New-York tribune., 1922-04-09
Higgher-Ups g in
Ellis Graft Rine.
Attorney Ayers
tCa1tInusd from pace one

fro the Ellis Island station ~o.ld be
produced to show the alien what had
happened to his kindred over there
We caught one clerk from t,iis Island
who had brought over such records
He said he only got s. and q bottle of
whisky for doing ii,
Photographs Used as Evidence
Where the immigration inspector
and the steamship agent came together
III this crooked business with a sociai
welfare worker AZ the go-bctween was
III cases where aliens were admitted at
the steamship pier without ever being
sent to Ellis Island Scores Of such
cases have been unearthed, and identi
heatlons have been made by photo
graphs and otherwise of the person to
whom the graft money vas paid and
the others who shared it. One such
case viii illustrate the method.
On certain day when bip inn1i-
Grant ship was docking at its pier, GER
tam social welfare agent was observed
quiun ousily circulating among the rela e.
t!Ves OF The Immigrants who we're gath
cred al the pier to meet their kindre d
from Europe. This welfare worker would
s4zc ~ ny the appearances Of the as
semoled relatives which ones were most
HHeiy to ia able to pay big fees. He
would approach them with pencil and
pad OF note paper, get the names Of their
incoming relatives and then go aboard
the ship or into the sections on the pier
where the immigration inspectors wore
at work lie would tell the immierst tion
inspector with whom the conspiracy to
defraud had been made to hold out
t1ls person or that, as he rhourht he
might be able to get big fee
'Thc Immigration inspector. BY
agreement with the steamship agent,
would scratch off the name of the
alien on tho manifest. 1t could then
be explained that this alien had bought
ticket, but failed to come aboard ship
at the European port Of embarkatior.
When some ships were bringing 1000
immigrants on single trip it was
easy to scratch off 100 such names an<.
get away with the game.
Trace Immigrants to West
"fnc task Of Commissioner Tod's
inVe stlgators was TO take these nlarred
manfcsts, erase the lines until we
could see the aliens name and address.
We made it our business to follow
5hese addresses to distant points in
tAe Central West, where we found the
aliens actually in the country. Thev
we're then legally inspected and al
lowed to remain here when eligible.
PROM these aliens we obtained CON
fessions that they, or their relatives.
Fad paid $100, or $3.50, to be thus ad +
Mltted at the pier. From photographs
IN our possession OF immigration in
spectors, steamship landing agents and
social welfare workers Identification
vas made Of the persons figuring in
THIS tampering with the ships mani
tests
"Commissioner Tod has obtained
from the steamship companies the real
lists OF passengers made by che re
ports of their pursers, and comparing
these with the efaced manifests at the
m,nlgration station we have been able
to see that hundreds have been brought
here and admitted whose names were
scratched off and reported on Ellis
Island as having bought tickets but
failed to come aboard the ships at the
ports Of embarkation in Europe. The
Dillingham act, excluding mandatorily
By percentage Of nationalities, has
made possible more devious WAYS Of
graft than could be practiced under
the old sslective immigration Law. II
IS, therefore, certain that when the
new yearly quotas are opened UP again
on July |, and there comes rush from
Europe from the countries now barred
by the exhaustion OF their quotas.
there will be need Of increased
vigilance against such fraudulent con-
spiracies."