The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-12-23
(By Associated Press)


NEW YORK. Dec. 23.-Ellis Island.
known for years as 1.-THE open door to
the oppressed Of every land" and
which has become the subject of a
congressional inquiry by reason Of its
new character as a place of detention
for hundreds of anarchists and other
dangerous" radicals, is really three
small islands in New York harbor
about one mile southwest of Manhat-
tan. Their total area Is approximate
~ 20 acres.
Upon these islands. known as Nos 1
. and 3, are 10 large and small build
ings Of brick and stone, many of them
handsome structures of four and five
stories, used as the United States I'm
migration Station for this port and
through which, from July to Deem
Der last. nearly $4,000 aliens entered
the Land of Opportunity and Free
dom. Hundreds of "undesirables," it
should be stated, were at the same
time sent back to the lands of their
birth. The immigration service here
employs 372 workers including inspec.
tors who board incoming ships.
1t seems an incongruity that Ellis
Island which, IN summer. gives the
foreigner his first glimpse of the
wonders Of the New Worlds metropol'
is, q pleasing view of beautiful laws
and flowers, well-kept buildings and a
fine harbor with the marvellous sky
line of New York in the distance
should have metamorphosed during
the war into a big detention place fol
political criminals and the foes of or
gantZed government.
island Not for Criminals.
The fact is. Ellis Island. according
to the authorities, was not intended as
a prison for such Offenders. Federal
judges, in the past two years, acting
under the authority vested In them
liberated 557 so-called dangerous
aliens" either upon their own recogniz
ance or in the custody of their lawyers
according to Representative Isaac Sic
gel, q member of the House Immigra
tion Committee which is investigating
the Red peril. During the same period
697 anarchists. bolsheyists and other
radicals have been sent from various
parts of the United States to New
York OF this number IS are now in
custody of Acting immigration Com
missioner Byron G. Uhl. the successor
to Frederic c. Howe, who until recent
~, and since 1913 had served as com
A representative of The Associated
Press was permitted to make a tout
OF the Ellis Island buildings. Nine
hundred immigrants were being fed in
the large dining hall at the time. Not
only did there appear to be an abund
ance of food Of a wholesome kind but
the tables and dishes were clean
Fresh white paper in long rolls was
used as table cloths"
The menus for breakfast, dinner and
supper, for four successive days, fol
instance, showed the following vari
able diet: Breakfast: Farina, corr
mush, or boiled rice with milk;
stewed prunes or peaches; bread and
butter (substiute); coffee. Dinner:
Soup, (sp'it pea, farmer style, mock
tnrtle, English beef, and lima BEAM
'~ish stew with vegetables, baked cod
s"h la Italian, French roast will
hordelaise sauce, kidney stew will
"ice, cold slaw, bread and butter, (sub
rtitute); rice or liberty pudding, cot
fee. Supper: Salisbury steak with on
ION sauce. roast beef hash with greer
peppers, ham with macaroni, baket
pork and beans. bread and butter