The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-02-15
COMMISSIONER
Of IMMIGRATION
MAKES REPORT
Wants the Laws Codified and
Strengthened Where; They
Are Weak
JAPkNE' f IMMIGRATION has
DECREASED SEVENTY CENT

NN"SVst -uEudCc NOW ~ tnC lmml.
grafton Coming From Southern and
Eastern Europe-Sixty. Seven Per
Cent Last Year From There,
washington, Feb. 15.-Not further
resurrection but merely to make pos-
slDle such restriction as the existing
law intends but has not accomplish
ed, Is the object of a proposed new
Immigration law recommended by
Daniel j. Keefe, the Commissioner
general of immigration in his annual
report for the fiscal year 1909. n ia
proposed to accomplish this by codi-
flying, arranging in logical sequence
and strengthening at their weak
points all the 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 it includes all
persons not citizens; extending the
contract labor provisions to forbid
and penalize the inducement of im-
migration by false as we'll as genuine
promises of employment, penalizing
an attempt to import foreign labor
ers. and permitting the importation
OF alien skilled laborers if labor of
like kind unemployed can not be
found here only If the consent of the
secretary of commerce and labor is
obtained in advance: increasing the
fine against steamship companies for
taking on board dangerously diseased
aliens from 500 to 5000.
Mr.. keefe believes the time is ripe
for the adoption of even stricter
measures and suggests that a pro-
posal worthy of careful thought is
that all male aliens between 16 and
50 he required to pass physical
examination equal to that observed
for army recruits.
White Slavery.
Touching the white slave" traffic
The report sets out that q special in
vestigation Conducted throughout the
country and the general experience of
the year. make it apparent that an
enormous business is done in import
Ing and distributing foreign women
for immoral purposes. including the
seduction and distribution of alien
women and girls who enter regularly,
and also to some extent Of American
women and girls. The federal officers
nave ret discovered positive evidence
OF the existence of a syndicate for
those nefarious purposes, but there
is among those who conduct the busi-
ness a certain esprit de corps, and
there are in several cities clubs and
headquarters where they congregate."
{c
traffic is connected with local poli.
tical conditions and some of the mn
nfcipal authorities are implicated or
otherwise helpless to assist in eradi-
eating the evil. The federal govern
ment's powers, it is stated, are 80 linn
ited as to make 1t essential if any
marked progress is to be expected
that the states and cities shall awake
to the seriousness of the situation
and exercise their undoubted author
ity to put down the evil
During the year there was a mark
ed increase in deportations as re-
suit of the campaign against the traf-
fic. The provisions, on this subject
in the bill submitted by Mr.. Keefe
to carry out his recommendations are
in principle the same as in the bill
which already has passed the house
except that they do not go SO far in
the features affecting interstate reg
ulation OF the practice.
Japanese Immigration.
Qualification is expressed as a re-
suit of the experiment i'll immigra-
tion control" as affecting the Japan
ese, constituted by law. proclama-
tions and regulations following the
anti-JapaneEe agitation in California
several years past.
There has been a material reduc-
tion in both the number of Japanese
admitted and deported. In 1908, 9,544
Japanese We're admitted to continental
United States and 1854 to Hawaii,
while for 1909 the corresponding fig
ures are 2,432 and 1893. The number
admitted to the mainland and Hawaii
was only about twenty-five per cent
and seventeen per cent, respectively,
Of the numbers for 1908.
Contrary to the general impression
Chinese admitted to the United States
have increased during the past four
years and Mr.. Keefe is pessimistic
regarding the operation of the law.
He concludes that the system of ex-
clusion and expulsion afforded by It
is but lily adopted for either purpose.
He says:
Despite all that is said and all that
is done. the bureau is always con-
fident at the close of any years that
many Chinese of the excluded classes
have evaded the border officers, how
ever vigilant they may have been.
have smuggled themselves or been
smuggled ashore in seaports as sail
ors or stowaways, or have by fraud
and perjury managed to land in an
apparently regular manner There
are doubtless now m this country at
least as many Chinese not entitled
to residence here as of the lawfully
resident class, and they have entered
in every way that can be imagined"
1t Ia urged that the exclusion laws
bo merged into the general immigra-