Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-01
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

hrst-class passage cost few years
ago. The immigrant carrying business Is
said to be very remunerative to the steam
ship companies.
Many Of the immigrants tell of being
robbed at the port Of embarkation. They
are forced to check all of their personal
belongings while taking a bath, and aft
EDWARDS they say they are unable to re-
cover them, the checks not being hon
ored. There are also tales of women and
girls being dragged out Of line and
robbed
The result is that when the immigrant
arrives in the United States he does not
have sufficient money to be admitted to
this country, as the law provides that
he cannot be admitted II he is likely to
become a public charge. On one ship
carrying perhaps a thousand immigrants
there were several hundred that had less
than 81 each in money. Many Of them.
from regions infested with typhus, wear
clothes 40 himsy that these clothes will
not stand the disinfecting process through
which they must be put.
CONGESTION AT
ELLIS ISLAND.
Most of these destitute immigrants
claim that they expect money here from
Of them are. In the course Of time res
cued by some Of their compatriots in this
country. But meantime they must be
cared for at Ellis Island The island has
no accommodations for such swarm Of
people. They are compelled to sleep on
the floors, and until recently many Of
them had to sleep without blankets.
There are no adequate toilet facilities or
facilities ~ any Other kind
Furthermore, these almost destitute
people land in country, the language Of
which they can not speak, in a city which
Is already fun Of unemployed persons.
and which has bread lines. There Is
practically 10 machinery for placing
these people I'm jo1s. Mr.. Wallis re
ported several letters that he bad had
Iom the West asking for Immigrant la
Dor at good wages. But he has no au-
thority to establish or to act as an en-
ployment agency. He believes that the
Labor Department IS now taking some
steps to distribute these immigrant ia
borers where they are needed, but does
not know what funds they have for the
purpose. CAS- a matter of fact, they
have practically none. The United states
Employment Service, since the armistice,
has been reduced to a skeleton organI-
EatiOn)
Mr. Wallis does not believe that the
situation Is TO Ice relieved by the passage
Of law like the Johnson bill prohibit
Ing all immigration, with certain excep-
lions. such as the blood relatives OF
those already here, for a year. He be
lleves that the exceptions, and the
frauds which naturally grow out or
them, would more than fill the boats
that we would get about the same amount
of immigration, hut that it would con-
slst mostly of women, children ana other
dependents. He seems to believe that
either all immigration should be stopped
without exceptions, until legislation reg
ulating immigration In a scientific way
can be passed; or else Immigration
should be allowed to run along as Ii is
until such final legislation can be
passed.
BOATS CARRY
MILLION EACH YEAR.
Mr. Willis points out the important
fact that the amount Of immigration
which We can receive is limited by the
number Of persons which the ships can
carry. He estimates that the ships now
in use can carry 100000 steerage pas
sengers year and perhaps 800 600 in
the first and second cabins 1t is fur
Their brought out in the hearings that
% to 30 per cent of the trans Atlantic
passenger traffic is non Immigrant
that IS, IL consists Of people who in
tend TO return to their native countries,
or of Americans returning from Europe
In this way 1t is seen that our immi-
grafton is self limited to less than
100000 year, barring what comes in
over the Mexican and Canadian Dor
ders. OF course, tnasmuch as the carry
Ing OF immigrant passengers is now a
highly remunerative business. It is prob
able that more ships will be built and
put into the business, but the increase in
the immigrant stream, which will result
from this Will be slow.
ENTIGRANT AGENT
SUGGESTS CHANGE IN LAWS.
The situation, therefore, as Mr. Wallis
sees it, is that out of 100000 aliens
who want to come to the United States
in a given year. only 1,0OO, 900 can come
by reason of the limitations of the car
riers. He argues that our manifest duty
is to choose this million with the utmost
care-tO see that the 10 per cent of the
proffered population which we take is
the best 10 per cent and not the worst
or middling. He points out that a con-
siderable part of the immigration now
coming in consists of large strong
healthy people with enough money to
take care of them for some time. Others
are sickly, understood paupers. He
argues that legislation should be drafted
which will Insure that this large healthy
thrifty type get In and that the sickly
paupers be kept out. Since we cannot
take them all anyway, why not take the
best? Mr.. Wallis does not suggest the
nature of the regulations by which this
selective process might be accomplished ;
he puts that up to Congress. He does
suggest that the present laws are made.
quate, especially the literacy test He
points out that a man may be able to
read forty words and yet be very poor
specimen of the human race.
sELECTIVE PROCESS
SHOULD BE OVER THERE.
Mr.. Wallis further believes that this
selective process should begin on the
other side-that it is foolish and cruel
to let the immigrant come to this coun-
try and then send him back. He be-
lieves that an arrangement for such Sc
lection on the other side could be made
through diplomatic chlnnels. Some of
the Senators brought out the fact that
an attempt had once before been made to
effect such an arrangement diplomatic
ally, and tina tall the nations but Italy
and China and objected. No reason in
law or common senss was o1ersd, how
ever, Way ~ nho1AA re - aha - -