Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-01-25
IMMIGRATION
COMMISSION
ENDANGERED
CONGRESS DECLINES TO GIVE
1T MORE FUNDS
POLICY DENOUNCED, AND BODY
MAY BE DISSOLVED
Extinction by Starvation Threatens
Federal Committee Founded Under
the Roosevelt Admins
tration
ASSOCIATED Pressl

w ting off a deficiency appropria-
ton of $125,000 for the national
immigration commission the house to-
bers, led by Representative Macon of
Arkansas, who denounced the commits
sion and its work and threatened it
with immediate extinction.
Unless friends of the commission
succeed in having the item restored to
the urgent deficiency appropriation bill
in the senate it will be compelled to
suspend for lack of funds
The commission was created by an
act of congress February 20, 1907. 1t
has brought out a number of inter-
esting reports dealing with conditions
in immigrant Slips and lives of aliens
after their arrival in this country.
Several other reports are in course or
preparation
Senator Dillingham; of Vermont is
chairman of the commission, other
members being Senator Lodge, Rep
resentatives Howell of New Jersey,
Bennett of New York and Burnett of
Alabama, and Prof. j. w. jerks of Cor
nell university, and William K.
Wheeler of San Francisco.
Mr.. Macon made a point of order
against the appropriation on the
ground it was not a deficiency. Then
came a general assault against the
commission by several members, Mr..
Macon making a scathing attack on
the body He charged that the COM
mission had gone on a junketing eX-
petition abroad, had spent $657,993 and
had accomplished practically nothing
Denounces Cornell
Mr.. Macon said that Prof Janks
l., vet nj nf oh
his duties at Cornell an institution
which he characterized as playing
politics all the time" He said that
William r. Wheeler. who was also
secretary of the Merchants Shippers
association of San Francisco, drawing
$1,000 Il year from the association and
$500 from the commission, regarded
the latter office as political sineeure.
IT am advised" said Mr.. Macon,
that this commission went abroad in
the summer of 1907, it sailed May Is
and returned September II, and that
no report of the trip has ever been
published and, in my Judgment, Will
not. for it seems the trip was a plea
sure junket for most of the members,
rather than an information gathering
| trip.
| 1.-THE commission made no progress
until forced to do so by the late Sen
ator Latimer of South Carolina, who
| threatened to return home on the next
! steamer and inform the government on
| the floor of the senate that the COM
mission intended mearely to delay i'm
migration investigation.
"Messrs. Latimer Burnett and How
ell, of the commission, were allowed
to go to work, while the chairman told
Mr.. Wheeler to come with him and
enjoy himself, that the immigration
problem had been thoroughly investi-
gated by the individual commissioners,
and that only he and another knew the
real purpose of the commission.
'I cannot swear to these facts be-
cause 1 was not present, but my in
formation has been received from a
reliable citizen. The members who
went abroad were Dillingham;, Lati-
mer, Burnett, Howell and Wheeler,
and they were accompanied by their
families and two of the secretaries of
the commission, one of them, a Mr..
Crane, who, l am advised, is a nephew
of Senator Crane of Massachusetts,,
and the other, Mr.. Husband, Senator
Dillingham's secretary.
Auditor Protests
81 have heard that the auditor for
the state department has entered
protest against a certain member of
part of his expense account the
amounts paid out by him for laundry,
hair cuts, shampoo shines and auto
mobile rides for pleasure on the APP
! plan way.
81 understand that Mr.. Bennett and
| his secretary have been abroad sew
| eral times at the expense of the COM
mission. He is one of the three men,
bers of the steering committee"
Mr.. Macon referred to Prof. jerks
work as influencing students Tin the
! political way the party in power would
| have them walk"
He declared the commissions report
| contained a mass of matter that could
| be culled at any time from the police
| courts.
Chairman Tawney of the appropria
ton committee condemned the prac-
| tice of creating commissions with
| permanent appropriations"
Instead of mourning expenses and
| then asking congress for the money
| to meet them, as the immigration
| commission had done, he said such
work should be provided for by annual
| appropriations.
| Declaring that he believed the com
mission had delayed its final report to
! prevent legislation restricting immi-
| grafton because an election was ap-
| preaching, Representative Burnett of
Alabama, a member of the commits
! sion, said he believed it should have
concluded it's work before now.
SAVINGS BANK BILL READY
| WASHINGTON IAN 24-Senators