The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-06-22
MUDDY STREAM FROM
EUROPE To AMER|Ch
More Than q Million of Aliens
Coming to United States
Each Year.
Time Congress Was Getting Busy,
and Pass Some Restrictive
Measures.

NEW YORK, June 13.-With more
than million of aliens coming to the
United States a year 1t would seem
that congress should feel the neces-
sity for doing something to protect
the people already here from the fierce
competition of the people of the old
world who are coming in such num-
bers and who can not rise above the
surroundings from which they fed for
many years to come.
It is all we'll enough to grow senti-
mental, when sentiment does not seri-
ously hamper progress, but when 1t
does, as 1t plainly does III the case
under discussion, it is time to throw
over sentiment and grow practical.
There is no question but that the
present tide of immigration is in
fuenced largely by transportation
cheap labor. The former do not hesi-
tate to add to their revenues through
any class Of traffic and the latter,
naturally, look for the cheapest means
of production available.
The congested districts Of every city
bear witness to the evils of over
crowding. 1t Is useless to speak of
sending the new corners to the coun-
try, for they can not, or will not, get
along there. 1t is almost impossible
to get an immigrant away from the
cities. He prefers to remain with all
Of their misery rather than to sepa-
rate from it and be away from his
countrymen. The country does not
offer the inducements that the cities
do in the way of ready money. For
instance, the south is making a de-
mand for immigration, but look at the
wages offered in the south. which do
not average dollar a day for man
and much less for a woman. LOCAL.
ties where wages are even fair do not
have to beg for workers; they all have
too many of them.
The continuous stream Of impov-
erished persons that is coming is
showing itself in the increased cost of
maintaining our charitable institu-
tons of all kinds; in the increased H.
literacy of the average number of in
habitants and In the criminal cases
that are increasing in number. The
check to progress In wages and living
conditions Is apparent and above
everything else there Is that danger
Gus characteristic Of the foreign-born
citizen, who cannot read or write and
whose ideas Of political government
are to do as the ward boss tells him,
who has 1t in his power, ard who ex-
ercises 1t, too, to practically govern
every large city in this country, un-
less the native voting population
unites to undo the machine and their
automatons.
AS has been said. there is no one
encouraging this high tide of tmmi-
grafton but employers Of cheap labor
and the transportation companies for
these two are the prime movers in
every effort to make it easier for the
Immigrant to come into the country.
Special Inspector Fishberg is quot
ed in Golfers as having said on this
question::
THE runners who drum up busi-
ness for the steamship lines in Liver
pool and London dread the authori-
ties at New York, but believe that
Boston and Philadelphia are very
easy. In fact he observes, every
agent and runner I interviewed in
formed me that he could guarantee
the admission Of any alien afflicted
with trachoma if sent on one Of the
steamers of the American line to
Philadelphia. For this an agent asked
an additional sovereign
Germany tries to prevent the set
Element of Russian immigrants with
In her borders. and at the same time
she does not want to lose the profits
on shipment to America. She solves
the problem by establishing 'contro
Stations practically putting the i'm.
migrants under arrest as soon as the,
cross her frontier, and keeping then
in charge of the transportation COM
panies on a German ship westward
bound. Many of these people do no
want to come to the United States
They may have planned to settle il
England. That makes no difference
The agent sees very little com.
mission in the sale of the ticket TO,
London, and besides this suspects
that the immigrant intends upon hi.
arrival in England to embark on ;
vessel owned by one Of the English
or American companies. The in1,ni
grant passing through Germany il
considered the legitimate prey of tn,
German steamship companies AM
their agents. If the victim protest.
that he wants to go to England o.
France the agent informs him tina
ne is liar, and orders him to blu,
steamer tickets at once. The polio,
back up the agent. Inspector Fish
berg tells of one case, which he per
sonally witnessed, in which a Polisl
family If husband uiFo +1,., $1,000 -