The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-02-16
IMMIGRATION
LAW IS FAULTY
Commissio ner General in Annual
Report Recommends 1t be
Strengthened.
MANY CHINESE SMUCGLtD IN
Present Law Not Operating to Keep
Them Out-Proposed Physical
Examination for Male
Aliens.

Washington, Feb. 15.-Not further
restriction but merely to make possible
such restriction as the existing law
intends but has not accomplished, is
the object of proposed new immigra-
tion law recommended by Daniel j..
Keefe, the Commissioners General of
Immigration in his annual report for
the fiscal year 1909. 1t is proposed to
accomplish this by codifying, arranging
in logical sequence and strengthening
at their weak points all existing laws
on the general subject of immigration
and Chinese exclusion.
Some of the principal suggestions
are:
So defining the term "alien" as to
leave no doubt that IL includes all per-
sons not citizens; extending the con-
tract labor provisions to forbid and
penalize the inducement of immigra-
ton by false as well as genuine prom
ises of employment, penalizing an at
tempt TO import foreign laborers, and
permitting the Importation of alien
skilled laborers if labor of like kind
unemployed cannot be found here only
liz the consent of the secretary of COM
merce and labor is obtained i'm ad-
vance; increasing fine against steam
ship companies for taking on board
dangerously diseased aliens from 800
to 5000.
Mr.. Keefe believes the time is ripe
for the adoption of even stricter meas
ures and suggests that proposal wor-
thy of careful thought is that all male
aliens between 16 and so be required
to pass a physical examination equal
to that observed for army recruits.
Touching the white slave" traffic
the report sets out that a special in
vestigation conducted throughout the
country and the general experience or
the year, make it apparent that an
enormous business is done in importing
and distributing foreign women for
immoral purposes, including the Sc
duction and distribution of alien wom-
en- and girls who enter regularly, ana
also to some extent of American wom-
en- and girls. The federal officers have
not discovered positive evidence of the
existence of syndicate for those ne
farious purposes, but there is among
those who conduct the business GER
tain esprit de corps and there are in
several cities clubs and headquarters
where they congregate."
In some cities. it is declared, the
l. nOlit tinnI
conditions and some of the municipal
authorities are implicated or otherwise
helpless to assist i'm eradicating the
evil The federal governments pow
ers, it is stated. are so limited as to
make it essential if any marked prog
ress is to be expected that the states
and cities shall awake to the serious
ness of the situation and exercise their
undoubted authority to put down the
evil.
During the year there was marked
Increase in deportations as result OF
the campaign against the traffic. The
provisions on this subject i'm the bill
submitted by Mr.. Keefe to carry OUT
his recommendations are in principle
the same as i'm the bill which already
has passed the house except that they
do not 90 so far i'm the features af-
fecting interstate regulation of the
lpractice.
Contrary to the general impression
Chinese admitted to the United States
have increased during the past -four
years and Mr.. Keefe is pessimistic re-
garding the operation of the law. He
concludes that the system of eXclu-
sion and expulsion by it is but lily ad-
opted for either purpose. He says:
"Despite all that is said and all that
lis done. the bureau is always conh-
dent at the close of any year that
many Chinese of the excluded classes
have evaded the border officers how
ever vigilant they may have been. have
smuggled themselves or been snug
gled ashore i'm seaports as sailors oi
stowaways. or have by fraud and per-
Jury managed to land in an apparently
regular manner There are doubtless
now in this country at least as many
Chinese not entitled to residence here
as of the lawfully resident class. and
they have entered I'm every way tha'
, can be imagined"
IL is urged that the exclusion laws
be merged into the general immigra'
tion law. so that the administrative
process of expulsion therein provided
may be used.
There are also a number of othe
Recommendation which the commits
sioner says may be considered revolu
tionary, but are regarded as necessar!
! | n the law is to be effective and salts
} factory.
During 1909. 6.39S Chinese were reg
4 ularly admitted against 4624 in 1905
e s.255 in 1907 and 2.732 in 1906. TIL
5 worst feature the commissioner say
$ is that the increase is almost conflne
5 10 classes the members Of which are o
soon become laborers and whose resi-
: dence here violates the spirit OF IN
$ law.
Continued on Page 5.