The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-26
FOR THE PROTECTION OF
IMMIGRANTS TN CHICAGO

Not long ago sanitary engineer
stated that most typhoid epidenics
start among our foreign colonies and
spread to other sections. This. he ex-
planned, is because the foreigner has
been accustomed to a pure water sup
ply and is therefore much more sus-
ceptible to typhoid than the American
Instead OF urging this as an additional
reason for giving US all decent water,
he concluded that some new basis for
exclusion must be adopted.
In this way most discussions of the
immigrant leave the fundamental prob
lem quite untouched. Even If we adopt
a literacy and physique test and in
crease the head tax, thousands of i'm
migrants will come every year The
legal control of immigration belongs to
the national government, but the great
economic and social questions result
Ing are local problems. Our cities have
become great labor markets supplying
for very wide area, quite unscientif-
ically, the additionalmen needed as one
industry after another passes from a
dull to rush season. In the future
even more than now economic neces-
sity will add the immigrant to our urb-
an rather than to our rural population.
Though the immigrants, because of
the entrance tests and the fact that
only the more ambitious undertake the
journey, are a rather selected group,
their simple honesty and thrift are not
an adequate protection for the condi-
tiOns they encounter in our cities. IL
during his first days in this country the
Immigrant Is tricked and defrauded his
future usefulness is much impaired.
With the women there is always the
danger of moral as well as financial
exploitation From the beginning the
Immigrants Protective league has re-
ceived from the various ports of entry
the names and addresses of the girls
and women bound for Chicago.
AT present It Is practically impossible
to trace the girls who leave New York
and never reach their friends in that
city. Two Polish girls were coming to
their cousin, who lived back of the
stock yards in Chicago. When visitor
called at the house she found the
cousin, much alarmed because the
girls had not arrived BY in
quiring of others who came on the
same boat we found that the girls had
become acquainted with a man from
Rochester on the way over and that he
was Cooking out for them" The only
information the commissioners at Ellis
island could give was that they had left
there and that one ticket had been sold
10 Rochester and two to Chicago had
been used as far as Rochester. The
girls had completely disappeared and
no one was responsible. Usually the
girls we find are the ones to whom
nothing did happen. One 17-year- old
girl was put off the train at South
Chicago by mistake and wandered
about for several hours at night. Final
ly man offered to take her to her
friends. He proved worthy of conf
dence.
National and even international at
tention has been drawn to the prosecu-
ton of so-called white slavers" in Chi
cago. But in prosecutions, we must,
Of necessity, wait until the girl has
been ruined and no fine or pententiary
sentence can undo the damage. Pre-
ventive measures should be undertake
en-. First should be the guarantee to
every Immigrant girl of safe arrival
at her destination, even if it can be
done only by making inland cities like
Chicago ports of arrival for immigrants
just as they are ports of entry for
imported merchandise.
At the railroad stations there is need
of the greatest caution. Friends and
relatives often find it impossible to