Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1911-02-24

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rrr1<|k rrm unfairly and of an tn
WI telligent desire TO bet
NV ter their. condition by
Hi hard work OF these 1t
LNW is not the purpose of
NInlllTA this article to treat.
.fNNlHlllnH$ The remainder of the
IMlVlllNNUlll yearly output from for
UAllIDlHHlNlN eign countries come
blNVInINllllHA here because they have
llllillllllAu been caught up and
torn awav from their native homes by
the superior power of a vast and intri
cate machine" In its main outlines
this machine" may be likened to an
enormous dredging apparatus stretching
forth gigantic cranes to every port OF
Europe. catching up and heaving BACK
loads of emigrants collected from every
corner OF the eastern hemisphere py the
tireless efforts of no less than 5O,OOO
steamship agents and their canvassers.
The fuel which energies this colossal
structure is an equally colossal greed for
yearly dividends, and the combined in
tellects controlling our greatest steam
ship and railroad companies may be said
to represent the engineer. The pivot
upon which the entire mechanism turns
Is fraud and evasion of the United States
immigration law.
No large city In the United States is
without its element Of foreign-born pur-
chasable voters. criminal cliques, BLACK
handlers" anarchists. paupers, its cheap
labor" supply controlled by foreign-born
contractors, its overcrowded tenements
breeding disease; furthermore, careful
estimate shows that about 90 per cent.
Of the uDaccompanied immigrant male
adults who enter our country are legally
ineligible.
Our laws are therefore an ever recur-
rent subject of controversy. Yet. de-
spite all discussion, no person win dis
| pute but that an immigrant is desirable
| from every sane standpoint, IL he has a
reasonable amount, of intelligence, is
physically sound and of good moral char
| acter, Is possessed of sufficient money
earned by himself to cover the expense
| of his journey and comes here of his
own initiative, capable for work. but not
under contract to work at wage which
will lower the American standard. But
this in plain language is precisely what
i OuI UICocuS oNAOn Ia AC4oAA Oos
It Is the legal definition of immigrant
| desirability.
To understand the real evil underly-
| ing the present condition Of immigration
we must take into consideration that
while our dilettante theorists are con-
Stunning reams of paper with interesting
reflections upon the problem" while
our country is In its chronic state of OPP
timism over present conditions. whatever
they are-and while our legislators are
engaged In the passage OF new, unneces-
sary and often impractical laws-thou-
sands OF foreigners excludable under the
laws already passed are being yearly
dumped upon our shores by various in
terests which work together as one ma
chine. II is well known that the fabu-
lous profits derived from an artificially
stimulated immigration are participated
In by the allied interests of the trans
atlantic steamship companies, the Ellis
island railroad pool and the Atlantic
coastwise steamship lines. Cooperating,
as they do, they run automatically OF
their own weight, practically without
friction, and thrive by reason OF q contin-
uing abnormal immigrant supply. They
all combine upon a single instrument
namely, the European steamship agent
to solicit trade in immigrants that will
appreciably Increase passenger fares. He
II Is who. actuated by prospective fees
which are dependent upon sales made,
gives impulse to the machine" by sell
ing its through tickets" In every Euro
pean town and hamlet
The several affiliated steamship lines
having created their zones OF influence
enjoy what is practically a monopoly
upon the sale Of steerage tickets. and by
spreading their field agents over the en-
tire European territory from which i'm
migrants are drawn they effectively sup
press competition.
At the immigrant gateway Of. Ameri
} ca, all these lines converge to hand ovel
their immigrant cargoes to the other par
Elephants In the machine"
From the vantage point at Ellis Island
. the railroad cpoor'-known as the I'm
migrant Clearing House." which is |
; combination Of thirteen OF our larges
railroads, together with one Of the consos
+, idated steamship companies-takes the
immigrants in hand to tag and FORWARD
them to every point In the country a
/. special third-class rates.
The railroad pool finds 1t profitable
I to pay TO the United States an annua
rental OF $4,000 for It's headquarters Oh
. government ground. where It sells spe
cial tickets for the benefit of ship i'm
! migrants only" for rail transportation
) from New York. Boston, Philadelphia ant
Baltimore to about 1000 selected place
= in the interior of the United States. Sine
these tickets. sold either in Europe or a
!, Ellis Island. are cheaper in price thai
+ can be obtained by our citizens, tn
! plain intent of congress to close ever.
+ avenue against railroad rate discrimins
e ton, as expressed in the laws relating :
Interstate commerce. is clearly defed
5 Further, the committee" by which thi
pool" Is managed restricts fits privat
: rate book-"Joint Tariff No. 13"-to tn
! use of the European steamship agent
: and the pools" 'joint agents" here, an
, 1t is said that the individual companie
!, of the "pooP share In succession In tn