Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-01-11

before cmigrants are allowed to emba rk
for American ports. The evils of our i'm
migration arc less due to its bulk than to
its quality. The fact that n million for
cigncrs came in last year, and that more
than that number are expected this year
would not he source of danger If the
whole of this number was made up of
ablo-bodcd men and women anxious to
work and make a place for themselves in
this country That kind of immigration
is desirable rather than otherwise
The trouble comes from the number who
do not and cannot work, but who make Il
quick passage from Ellis island to our
hospitals and our prisons. There used to
be a profitable business done by police
authorities abroad in deporting trouble
some criminals to this country. More
care is now taken to- exclude criminals
than formerly, and this practice has de-
creased. But the records of our aims
houses and insan" asylums show that the
proportion OF helpless and mentally un-
sound is as large as ever. In this neigh
borhoud nearly half of the detectives
thus supported by the State were born
abroad. That is the sort of burden which
there is no justice in imposing upon this
country merely to swell the receipts of
the steamship companies or to keep down
the expenses in the country from which
these burdens are brought. Senator Dill
linrham should recognize this steady flow
of the diseased and helpless, and the new
law should increase the provisions for
their exclusion. There is no objection to
the steamship companies filling their
stecragcs with all the ahle-bodied foreign
ers who wish to come here, but with for
eign officials looking for chance to get
rid Of their own burdens and steamship
companies looking for passengers. tho
temptation to send their poor to the ship
instead OF 10 an almshouse or hospital Is
strong. Inspection abroad has been lax.
and there is much evidence that the regu-
lations have been corruptly cvaded. If
the flow of the defective could be stopped
the objections to the sound would be con-
fined to the labor unions Wedding out
the applicants for asylums rather than
restriction of numbers is the work before
Congress.
senator Dillingham; according to the
EAGLES Washington correspondent has
made a number of trips to Ellis Island,
where he has studied at short range the
various phases of the situation. He has
also induced a number of his colleagues
to make similar inspection trips to the
port of New York
There is marked diversity of opinion
on the part of President Roosevelt.
Commissioner of Immigration Sargent
and senator Dillingham; in the matter
of immigration. Mr.. Sargent advocates
radical steps that will cut down the
immigration tide. The President has
adopted only few of Mr. Sargent's res
trictivc suggestions. and. while he favors
legislation that will check the Hood OF
aliens. occupies something of a neutral
position Senator Dillingham; is the most
conservative. and so far has not beer
converted to the idea that heavy i'm
migration constitutes Il dangerous men
ace to the country and its institutions.
lie believes that some Of the defects
ard inequalities of thc existing laws
should be corrected. but is not at all
ready To accept the radical programme
proposed by Mr.. Sargent
Both the President and Mr. Sargent
have given their approval to the plan
of limiting the number of aliens COM
ing annually to the United States by
apportoning the number of such per-
sons in a direct ratio to the tonnage of
vessels. by raising or lowering this ratio
Congress will have it in its power to
place an exact limit on the number of
immigrants.
In spite of the restrictions on immigra-
ton imposed by existing legislation it
is a notorious fact that undesirable
classes of aliens are continually finding
their way into our territory. 1t has
been shown that some foreign countries
have systematic schemes for dumping
the scum of their population into the
United States and it is time to stop this
practice.