Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-14
MUST Be DEP0RTED
Immigrants UnIaWfuIIy Assisted
in Coming Here.
DESIRED IN THE SOUTH
Cities Have Been Unconsciously Vio-
lating the Statutes.
OFFICIALS IN A QUANDARY
People Who Have Been Brought Over
Are Of Good Glass - Congress
sional Legislation Needed.
OFFICIALS IN A QUANDARY
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

riety of other Offenders against the statutes
of the United States, and now it has city
and state to punish for the violation of
the immigration laws. Several very deli
cate questions are involved, and the depart
ment is likely to act with great elaboration
in the prosecution for that reason. 1t Is not
very violent in its movements. either. but
Is trying to help the offenders out of their
scrape as much as it can without knock
ing the edges off the law.
Down in North Carolina. in the enterpris-
ing city of Charlotte, the members Of the
Textile Club and other mill owners and
planters, who are suffering for the want of
labor, got together about a year ago and
decided to adopt the recommendations OF
Mr. Sargent the commissioner Of tmmigra-
ton, and try to divert part OF the great
stream Of strangers that are coming to seek
homes in the United States to their section
of the country. They appointed a commit
tee. which, having discovered that the
state of North Carolina has no bureau Of
immigration. and no money appropriated
to pay for advertising It's opportunities and
advantages to immigrants. decided to fur
nish the funds by private subscription. The
governor of the state approved Of the pro-
ject. and commissioned an Englishman
named Costello. a machinist, working at
Charlotte, as commissioner of immigration
for the state of North Carolina, with the
understanding that the people of Charlotte
would pay his salary and expenses.
Inducement Promised to Immigrants.
Costello went over to England, but in
stead Of doing what was expected of him
In the way of advertising for immigrants
he adopted what is considered a better
plan. and offered to pay the passage and
give bonus of S25 in cash to every per-
son who would come over to Charlotte to
settle. He told all sorts Of wild stories
concerning wages and manner OF living,
promised them everything and coached
them as to what they should say to the In
spectors when they arrived in New York.
A party of twenty-four arrived a few
where they discovered that Costello had
misrepresented the labor situation and
had deceived them very generally. They
began to complain, and some of them de-
manded indemnity. Costello tried to keep
them quiet, but they would have nothing
further to do with him. and several left
Charlotte in the hope of finding more lucra
tive employment elsewhere. One Of the
girls came to Washington. where she was
picked UP by the police and placed in the
Florence Crittenden Home The immigra-
ton bureau was notified and sent down an
official to hear her story, which suggested
an investigation of the entire matter. The
inspectors who went to Charlotte found no
difficulty in getting the facts. and upon
their information Commissioner Sargent
sent the case over to the Department Of
Justice, calling attention to the fact that
the entire proceeding was in violation of the
immigration act of March 3, 1903.
Section 8 of that act declares 1t to b
unlawful ito assist or encourage the i'm
portation or migration of any alien by a
promise Of employment" and forbids any
one either by writing, printing or oral
representations, to solicit invite or en-
courage the immigration of aliens into the
United States under a penalty Of 81, 900
fine in each case or from three months to
two years imprisonment.
Deportation Ordered.
Under this law the commissioner of immi-
grafton has ordered all of the twenty-four
immigrants whom Costello brought over to
be sent back to their former homes in Eng
land. except two or three of the number
who will be retained as witnesses in a suit
to be brought against the Textile Club and
Costello. The governor OF North Carolina
is equally guilty, but will not be made
defendant The people of Charlotte will be
required to pay all expenses OF sending the
Immigrants back to their homes, but this
win probably be all the punishment that
will be imposed upon them. because it Is
conceded at the Department Of Justice that
the members of the Textile Club. the gov
ernor Of North Carolina and all others con-
cerned except Costello. were acting with
the most innocent intentions. without realiz-
ing that they were engaged In q criminal
proceeding. Mr.. Tompkins of the Charlotte
Observer, who Is one of the worst sinners
II
Attorney General and the commissioner of
immigration and L. willing to do anything
possible to set the matter right. 1t Is to be
regretted that the immigrants cannot re-
main in this country. because they are an
excellent class Of people and their return to
England will discourage others from COM
ing, but the law requires that they go back.
Immigrants From Belgium.
Several days ago a party Of 500 immi-
grants from Belgium arrived at Charleston,
8. c., and were received with great cor
daily by the people Of that state. They
are said to be az welcome and valuable a
party of men, women and children as ever
came to this country. and the first step in a
movement that means everything to the
south. If they should find conditions agree
able. it Is almost certain that thousands Of
their relatives, friends and neighbors will
follow them and furnish exactly the kind Of
labor which Is most needed in the mills and
the truck farms and the plantations of the
south. These Belgians, who were very care
fully selected. seem to carry the key to the
problem with which the south has been
But every one Of them has been brought
over in violation Of the law. and the COM
missioner OF immigration has submitted
the facts to the Attorney General for his
opinion and advice as to the duty Of the Of
nciais OF that bureau. Commissioner Sar-
gent and Commissioner Neill OF the labor
bureau went down to Charleston by direc-
tion of the President to welcome the new
Corners and to emphasize by their presence
the importance of the event. which the
eloquent orators Of the south declare to be
1.-THE dawn OF q new era" 1t should be
said, however. that neither the President
nor Messrs. Sargent and Neill were aware
at the time that the laws had been violated
That awful disclosure has been made since,
and therefore neither Of them win be made
q defendant in the criminal proceedings, al
though they were clearly accessory after
the fact
Work Of State Commissioners.
These 500 immigrants from Belgium were
induced to come to the United States by
E. ]. Watson, commissioner OF immigration
and agriculture for the state Of South Caro-
lima, who was duly appointed under the au-
thority of the legislature by the governor
OF that state. He went to Europe con-
ferred with the officers Of the steamship
companies at Bremen, Hamburg Antwerp
and elsewhere. appointed local agents and
canvassers. advertised In the newspapers.
filed statements with the government of
Belgium and the ofncials of the various
municipalities OF that country, showing the.
wages paid for labor. the cost Of living,
the opportunities for employment, the