New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-05-05
lNFLUENCEOF IMMIGRANTS
PUSHCARTS AND HEALTH.
DR.. Darlington 4duocates More
stringent La1CS.

OO444iAASSol4CN
OF Health. after an investigation of the immi-
grafton situation presented at this port. has de-
cided that the city's health will never be what
1t should until Congress passes more stringent
laws He is firmly convinced that restricted i'm
migration will also clear up many other prob
lens that are troubling the city, and that II has
particular bearing on the pushcart question.
In fact it was in studying the pushcart stu
aticn that DR.. Darlington's attention was at
tracted to immigration. Mayor Mcclellan made
hin! member of a special pushcart commits
sion, which Is now trying to work out plan
which Will rid the city streets Of this pest, Of
fcers of immigration societies We're called before
the commission. Their testimony might be
summed up thus:
Fifty per cent of the new immigrants begin
life here as pushcart pedlers. They could not
get work if it was not for the pushcarts; they
would become dependent"
The immigration societies advanced this state
ment as an argument in favor of letting the
pushcarts remain. 1t had opposite effect on
DR. Darlington and other members of the COM
mission. They wanted 10 know why immigrants
capable of nothing better than selling peanuts
and other things from pushcarts should not be
kept out altogether
The Commissioner then began to study the
health statistics which have been accumulated
by his inspectors. There was the consumptlve
clinic at headquarters. which in the year ended
April 1 handled 300 patients and of that
number 90 per cent had been In this country
less than two years. More than a third were
Russians who could not speak English
DR.. Darlington said yesterday:
1 have been studying Immigration ever since
we began to look into the pushcart problem. and
have become firmly convinced that the health
OF The city and the protection Of the taxpayer
demand a further restriction OF immigration.
1 want IT distinctly understood that I have no
complaint against the officials at Ellis Island.
They are enforcing the law with exactness- and
handing the great hordes which pouring in
from Europe in manner that is highly COM
mendable. The trouble lies with the laws, and
1 think L have discovered some convincing ar
guments among the statistics which the physi-
clans Of the department have gathered.
have heard the assertion that immigration
was necessary to carry public works TO
build railroads, dig canals and the like. But it
seems that the immigrants who are coming in
now do not come for that purpose and viii not
do that sort of work No; they prefer to be-
come pushcart pedlers and to live in poverty in
great cities, breeding disease and crime
They occupy the streets belonging to the citv
the streets for which the taxpayer has paid
heavily. They interfere with traffic and break
the laws Of sanitation which we have decided
are necessary for the preservation of the public
health.
1t is impossible to pass a law that immigrants
must go into the country districts. where they
are needed. Once landed here, they are in a
free country and live where they choose.
We should demand a higher standard OF educa-
ton and increase the money possessions Of those
who not educated.
1t is easy to that the matter has direct
bearing on the health OF the city. In the last
year our consumption clinic has treated BOO
new cases, and of this number but TS6 were
born in the United States. OF the remainder
1,1O4 were Russians, sS7 Austrians 2OT Ger
mans. 133 Irish and 437 Of other foreign nation
alities. More than 30 per cent had been less than
two years in the country and a large percentage
had been here less than six months.
The death rate in certain sections Of New
York is as low as in the most sanitary country
village The plague spots are the tenements
where the newly arrived foreigner lives. Just
glance at that spinal meningitis map. Black
pins stuck in il TO represent every house
in which the disease now exists. About the
heart of the East Side you pins so thick
that there is room to place few additional ones.
The sections of the city about Central Park and
in the neighborhood Of 5th-ave are compare
lively free.
The expense to the taxpayer is another 1Season
for restricting immigration laws. Take our
consumption circulars for instance, We have
to have them printed in twenty different Ian
guages because so many OF the victims cannot
read a word of English 1t is q considerable ex-
pense and it works out all along the line.
Dr. Darlington declared that he would seek
an appointment with President Roosevelt i'm
mediately on his return from the West and en-
deavor to impress upon him the cloud that is
hanging over New-York under present Condi-
tons He viii prepare some health statistics
for the Presidents inspection.