Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-31

He is man with a picturesque history. In
the two years that he has been in charge of
the immigration station at Ellis Island he
has passed on something like two million
aliens seeking admission to the United
States. Twenty-eight years ago he came to
this country from England, steerage i'm
migrant, and this fact of itself pointedly IL
lustrates his Interpretation of the scope and
possibilities of the United States, for 1t
demonstrates that an allen citizen who has
thoroughly adopted the customs the at
mosphere and the principles of his adopted
land may be as loyal to and as watchful
of the interests of that country as one who
is native born. Robert Watchorn is thor
oughly American. His interests are here;
his future is here. When he was first ap-
pointed to Ellis Island one of the first let
tiers of consratulation he received was from
Judge John A. McllvaiE of Washington,
Pa. who was on tie bench at the time
Watchorn became citizen of the United
States.
Mr.. Watchorn's experience while a young
man in this country especially fitted him
for his present position. He came here in
1879, and after remaining a year in Steu-
benVille, Ohio, went to PittSburg and be-
came miner. There he became an active
member of the Knights of Labor and the
Sons oI Temperance, and in 1881 was elect
ed president of tie local branch of the
Miners Union at Courtney, near Pttsburg.
Three years later he was made president of
the Pittsburg district. and the same year
he WAS elected secretary and treasurer of
the National Trades Assembly of Coal
Miners. At that time there We're two organ
izatiOns of coal miners and they were con-
tfnually at cross purposes with each other.
Mainly through The influence of Mr. Watch
orn these bodies were united and became
known as the United Mine Workers of
America and Mr. Watchorn was made sec
retafy and treasurer of the new organiza-
ton.
There is no need. however. to go into the
personal history of the man. There is no
% nj arly oil of h tc
ambition to educate himself and his success
In making himself a patriotic citizen.
There Is just one incident though. that
should be related as it shows the personal
bravery of the one who now presdeS over
the destinies of the new citizens that are
daily coming TO the shores of America. In
1891 explosion In the Dunbar mine re-
suited In imprisonng thirty-One men and
boys. rescue party was called for. and
Watchorn with two companions volunteered
to tunnel from an adjacent mine into the
entombed miners. To reach them it was
necessary 30 travel more than five miles
through mine tunnels in an atmosphere
laden with foul gases. Fhe rescue party
found the bodies of the miners, who had
died soon after the disaster. Mr.. Watchorn's
health was SO undermined by the results of
this experience that he was obliged to re-
sign from the organization Soon after
ward he was appointed state factory in
spector of Pennsylvania and made a jour-
ney to Europe to study conditions abroad
on behalf of the state. He occupied this
position for four years when he was ap-
pointed an inspector at Ellis Island, and
while in this position he was assigned to
the sweat shops on the East Side of Man
haitian. He was next sent to Mexico to
watch the immigration situation there.
While an inspector he made four trips to
Europe and presented extensive reports on
the evasion of the immigration laws. At
Chiasso. which Is partly in Italy and partly
in Switzerland. he discovered that thou
sands of Italians were being sent to the
United States by way of Canada without
passing through the immigration stations,
and through Watchorn's efforts the Illegal
practice was entirely broken up
In 1893 he was placed at Puget Sound
where he had excellent opportunities to
study another phase of the question At
ter making trip to Europe in 1890 he was
placed in 1891 in charge of the Canadian
border service of the United States immi-
grafton bureau and organized the method
that is now In use at those stations With
a sweep of territory of 4 700 miles to cover
from Halifax to Vancouver-he evolved a
system that put stop to the smuggling of
hundreds of thousands of aliens into the
United States. When Watchorn took
charge of the Canadian border there was
only chaos. Today tie entire breadth of
that portion of the country is as well Or
ganized as the station at Ellis Island. And
the same strong hand Is being felt at Ellis
Island He has doubled the capa city there
and made the most of the limited accom-
and he has organized a system
every man m the government en-
ploy knows that he must perform his full
line of duty.
In the performance OF his own duty
Watchorn is hard as steel nails vet his
heart is as tender as a womans. In pass
Ing on pathetic cases where the law said
deportation" L have seen the tears come
into his eyes as he sent the unfortunate
aliens back to their native land and their
misery Almost one of the first things he
did after taking charge of Ellis Island was
to provide seats for the immigrants along
the passageways through which they have
to go to be examined and where thew are
sometimes compelled to remain for forty
nve minutes or more. He has inaugurated
a new system to relieve men, women and
baggage up the stairs leading to the ex-
animation room. He has planned better
accommodation In the dormtories He per-
sonally watches the immigration restau-
rant, the ticket booths, the money exchange
and other departments conducted by con-
cessionaries and sees that the immigrant Is
treated with the utmost fairness. On the
other hand, the Immigrant is as CLOSELY
watched to see that the United States is
treated with the utmost fairness.
Three things are insisted upon by the
commissioner at Ellis Island as absolutely
essential qualifications for admission into
the United States:
Heath.
2-Character.
stability to gain livelihood
There are two classes who would pass
upon the immigration question" said Com
missioner Watchorn the other day. Zone
says, Close the doors and let in nobody
and the other says, open wide the doors
and let in everybody 1 am in sympathy
with neither of these classes. But there is a
sensible middle class. First of ALL we must
remember that 1t is people that have made
the United States great. 1 do not believe
We ought TO build a wall around the
United States like the Chinese built wall
around China. But we certainly do not
want people here who will not make good
American citizens We do not want GRIM
inals nor paupers nor people who cannot
work and help to build up the country. We
need laborers and workingmen Of all kinds
We do not produce enough laborers in the
United States. Our institutions are too
high to produce them. I, for instance was \
miner: but do not want my boy to be (.
miner / have higher aims for him. And
that is the way that nearly every other
father of this country feels. be he alien or
native born. What. then, Is to become of
the United States IL we close the doors to
workmen from the outsider