law, Mir. Sar-
 gent writes in his annual report of
 what seems to him system of peon-
 age:
 Such aliens are divided broadly into two classes There are those who are