The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-10-22
THE BRlIISHER
AS AN ALIEN
HOW THE REVISED IMMIGRATION
.t RULES WORK. aa%.
! An English Newspaper Correspondent
Travelling in America Tells of an Ex-
, perience He Had Recently at Winni-
peg and Criticises the Petty Grating
Of Railroads. f.. IT,. .....-..-.. p


the great western country has been
marked for ultimate development and
Industrial growth. Fitful and spasmod,,
ic impetus has been given time and
again to the upbuilding Of this greater
America; the two primary streams Of
Immigration that in the last hundred
years have spread along the fringe OF
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts have
been slowly expanding inland, and their
meeting has sent the human tide along !
= the line of least resistance, south into
Texas and Mexico, north over the
border into what is now Alberta and
Manitoba.
The evolution Of the west from It's
chrysalis stage of somnolence has de- |
stroyed much of the picturesque indie
pendence of prairie and mountain life
The type Of .westerner so dear to the
buffalo, and in his place has arisen a
much less desirable habitant, who be-
lieves he is the incorporation OF west
ern grit and eastern, "cuteness:
On the fringe of this division be-
tween eastern and western life are two
spite of the discrepancy in their ages,
they are very similar in many respects
3. comparative size, of course, not being
considered.
A transient existence Of week or
two in either city is not CALCULATED to
give an impression OIL uo11hou oe.CAo
faction to the stranger. Western prices
are charged for most commodities; par
ticularly in Winnipeg, and in the latter
city at least the newly arrived Britisher
oft gives expression to the truism
= "Eyerything s bloomin' Ugh hexcept
wages.
tier from the old country arriving in
Winnipeg as if he had to pay heavily
for the privilege of being dumped in
the middle of nowhere, and small won
der is it that he looks with longing
eye to the country to. the south, whose
wealth is proverbial in Europe.
Crossing the Frontier.
Yet when he decides to cross the
frontier, he is met again by high
charges for everything, and delays and
der if the much Wanted hustling of the
American has aught to recommend it.
The writer had occasion to visit Win
! ripeg recently, and on returning ran
y up against the rigid immigration laws
Of Uncle Sam. -
Intending to take the 500 Line train
leaving Winnipeg at 5 pm. Sunday, a
, ticket was purchased at the Canadian
: Pacific railroad office, and baggage
! ! checked to Minneapolis. On boarding
the train just before S an Inspector in
uniform stopped him abruptly with the
! question: --~~-s-,, :,
: states9'' :
mo-" was the reply,
~" "A5e you a o"nadi"n'' 49,
MWhat nationalitys"
. So thru the gamut Of other questions
entirely irrelevant to one g fitness or
til the official stated kindly but firmly
that it would be necessary to obtain q
certificate of suita Utility from the i'm
migration authorities, and as this was
Sunday, nothing could be done until
the following day.
eral months at a time in different
American cities went for nothing
neither did the proof that no obstacle.
had been encountered on previous trip!
across the border via P1attsburg ant
Detroit. The memorable laws of re
stricted immigration must be obeyed
and there was no way to circumven
them.
Much has been written Of the Brit
isher's propensity for grumbling, bu
seldom Is one SO justified in thinking
urspeakable things as when one is pc
- litefv told on boarding thru train, tina
one is an alien, and must get pass be
fore he can enter the States.
It is useless to point out to an Eng
lishman that the term "alien'' carrie
no stigma with it. He considers, an
not without reason, that for him to b
relieved by, any government of So TO
the doubtful privilege of being ex
- eft and proper" alien, along wit
some of the very scum Of central Eu
rope, is an outrage, and tho he submit
with as good grace as may be, he ha
his opinion Of law that robs it's ad
ministrators Of every vestige of discre
tionary power.
The Britisher Suffers.
=: Time and again the immigration at
,-e- thorities have courteously stated tina
the States could not discriminate in fs
yor of any European country; and we
, they can wipe out the whole bushes
for Canadian!
Further, Britisher who crosses tn
border from Canada, say three times i
ono year, must 60 thru the same annoy
ing Inspection and pay the same fe'
every time, the only alternative bein
citizen or Canadian British subjec
Lord Brassey, after a visit to Ell
Island last May, expressed himself
very highly pleased with all he sa
there, and ventured to hope that Gres
Britain would soon t,i adopt restrictiv
If his lordship had been compelled
remain twenty-four hours in prairj
- town and be examined medically an
otherwise as to his fitness to cross
boundary line that has no fortifcation
his opinions might have been differen
The average Englishman believes
restricted immigration-for America
and would be the last to attempt i
circumvention, altho that is ridiculou
ly. easy.
= To add, however, to the inconvenien(
- oecasioned by the delay above me-
toned, ON arrival by the 500 train
another company's depot in Minneap
lis the following day, the writer W;
met by a railroad regulation that Fl
a pure hold-up would be hard
parallel. The customs officials at Ell
.erson had by courtesy franked Il
checked baggage thru to Minneapoli
yet when it was claimed on the arriv
'- of the train next day, charge of
cents on each package was made f
Nstorage." Summed, up, therefore, n
counting the delay and consequent 10
Of business time, the cost to British
= for crossing the frontier was:
= Examination fee, paid to the railroad for
the government Observation-Disclosures. 50 !.
Hotel expenses for day .......... 2.
4 Storage of baggage Is pieces). ......... 1.
S..
t. ~1 IL