New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-12
REPLY TO WILLIAMS
RESENT HIS ACCUSATIONS.
officials of Immigrant Homes Deny
Commissioners Charges.

Each of the immigrant homes st. Joseph's Home
for the Protection of Polish Immigrants. No. III
Broad street and the Swedish Lutheran Immi-
I grants Home, No Water street whose repre-
sentatives Commissioner Williams barred from
Ellis Island on Tuesday. replied yesterday through
their officials. Both emphatically denied the most
serious implication that girls have been allowed TO
obtain employment in improper places. and both
resented the Commissioners action in publishing
such grave accusations without first granting a
hearing or an opportunity for public defence.
Both pointed out that in handling from 1000 to
1900 Immigrants each in year they com
PEELED to enforce discipline and that there must
inevitably he malcOntents who hasten to complain
TO the first agency with which they come in con-
tact in their new Countrywide Immigrant Bureau.
The Rev. DR.. Joseph rEtanche. assistant manag-
ing director of st. Josephs Home, spoke for that
organization. He took up a time the charges
made by the Commissioner.
I'VE feel that the Commissioners decision is
most arbitrary one" he said. I'VE had no chance
20 be heard I'm the The home is in the hands
OF secular priests OF the Catholic Church and the
Pelican Sisters. a Polish order. The Archbishop
of New York is president of the corporation. as OF
all Catholic parish bodies
The first accusation is that make charge
OF IS cents. for which give inadequate return.
That is not correct. The home is a charitable in
stitution but it would be unreasonable for a man
who is able 10 pay his way to take advantage OF
that fact We ask every TO pay that sum
toward the support of the home. but II the person
is unable OF course do not insist upon II. In
return we give them food long they are here,
usually one or two meals. pay their carfare TO
their destination in the city. and actually conduct
them there, to the train ferry which will take
them to their future home. often poor people Will
stay with us for a week much longer without
any payment whatever.
1t is untrue. also that our people are coerced
into payment. 1t is untrue that money left de-
post is not properly cared for. We do
range 10 receive deposits except for safe keeping
overnight. Last December Anthoni Janowski, who
is mentioned in the Commissioners letter. urged
the chaplain and director. the Rev. Lanislaus
Kwasnewski to keep a of SEQ for him The
father consented. Janowski returned on August
and asked for the money. AS Father Kwasniewski
is now in Europe and had left no memorandum
the matter we were obliged 90 ask the 10
await his return. lie seemed satisfied and wished
to deposit $50 more. Later he returned with i'm
migrant inspector. and the sisters advanced the
money out OF their funds.
The charges Of abuse. and the story Of a bit Of
loaded hose with which immigrants were beaten.
are both Ill founded. During the outward rush Tor
Europe which followed the panic had
than one hundred and nifty men on our hands who
were waiting for steamers. II was. OF course. hard
TO keep order. and night the Sisters complained
that a drunken man had threatened them. our
Waterman put him out. He was compelled 10 use
force He carried blackjack FOR sef-defence.
and he may have used it in this case We heard
complaints soon afterward that he had beaten our
people. and he dismissed. The charge that our
people are treated cruelty is absolutely untrue.
1T is not true that liquor is kept in the Home
for employees for the immigrants. The priest in
charge has bottle Of wine for dinner: aside from
that no Intoxicants Of any kind allowed the
premises. We try to keep people from drinking
outside the Home as far as possible, and we are
almost always successful The charge that
change money at high rates Is not true. We direct
our. people 10 the proper places Broadway for
mt - q 60 n certificate al
Identification which IS mentioned In the letter does
not concern the Home itself Any priest may issue
such a slip upon taking the oath of the applicant
that he is the whose name and address
given. Such oath regarded as sacred. and
donation OF 81 or 81 Is usually made. The priest
here is accustomed 10 turn this money over to the
Home
The charge Of improper OF girls
not made against Home. but IL has been pub
llcly connected with the We place many girls
in good homes. usually servants in the homes OF
English speaking Catholics The woman Of the
house come I'm person 10 get a servant. and II
we do not know her personally she must bring
letter OF Introduction either from the priest Of her
parish or from some prominent person in her COM
munity usually in small cities from well known
banker or business man The Sisters take great
care 20 follow our girls and have them return for
confession. II possible. I say positively that
IT is impossible for improper persons TO get hold Of
the girls
manuel Swedish Lutheran Church. of Brooklyn.
and president OF the Swedish Immigrant Home,
also denied the charges of general mismanagement
OF his institution
Mr.. Dahlberg. who barred from Ellis ISL
and" he said has been with US for fourteen
years and have always respected him. think
the Commissioner must have been mistaken. l do
not think Il is possible that girls have been
led astray through the negligence OF officers.
We are not allowed 10 operate an employment bu-
reau and we recommend TO our girls the regular
bureaus for that purpose. in particular the Sean
dinavian bureau. which is near US.
I'VE do not run the home primarily a charity.
but there is an annual deficit of about s. CO., which
Is met by the Synod. and that body. also pays the
missionary who is I'm charge his salary Of 1900.
We charge the immigrants q. cents night for lodg
ing and o cents each meal. Of course frequent
" we get Immigrants who cannot pay. and they are
kept free. handle at least ten thousand persons
in a year. and with many there must be many
complaints, the more must preserve per-
feet discipline The Commissioners charges will be
taken up ut the next meeting OF the trustees IN
September"
as 10 what their present status is. and neither has
attempted induce immigrants TO seek them. AS
a result both homes vacant except for few
Of the poorer persons who cannot yet find a job
Commissioner Williams said yesterday that he
should continue his investigation. and that at least
one more institution would probably be barred from
the island. Congressman william s Bennett, OF the
Congressional immigration Commission, asserted
that the Investigations OF his commission had re-
veaIed startling conditions in the handling OF imm-
grants after their landing, particularly the case
OF young girls The immigrant homes he said.
allowed them to fall into evil hands without trying
TO shield them. The commissions report will be