The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-03
IMMIGRANTS ARE
 CAUSING TROUBLE
Many Foreigners Soon Become
 Public Charges
ARE SUBJECT TO INSANITY
pr. White Talks of Nations Respon- slbility In Caring for 15o,ooo In- sane Patients-Bureau
 of Public Heaiah.

"One of the greatest problems facing the United States as a nation is the regu- iation of immigration and the care of the insane dependents of the country who are many of them the offspring of the weak minded foreign-born element of our popu- i lation."
 This statement was made last night by Dr. William A White of Washington, who is at the Hotel Hillman and is visit lng Birmingham as an expert witness in the Chisolm case pr. White is superin- tendent of the Elizabeth Hospital for the Insane at Washington, and in his work he is brought in close touch with the im- migrant question. He has given this sub iect very careful study for number of years.
 The care of the insane is getting to be a serious problem said Dr. White. and as there are 10000 insane persons in the public institutions of our country one may realize the magnitude of the subject. In New York state 50 per cent of the population is foreign born, and the same can be said of Massachusetts. These states have numbers of insane hospitals well filled with patients, and the records show a large per cent are of foreign pa rentage.
 The problem before us is to keep out of the country the undesirable element the persons who may become public charges or who through marriage may breed public charges. Our law reads that even after three years residence here a foreigner may be deported if proven undesirable or he becomes a pub He charge. As matter of fact, if foreigner is allowed to enter and get a foothold it becomes increasingly difficult to deport him. It is desirable ot stop these menaces to public health at the port of entry, and steps are being taken to make it more difficult for this class of immigrant to land here.
 Six or eight months ago I had a con ference with the surgeon general of the public health and marine hospital ser vice for the purpose of co-operating with him in the matter of immigration. and he then arranged to send a representative from the immigration department at FL Ills Island to the hospital at Washington for the purpose of studying insane pa tients and thereby be enabled to become expert in detecting the insane among the newly arrived immigrants. In return I arranged to send a member of the hos pital staff to Ellis Island to study the immigrants and to aid in detecting those mentally deficient
 This question Is of vast importance to the south as this section of the coun- .tp for bringing them in. But the undesirable immigrant Is not wanted here any more than anywhere else, hence the necessity for care in admitting foreigners to our shores.
 There is disposition on the part of congressman to make the immigration laws free enough to encourage proper immigration and there are some restrc- tions which are not rigidly enforced. In talking with Washington officials upon the subject of immigration l found that there was a disposition to put in an educational clause, but this has opponents for the illiterate immigrant might be per fectly honest land make a good citizen. while the educated immigrant fluent in three or four languages might also be an unmitigated scoundrel and unfit for citizenship anywhere. Thus it would hurt the cause to cut out those who could not read or write and let in the educated criminal
 We do not want people to come here to fill our asylums and prisons and must guard our ports with care for the benefit of future generations
 The whole subject of the mixture of races and interbreeding of races Is a deeply scientific one and not generally understood. The medical profession is learning more and more about it and it Is hoped that the nation may reap the benefit of this knowledge.
 There has been an agitation among the members of the American Medical association for several years to have a medical man in the cabinet-a Secretary of Public Health, whose duty it shall be to look after the health of the nation as a whole, with the same care that an individual looks after his own health Concentrated action as to health is be- yond each state and a centralization of action in such an official would be pro- ductve of great good.'
 
 INSIJRANCE COMpANN pIAMc