The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-10
UNOESIRAbLES STRIVING
 ID ENTER THIS COUNTRY
Many Aliens of Southern Europe Are Afflicted With Disease and Come to Mexico and From There
 to the United States,
BY PATTERSON sTEALEY.

Washington, September 9.-(special.l Representative Burnett of Alabama who has been in Washington for sev- eral days attending to matters in the departments for his constituents re- turned to his home in Alabama today.
 In addition to the interview which appeared in The Age Herald the day of his arrival in this country MT. Bur nett makes the following statement on the subject of immigration:
 We landed in Naples May 29 and a few days later with two other mem bers of the congressional commission I visited Sicily, spending a week in that island. l found that many of the small CT villages were being depopulated by immigration to America. We went through all that section of the island which was once infested by brigands and was told that the brigands had all gone to America. In one village, which up to five or six years ago had a population of 5000 people. there were now only about 1890 people. mostly women and children.
 Many thousands of dollars are sent back each year to Italy by people who emigra ted to America. Wages are very low, but are increasing owing to the large number that have left for Ameri ca making labor more scarce.
 In Marseiles. France. we saw 8 good nany syrians and other people from Asia Minor on their way 10 America. They were the dirtiest look ing lot that 1 saw. Many of them were afflicted with trachoma a disease of the eyes, and fanes, a disease of the head, both ontagious Many of these people who know they could not get in through our ports, were going to Mexi- co to work through into the United States. I regard the Syrians and peo- pie from other parts of Asia Minor as the most undesirable. and the South Italians, Poles and Russians the next.
 Numbers Increasing.
 Larger numbers are coming from these countries this year than ever be- fore, and it looks like no end to them. unless some severely restrictive meas ures are adopted. As the undesirables increase, the desirables fall off. We spent several days in Switzerland and found that with a. population of over three millions. less than coco Swiss came to the United States last year. The Swiss, Germans, Scandinavians and. in fact. nearly all from Northwestern Europe and the British isles make good citizens, but each year shows de- crease of the better class of emisrants as the worst class increases.
 For the fiscal year ending June 30, about one million four hundred thous- and foreigners emigrated to the United States. This was nearly 100000 more than for the previous year
 In fact a steady increase of about two hundred thousand has been going on for the past four or five years Sup pose this continues for ten years long CT, where will we be?
 of z tion tell us that the high water mark of emigration has been reach ed. They have been saying the same thing for the past four years, and yet each year finds the high water mark raised.
 Trouble on the Borders.
 "I have just had an interview with Mir. Sergeant the commissioner general of im- migration, and he told me that his of fcials are having a great deal of trouble along the Mexican and Canadian borders with Japs Syrians and other undesirables who slip over our border. He told ne that he had just been notified of a large lot of Japs who had come into Mexico and bought railroad tickets through the limited States for Canada, and 1t was believed that the whole bunch expected to stop in the United States
 Tn the news he expressed, MT. Burnett wanted it distinctly understood that d1e dld not sneak for any member of the commission except himself One member of the commission. MT. Wheeler, Is still in Europe. and will continue his investi- ration there for a few weeks longer. When he returns the commission Will De called together and he hopes will be ready to make it's report and recommend sol'e legislation to the next session Of Col- press. MT. Burnett Is more firmly con- yinced than ever that the educational test is the best expedient for at least a temporary checking of the undesirable class of emigrants.