Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-19
The surgeons mark about half of the
immigrants with chalk marks as they file
by, and those so
Chalk Marks marked go to
on Half Of Aliens. s,,S o,ne' pen LUZ

by. and those so
Chalk Marks marked go to
r,e II Az. another pen for
VII AAoAA Va @AA1e'' further examn-
alton. Families are torn asunder, and no
one has time or opportunity to explain
why. Mothers are wild, thinking that
their children are lost to them forever;
children are frantic. thinking they will
see their parents no more. Husbands
and wives are separated and for hours
they know not why or how.
After the immigrants have passed the
inspectors comes the real parting of the
ways-the "stairway of separation" Here
are three stairways, one leading to the
railroad room, another to the New York
room and another to the ferry.
To those who have passed muster in
this ordeal the way Is now open. They
are inside the gate and their troubles are
who have been given tickets marked ''P
c." public Charge). This takes them to
an iron barred gate, behind which sits an
official, who admits them and has them
distributed to the various detention
rooms. Sometimes two thousand NAV be
detained at time. Conditions are ad-
mittedly bad in some of these rooms, due
to overcrowding and inadequate facilities
but all agree that the officials and those
under them do all in their power to anne
\
Those detained are given further exami-
nations. Such as are able to pass mus
ter under these
Those Detained exami nations
Examined Further. 49,. ,hroush
the gates. Those who are temporarily i'll
or 70 $h@ ix>I ~~,I,@
possibly deportable are given further ex-
aminations by special inquiry boards.
Those to whom the gates still are barred
after these inquiries have the right of
further appeal, but reversals are not very
frequent.
Does the law work hardships at our i'm
migration stations? Yes. everybody ad-
mits that. Sometimes men are turned
back for trivial causes. Four Greeks were
going to Canada, via New York. The
Canadian law requires each immigrant to
have $25. They had $2437 each. When
they found their funds short they wanted
to come into the United States, but they
could not. child Is taken down with
a contagious disease and is carried to the
hospital. The mother must wait and
cannot even see her child. A man and his
son have had their money stolen from
them in the steerage; they lack $40 and
must go back. And SO the sad tale goes
on every day.
But could the immi gration authorities
be vested with discretion in the matter?
Then 1900 debarred aliens a year would
lay siege to their sympathies and each
would regard his own as a special case,
and innumerable difficulties would result.
All authorities agree that the system in
vogue IL just about as humane and as
free from hardships as any system that
might be devised. and that would main
tain the interests of the nation as para
mount to the interest of the individual
immigrant 1t is. however, equally agreed
that Ellis Island Is often overcrOwded
and needs enlargement. and that many
minor changes in the immigration laws
ought to be enacted.
Sixteen thousand immigrants debarred
from the United States in a year! Half Of
these are de-
Sixteen Thousand barred be-
Declared Each Year. a"s. .ne 81,
would become public charges. Some 2. 800
were deported upon surgeons certincAAas
showing that they posses mental or ply