The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-24
CHINESE LABORERS
GET IN BY DECEPTION
They Impersonate Merchants, Students
or Teachers, According to Commits
sioner- General Daniel j. Keefe
of immigration Department.


Washington, d. c., Jan. "a. Many
Chinese laborers have foiled the United
States immigration authorities within
the past year, gaining admission to the
country in the gliise Of merchants, stu
dents, or teachers, according to the an
nual report Of Daniel J. Keefe, commits
sioner- general of immigration.
Mr. Keefe calls attention to the UNI
satisfactory condition of the so-ealled
Chinese exclusion laws, and the neces-
sity for extensive changes in the system
under which it is sought to prevent be-
introduction of Chinese laborers into the
country, and to make easy the coming
and going Of classes which the law does
not intend to exclude"
The report shows that during the last
fiscal year 1000, 800 aliens, OF various
nationalities, entered the country. OF
these l5l ,573 came for temporary pur-
poses only. During the same period
5lS,2l5 aliens left the United States,
OF whom 222 $40 were temporary depart
lures. The net gain in population by
immigration, therefore was 5l2,0s5.
The commissioner general suggests
that there be applied to aliens coming
to perform labor a physical standard
similar to that required of recruits for
the navy.
1t also is suggested that the law be
made much more rigid with respect to
induced immigration and that the penal
provisions be strengthened.
A phase of induced immigration which
has been rapidly increasing consists OF
the practice of certain corporations in
the middle and far West to employ
Mexican laborers Thousands of these
laborers are annually induced to come
into the United States, says the report,
not by direct means which can be made
the basis OF a prosecution, but by inli-
rection and subterfuge disseminat-
ing in Mexico general information to
the effect that work can be secured
bv crossing the border and apply to
labor agencies located on the American
side who are engaged in securing laborers
for the railroad companies, mine opera
tors and others, the cost Of their pro-
curement being deduced from the first
wages earned by this cheap class OF I'M
skilled laborers. Every possible effort
has been exerted to control this situa-
ton. but with only fair success.
II is shown that during the year 42s2
japanese were admitted to the MAINLAND
and 2,l59 to Hawaii Compared with
the preceding year there was an increase
of 50 per cent for the mainland aud
IL per cent. for Hawaii Regarding
Japanese of the laboring classes, to
whom the most interest attaches, only
7S2 were admitted to the mainland and
] .740 TO Hawaii, while 1881 departed
from the mainland and 1889 from Ha-
wall.
The methods adopted by Chinese to
eyade the exclusion law are so extensive
and complicated as to beggar description.
They extend all the way from crossing
the land boundaries in sealed freight
cars or being packed away In the holds
o: vessels and landing under cover of
darkness
Two favorite devices for introducing
Young coolies consist of the claim that
the applicant is the minor son of a
merchant, or was born in this country
or is the son born abroad of a China
man in this country and therefore a
citizen; and although the officers may
be morally certain these claims are false,
il is difficult to disprove them. OF mi
nor sons" 423 entered during the year;
and of natives" ! $50. Most Of these |
are ordinary coolies. Regarding those
who have entered ON claims of citizen
ship, it is shown that the average for
the past three years has been l422 per |
year. Using these figures as basis,
it is calculated that, unless the law
Is strengthened in some manner, or pres
emit conditions materially changed, the |
next decade will witness the entry to /
the United States, on citizenship claims |
alone. of over $4,000 Chinese.