The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-05-13
IMMIGRATION
 RESTRICTION
PURPOSE or THE BILL NOW PENn
 ING IN THE SENATE.
Anendment of Present Law on Lines Where It Has Proved to Be weak. More Severe Penalties on
 Steamship Companies.

w dSuluBtO SoIIcSpOuucnCe EFSh-
 ing Post.
 Important among the many measures which are awaiting consideration in Congress as soon as the railroad rate bill is disposed of is the new immigra- tion bill. framed by Senator Dillingham; of Vermont. and now on the Senate cal endar with a favorable report from tho Committee on Immigration. Much as members of that committee dislike to see consideration of the new bill de- layed, there is every indication that nothing will be lost by reason of The pressure of present business. Since the bill was reported to the Senate there have been developmnts In the deten- tion of immigrants at several of the large ports of entry on the Atlantic Coast which have attracted attention to the increasing number or undesirable aliens clamoring for admission to this country. Experience has shhown that the present law, according to officials Of the immigration service, is not suffi- ciently emphatic in phraseology. It does not deter prospective immigrants from taking the chance of evadins the spirit of the law by establishing d sort of Scotch verdict of mot proven. when official consideration of the dis abilities alleged as a bar to admission
 
 is reached.
 The purpose in view in .he pending proposal has been to amend the pres cnt law on lines where 1t has been shown to be weak. and by so doing, put upon Congress, instead of upon indi- viduaI immigration officials, the -espon- sibility for drawing the line where 1t ought to be drawn. These chances were outlined in this correspondence a number of weeks ago, and It IS consid- cred significant of the importance of them that there has been deal of comment. since the scope of the new bill became known. So far as words of approval go, there is agreement that the new bill marks an improvement on 4he present law. This is the view taken by those not directly interested, in a business way, in immigation. Per- sons who come under the latter head, like officials of ocean steamship com panies, are urging objections to the tightening up of the loose joints in the existing regulations. It is interesting to know what these objections are. and how they are answered by those who uphold the proposed new law.
 One of the primary suggestions for keeping out undesirable immigrants has been to impose more severe penal ties on the steamship companies bring ing such aliens to American ports. It
 
 spection of aliens at the point of em- barkation abroad by medical or other authorized agents of this Government would prevent a great my undesir- ables from leaving other countries to come here. Both these subjects have been thoroughly considered, one favor- ably, the other not.
 Regarding the second suggestion the difficulty in it's enforcement s.z hof officers could he assigned to foreign ports only with the consent of the Governments of those countries In at least two or three fn- stances 1t was ascertalned by onclai inuuiries that such agents would not be received. hence the scheme was set aside as impracticable
 Fines Imposed on steamship Companies.
 Under the present law d fine Of $lOo is imposed upon steamship companies for every case in which they are found 10 have brought to this country per son suffering from contagious ana dangerous disease which could nave been detected at the. point of embarka- ton. In the last two years this mas heeu enforced in several hundred cases. . the fines in one fiscal year amounting to s2S, 400. As result of the laws enforcement the companies affected have learned to cooperate more close, Iv with the immigration officials, and have reduced the total number Of mes in the last fiscal year to t49. Inese figures represent rejected cases at Eiis Island and are typical of existing con- ditfons. Oficials of the service ascer- tained that the companies, in the last .;x months of 1905. rejected at foreign norts SOTO intended immigrants.
 This experiment having worked so well in the one class of dangerous ana contagious diseases. is to be repeated under other sections of the law. Ii the nayv hill masses. It is contemplated to assess the same penalty for bringing in aliens of any of the four following classes: idiots. feeble minded persons, ;nsane persons, epileptics; provided the existence of such a disease or condition might have been detected by means ot a competent medical examination by the steamship officials at the point ot embarkation.
 Di.trfbutfon of Immigrants.
 Another question which is to be ta- ken up by the new bill Is the distri- button of immigrants to the parts of the country where they are most need ed The last section of the bill pro- vides for the establishment in the Blu reau of migration of a division ot information" or distribution. It would be the medium through which the re- partment would get into touch with officials of the various States and Terri tories, and from the laater obtain ac- curate information regarding the re- sources. productes, physical character istics, climate. soil, price of land. routes of travel to reach such section. cost of transportation, opportunities for em- ployment. prevailing rates of wages. cost of living. and all other informa- ton tending to inform the newcomer regarding the new country to which he has come.
 Printing of such information in dozen or more foreign languages is part of the scheme of education. with distribution of the lists to aliens at the ports of entry and to societies desir- ing to assist immigrants. By this means the Department of Commerce and Labor would work in conjunction with the charitable and other organi- zations engaged in ameliorsting the condition of the congested alien set dement's of the great cities along the Atlantic seaboard especially, and in every way to promote more systematic distribution of aliens with the view to their assimilation into American citi- zenship as readily as possible.
 To advance the opportunities for mis- sionary work of this sort, any State or Terrotory which appoints at it's own expense an agent at any of the innmi- l grafton stations will, under the new | law. be permitted to have special faclI- l ities for Interviewing such immigrants | a have been admitted, and thus be able | tn present to them the special nduc e. raents offered fer settlers. All such | work would be carried on under regu lations prescribed by the Commission |
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