New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-15
ALIEN INSANE A Menace.
Commissioner Williams Fears
Their Vicious Progeny.
URGES CHANGES IN LAW
Tells Dix Investigator That ELLIS
Island Needs Greater
Federal Aid. =

4
of Albany, the commissioners appointed byl
Governor Dix to investigate the question OF
| aliens entering the port of New York with
! view to providing more stringent meas
| ures against the admission OF those with
! insane tendencies, said to-day that an er"
! roneous impression had been created from
the public hearings he is giving, whlchi
seemed 10 reflect upon the attitude or the
executive branch of the federal government
| at Ellis Island. For that reason he asked
| William Williams United States Commits
sioner of immigration. to write TO him his
views upon the question Of immigration as
1t relates to the alien insape.
Commissioner Williams in reply sent a.
letter to DR.. Dawes, saying:
subject OF feeble-minded persons likely tol
become a public charge, but such individual
may leave feeble-minded descendants ana
so start a vicious strain that Will lead 70
misery and loss in future generations and
influence unfaVorably the characters ana
lives Of hundreds OF persons AS a result
the New York Chamber OF Commerce, I'M
der date of January Y, 1872 passed a reso-
luton urging upon Congress the necessity
of making adequate appropriations IN order
to enable the Commissioner of Immigration
TO give the United States the protection III
needs in the exclusion OF feeble-minded I'M
migrants by an effective enforcement OF the
provisions of the law the chambers OF
have passed similar resolutions, but the re-
Spouse thus far has been small.
TO detect which Of @0,00o arriving trnmi-
grants in one year are mentally defective
Will at best always be an immensely difti.
cult task, and the best OF Facilities snouicT
be provided for its performance. our re- !
peated requests for more surgeons, more M
terpreters, more space and more time for
the examinations should be granted az
once
Congress should provide more surgeons
not only on account Of the heavy work OF
inspection at Ellis Island Frequently 6,oVJ
immigrants arrive in one day., but so that
surgeons may he placed on immigrant ships.
During the voyage they would have the
| lime, which they lack at Ellis Island. care.
fully TO observe all whom they suspect or
being mentally defective. An appropriate
recommendation TO this effect you VIII ind
In my annual report for 1910, and II has
been embodied in a bill now before Con-
gress. It's passage should be urged and
Congress should also be urged to provide
funds for the employment OF many addi-I
tiona surgeons, not merely six, as now
contemplated Our surgeons are supposed
TO detect not only all mental but all phys-i
cal defects, and this places upon them a
tremendous buEden.
More interpreters Needed.
1T goes without saying that they re- \
uuire the assistance OF interpreters If they |
are to detect mental defects not Of an OBJ |
vious nature" continues Commissioners /
Williams. They are very short of inter- !
prefers These are matters Of such tre-
mendous Importance 10 the future Of the
United States that they should receive at
tention irrespective of cost But II so hap |
pens that the income OF the United States !
from immigrants arriving at Ellis Island |
far exceeds its maintenance, such income
amounting to approximately 100000 Al
year, and this Is an additional reason why
the facilities for handling efficiently this
great volume Of business that comes to.
Ellis Island should be of the best" The
Commissioner further says:
1 have stated that We need additional
space for the observation OF mentally de-
fective immigrants: l appeared recently
tee and explained how it could be provided
at a relatively small eXpense-$I0OO0. This
committee has denied this request, though
! learn that the Senate Appropriations
Committee has acted favorably upon II.
But no inspection of immigrants AT Ellis
Island, however thorough, VIII ever result
In the detection OF more than portl9n OF
those who are mentally defective some
arrive with hidden pSychopathlc tendencies
which do not make themselves manifest
until after they have entered the country.
Insane persons may pass our surgeons DUR
ing their lucid intervals Some become In,
sane as a result of new surroundings ana
disappointment. congress mas W u NSl to'N
extent taken cognizance OF these matters
by providing that every alien VINO "itnn
three years OF arrival is found 10 rave
entered 'in violation Of law" or has pc
come a public charge from causes existing
prior TO landing may be deported. Note
the words from causes prior 10 landing. |
II Is often not possible for us TO prove
that an alien who has become insane with
I'm three years does SO from q cause exist
ing prior TO landing The government Is
usually without means OF learning what
was his mental condition abroad or MS
heredity, and II may have arrayed aSainst
e. relatives and friends who are desirous
that he remain in the United States-as d
burden upon the state, of course, not upon
them The attention of Congress has beeh
raneatediy called by this Office to the UNI
fortunate effect of the words from causes
existing prior 10 landing" NevertheieSs.
they still remain in the law, ana inc
executiye authorities are thereby frequent
" hammered in their efforts 10 ria lne
country of insane aliens who have oecoino
public charges within three, years or ar
rival Another change which in my oplh
lon sbouId be made in the law is TO extent
The periOd within which deportation OF
such alters may occur from three TO hNe
years
The government" concludes Mr.. VIII
Jams. may impose a fine Of 800 on any
steamship company bringing an idiot I'M
beetle or epileptic, where the afiiicuoh
might have been readily detected at the
time Of foreign embarkation. There Is no,
valid reason why insane persons should
not be added to this list and Dill 10