Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-18
FOREIGN COUNTRIES LAUGH
AT IMMIGRATION LAW
Inspector Marcus Braun, In Report,
Says European Governments Look
on This Country as Their
Own Colonies
BY Associated Press

ment of commerce and labor today sent
to the house the report Of Special I'm
migrant Inspector Marcus Braun, which
deals at great length with the char
acter of the immigrants coming to this
country and the attitude Of the Euro
pean governments upon the matter.
Mr.. Braun declares that he has in
controvertible evidence that while the
number of aliens shipped to this coun-
try who are legally inadmssible due to
disease Is diminishing, immigrants in
admissible for other reasons are con-
stantly brought into the country in
large numbers "by the concerted action
of some European governments and
steamship agencies, by bankers and
schemers of all sorts.'
He declares that while these govern
ments have laws ostensibly intended
to restrict immigration, instead of do
ing so they actually encourage 1t by
keeping alive the patriotic spirit of
the fatherand in the minds of these
colonists by representing that unless
they adhere to the principles of home
patriotism their governments would
leave them without protection in bar
barrie America"
This is especially true, Mr. Braun
says, in Italy and Hungary. He as
serts that these countries regard the
United States lin the attitude of ad-
juncts or colonies of their own, and
by their Instructions and teachings to
immigrants benefit accrues to the home
government to the detrment of this
country. He cites the fact that $50,O00,-
900 was sent last year from the United
States to Austria Hungary alone from
these immigrants. mot n single
promise which the new Hungarian i'm
migrant law guaranteed has been
kept"
Armenians' Clever Scheme
Speaking of the Armenians, Mr..
Braun says that they have invented
a scheme whereby they can stay in
Turkey and at the same time defy
Turkish laws. This scheme consists
of a large number of Armenians emil
grating to the United States, and as
soon as they have earned sufficient
money for their need they return sup
piled with American citizenship
papers, and are continually conspiring
against the Turkish government under
the protection of American citizenship.
The same is true in Syria and Pales-
tine In this connection he quotes from
the governor of Mount Lebanon, saying:
"If this constant travel from Syria to
and from the United States does not
cease soon the United States had bet
ter annex the province of Lebanon, as
at the present time there are more
American citizens there than Turkish
citizens"
In Jerusalem alone Mr.. Braun found
more than 1000 American citizens. He
cites a number of instances of the
fraud which these people practice, and
declares that 80 per cent of them
speak not word of English, and most
of them did not know the name of the
street or the city III which they claimed
to have resided while in the United
States.
Regarding immigration from Italy he
says that an Italian subject may leave
that country for any place on the
globe except the United States without
a passport. He is required to pay q
fee of eight lire for a passport to the
United States and from this the gov
ernment derives the revenue. He
further declares, upon the statement
of bankers and steamship agencies,
that the amount annually received in
Italy from Italians in this country
averages 81 a day for every Italian in
this country. 1t Is openly stated, he
says, in the Export Review, semi-of-
fetal organ of the Austrian govern
ment, that three-fourths of the immi-
grants leaving that country for the
United States come under contract
which adds:
God forbid that the American gov
ernment should read this"
BIames Agents and Preachers
Violations of the immigrant law will
continue, he declares, as long as there
are agents and sub-agents of steam
ship companies working on a commits
sion basis. These violations are not
confined to Europe alone, but are fla
inf in A hY11n mi TotNh ieI1 orc
of newspapers in foreign languages,
foreign clergymen and others doing
business here are ardent missionaries,
inducing immigrants to come here for
purposes of exploitation and are equal
ly interested in the return traffic. The
foreign priest and minister, he says, is
q most dangerous meddler and political
agitator. 1t has become faVorite ex-
preston he says, to speak of "our col
onies in America" He has a word of
commentator for the Russian Jew.
Once he becomes resident of this
country, Mr.. Braun says. the Russian
Jew stays and his children become
among the most patriotic and thriftiest
of our citizenship.
Based upon his investigation, Mr..
Braun makes series of recommenda-
tons:
"That the United States maintain
abroad a secret surveillance of unde-
srable immigration.
"That a statute be enacted requiring
aliens to produce at landing a GER
tiflcate of origin from the nearest
United States consul to be issued only
in the event that satisfactory infor-
nation has come to the consul respect
ing the allen from secret service offi-
cials.
"That a bond be required of not less
than $25000 from persons engaged in
the United States in the sale Of steam
ship tickets, forwarding money, con-
tracing labor, etc. for faithful and
conscientious performance of obllga-
tions and contracts.
"That a law be enacted making II
criminal offense for any resident
agent OF the company to travel abroad
for purposes of inducing immigrants
for temporary or permanent stay, but
exempting relatives.
"That the naturalization laws he
amended to require longer period of
residence before citizenship is granted"