Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-02-11
WANT BETTER
DEPORTATIONLAW
SHOULD COVER UNCONVICrED
CRIMINALS FROM FOR
EIGN LANDS.
Case Of Australian Crook Shows Lax.
ity OF Law.


criminals as for white slaves. II
we find a woman as a white slave
within three years after her entry
we may deport her. If man is con-
Victed OF felony, however, he is land
ed in jail, fed by the people, and
then turned loose upon the eommu-
nifty"
This stament was made by Sec
rotary of Commerce and Labor Ma
gel in discussing for the United Press
the case Of an Australian. reputed
In four countries to be a thief. yet
never convicted. The man was un-
doubleday an undesirable citizen, but
the immigration bureau was for
long time at loss for means to
deport him, and succeeded only
through a twist of the law.
He embarked from Liverpool, Eng
land, for American shores last No
vember. Coming first class, he slip
ped into the country without any
examination by the Ellis Island Of
flcials. He was soon apprehended and
held for deportation.
Here the trouble started. He had
twice been in jail but each time
for contempt of court, which is not
an act involving moral turpitude, and
SO could not be sent back ON these
convictions. He was out of the
Austrian jails simply because the Of
ficials of that country called when
he was not at home; he had skipped
bond in England and was gener-
ally known as a member of a famous
bend of Austrian thieves. In short,
the mans only recommendation was
that, being a crook, he was good
crook. But as he had never been
convicted of theft or any other crime
there seemed to be no law which
he could be kept out.
If he was allowed to enter the
chances were great that he would be-
come Jail bird sooner or later and
cost the public the price OF severa
years prison board. So the author.
tiles ordered that he be depoFted as
one likely to becom public
charge" The public charge" clause
is designed to- prevent an influx o.
immigrants unable to earn living
He was educated, and a man of fal
above average intelligence. He could
easily prove his ability to earn q
living and so fought the decision il
the courts.
The New York court of appeal
sustained the decision Of the immi
grafton bureau, holding that tn,
mans character warranted the as
sumption that he would get int,
trouble. and in Jail, and that in thi
way he was likely to become pub
lie charge"
That there are any number of i'm
migrants entering this country ever.
year of this type, unconvietei Grim
inals," or men of criminal character
seems borne out in the report of tn
superintendent of prisons of Nel
York, that % per cent of the in
mates of Auburn, Sing Sing and Clin
ton penitentiaries are of foreig
birth. A census of the prison
throughout tn country last yea
showed that Is per cent of the prii
oners were foreign born.
This problem is far more in
portant than the white slave bus
ness ever win b.. said Commission
er of immigration Keefe. "Wh
should fill up our jails with tn
sort of truck? If a man become
criminal within three years after b
enters it is proof enough that
isn't fit for American citizenship.
In all, the people of the countl
are paying for the keep of 1,34T ,OC
people born in other lands. ] b
lieve the best part of our immigri
tion is past and that the laws shou
be made more strict every year.
the last seven years there were G
$4,000 immigrants let into tn
country and over 20 per cent of the
cam from southrn and southeastel
Europe and western Asia.
People don't realize how maj
people that means. Why, that's mo
than a million more than the pop
lation of California, Oregon, Was
ington. Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, Ne
Mexico. Utah, Colorado, Wyomin
Montana. the two DakOtas and n
braska."