The evening world., 1921-03-19
100000 TOKILL
COTILLO BILLS
TO SAVE ALIENS
Opposition to Laws Protecting
Foreigners Is Heavily
Financed.
FOREIGN PRESS FIGHTS.
Steamship and Express Com
panies, in Opposition, May
Be Inviting Investigation.
BY Martin Green.

Two italian language daily news
papers published in this city-prob-
ably the most influential Of their class
are persistently attacking the legis-
lation which Senator Salvatore A. Co
tillo is pushing in the Legislature for
the purpose OF regulating banks in
corporated and private-steamship
companies, express companies and in
Vulnerable self-styled bankers, bro
kers and agents in the matter of re-
mittances Of small sums to Europe.
These newspapers are II Progresso
Italo-Americano and Bolletino Della
sera-
The Evening World mas shown that
millions Of dollars have been stolen
from ignorant, credulous foreigners
by irresponsible men and companies
which engage to transmit money to
starving people in Europe and fail to
make deliveries; that millions of dol
lars have been lost by the operations
OF men and companies which actually
remit money but, through ignorance
or greed. have neglected to install or
maintain adequate machinery for
carrying out their contracts at the
European end; that millions of dol
lars have been lost by inexcusable
delays and evasions on the part of
great corporations which maintain
foreign exchange organizations, but
are immune from the operations of
the criminal laws of this State, and
can be proceeded against only by
civil action on the part of persons
who cannot afford to employ lawyers
and go through the tedious procedure
of the civil courts.
TO PREVENT EXPLOITATION OF
THE FOREIGN BORN.
The sole object OF the bills which
Senator Cotillo has introduced, and
of other bile which are to be intro
duced later in the session, is to pro-
tect the people who have been robbed
Of vast sums OF money. The bills
aim to prevent such exploita ton in
the future. They are designed L.
surround the banking business of
transmitting money with the same
safeguards that surround the bank
ing business of receiving deposits
Senator Cotillo was not asked by
The Evening World to introduce his
bills. His attention to the abuses
practiced upon the Italian, Jewish,
Hungarian, Polish and other foreign
peoples resident in this city and State
was attracted by the articles pub
hshed in The Evening World expos
ing such abuses. He volunteered his
aid and 1t was accepted.
The Cotillo bills were prepared
after counsel with persons who have
been studying the exploitation of the
immigrant for many years and have
made numerous unsuccessful at
tempts to remedy the evil They have
the support of the State Banking De-
partment, of civic bodies. Of leading
legislators and of foreign language
journalists and publicists
1t was originally intended by those
who are interested in stopping the
swindling of the ignorant to inaugu-
rate a sweeping legislative investiga-
IN case opposition to the reasonable
legislation incorporated in the Cotillo
bills is maintained it can be revived.
Chief objection appears to be di-
rected to the bill which would remove
the exception in the general corpora
ton laws OF express companies and
steamship companies doing a trans
mission business from the supervis-
ion of the State banking authorities
lie mil hn n
S2O0,0OO FUND RAISED BY BANK.
ERS" AND AGENTS"
The American Express Company
the Cunard Line, the White StarI
Line and other steamship companies
have offered compromise bill which
would place their agents under the
supervision of the state Comptroller
by a system of license. Reports have
reached The Evening World to the
effect that fund of S2OO,O0O has been
raised by bankers and agents for the
purpose of killing the original bill.
The best advice The Evening World !
has been able to obtain Is that the |
compromise or substitute bill framed
by the steamship companies and the |
express company would serve to per-
petuate rather than lessen the evils
which have made legislation neces- |
SIly, POf IHdI IedSoh lhe EVenlng |
World is committed solely to the |
original COtillO bill, which would
compel the alien steamship companies
most of the executives of which. in |
this city, are aliens-to operate under
the laws of this Statefand would com !
pei the American Express Company
to do a foreign banking business un- !
der the same rules and restrictions
that apply to Incorporated banks.
tpa
in Albany was handed on Wednes- |
day, by representative of the |
Cunard Line, a copy of a substitute |
or compromise bill which was sup
posed to have been drawn up in |
Albany for the purpose of expediting !