River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-02-09
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women draw water. He was friend" in
the homes of the respondent and to the
poverty-stricken; he proffered sympathy
to those who were heavily taxed; he
listened to the various events in their
lives and awakened the dormant impulse
to migrate which is born in every human
heart Thus he created demand for his
steerage tickets by spreading discomfort
with home surroundings and by arousing
hope and enthusiasm for America always
promising that there Everything will be
all right"
Hardly any commercial enterprise in
Europe is more remunerative than that
of encouraging emigration. From the
sale of single ticket several fees accrue
which, fully computed range from five
to twenty five dollars per emigrant. There
is a commission upon the sale of the
steerage ticket, another for the railroad
ticket and the agent charges third to
the emigrant If he can; extra fees are
added for procuring various official pa
pers which the emigrant is told he needs;
large fees are taxed for placing jetty
mortgages and making loans of money
secured by the promises of friends In
the community, for which interest runs
as high as 80 or 30 per cent; while
helpers" who escort the emigrants to
embarking points and march them to the
pier-likewise emigrant-house keepers.
money exchanges, ship interpreters
must be paid. On this side of the water
at Ellis Island, there are other specula-
tors various persons interested In the
welfare of Aliens" that Insist upon send
ing kilograms for them, selling them
food, changing their money, handling
their baggage; and. frequently, on plea
of escorting them to their place Of desti-
nation, runners will guide" immigrants
into the hands of some labor agent by
which they are paid, thus drawing
double fees.
One may think the agent conscience
less in his greed for gain, but on the
other hand, he is cleaning profits greater
than his own for men far above him in
the business world. The machine" de-
ponds upon him for passenger fares; con-
tractors depend upon him for gangs Of
"greeners' to dominate and exploit;
American employers beckon to the cheap
labor which he alone can provide; even
his own government may be tempted to
withhold interference with all his ma
neuvers, for is he not an instrument
through which wealth and benefit to his
nation is accumulated? Bank deposits
certainly are augmented through his ef-
forts; economic and Industrial condi-
lions are improved; the large head tax
also which is cleaned through his efforts
brings a substantial increase to his ma
TONS revenue; while the relief from
supporting too many poor, from educat-
ing too many illiterates, perhaps also
the temptation to quietly scatter crimi-
nals-(who knows)-all are surely
brought about through the efforts Of the
steamship agent The respect accorded
to him by all seems only to increase his
zeal.
Mastering the situation from all sides,
he sytematizes his work and makes it
efficient through painstaking, persist
ent study Of the lower classes of Eu-
rope-their weaknesses and their wants,
and with a provident eye on the future,
he trains his son from early manhood in
all the intricacies of his subtle trade. In
time he becomes all things to all men,
he is never discouraged, and Is able to
wheedle almost every person within his
reach into the belief that America is the
great and only goal.
We have seen that our government
officials are hoodwinked daily by thou
sands Of foreigners, deposited at our
ports by these allied interests carefully
coached in deceit by their agents. Fraud
starts the immigrant upon his Journey;
fraud lands him in America. Fraud Is
merged into the very name "America!"
The immigrant does not fully realize
what he is doing, his trust is In his own
countrymen and not in the people Of a
strange land.