Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-23
WILL SEEK FACTS ABROAD
Messrs. Neill and jerks to Gather
Data Here.
THOROUGH TOUR OF EUROPE
Homes Of Emigrants to Be Inspected
and Methods Of Inducing Emil
grafton to Be Studied.

Inc immigration commissioners assembled
at the Capitol this morning at IL O'clock
Ihey met In Senator Lodges room. that OF
the committee on Philippines, and the first
thing that was done was to give attention
TO photographer who made portrait OF
all nine commissioners, three senator's.
three representatives and three others who
were appointed from civil life
After that Senator Dillingham;. who was
chosen chairman yesterday called the COM
mission to order and various details vera
discussed relating to its work. The com
mission finished its plans In relation to
quite number of matters.
To some extent It divided its work into
various sections and determined how this
work should be done.
Commissioner Neill Of the Bureau OF la
Dor and Prof. J. w. jerks will personally
supervise the gathering OF statistics that
are available in this city, bearing upon i'm
migration matters. The census bureau the
bureau of labor, the work OF the industrial
commission some years ago and the Treas
ury Department all furnished large
amount of material of this kind and con
siderable other matter will be available in
other departments
The labor of getting all of this material
together will be very great and Dr. NeiIl
and Prof. jerks Will undertake to classify
1t so as to make it readily accessible for
the purposes of the commission.
Probably all of the other members OF the
commission will go abroad, leaving this
country in the latter part OF May. An OK
| ception may be Senator Lodge. who may
go later.
The commissioners while abroad will get
in communication with all diplomatic and
consular agencies of the United STATES In
all those countries from which settlers
come to this country. They Will begin their
labors In southern Europe. Italy will prob
ably be the first country visited. and when
they get through they Will probably know
the character at home of Italians who come
to this country. the method by which they
are gathered up and sent here. and espe-
cially will they undertake to find out
whether any of these emigrants are select
ed for expectation because of their unde-
srable character at home
From Italy as the season progresses
and as the warm summer months make
labor in the warm countries undesirable.
they will proceed to Russia and find out
about the emigrants from that section of
the world. They Will go through Ger
many. perhaps through Norway and
Sweden. through France and. in fact
will touch all of those important points
from which efnigrants come to the United
States.
With the assistance OF large body of
diplomatic and consular agents IL Is expect
ed that the commission will get at essential
facts concerning the character Of the peo-
world. They will personally visit the
homes of these people. will see them at the
ports at which they embark and VIII learn
all about the influences that cause them to
leave their homes.
Later the commission will make some
extensive and interesting inquiries con-
corning what becomes of these people after
they reach the United States. Eighty-four
per cent of all emigrants come to the port
OF New York. and the commission will wish
to learn what proportion remains In that
city goes to other large cities and what
proportion Is scattered throughout the
country and where. The commission will
seek records from all public institutions to
ascertain what proportion of the inmates is
foreign or of foreign parentage in order to
in some measure ascertain how it measures
up in general citizenship with the native
Americans and Araicans of native parent
age.
The scope of inquiry mapped out COW
ers about everything that can be learned
concerning emgrantS. The commission
practically completed its general plans for
conducting this work today. 1t will be to-
gether again. but II is not likely that many
meetings will be held until after the active
work Of investigation has made some
progress.