it is exasperating to any patriotic american to have brought convincingly before him the proofs of a wholesale evasion of a very carefully planned code of laws which he fain would think is a sufficient protection of his civic rights and his country’s best interests. it is more annoying to realize that the successful evaders are for the most part foreigners, and those, too, of commonly despised races.

the severity of our laws in the matter of counterfeiting is well known, but they have no terrors whatsoever for the gangs of italian counterfeiters who are giving the secret service department more trouble than it has ever had with native criminals of this order.

the internal revenue laws are very thorough, and the execution of them is far-reaching and systematic, in fact the administration of the federal internal revenue system has long been a boast with this country, and so well did it do its work that now and then a lone moonshiner escaped detection, and that was all. since the influx of foreign masses into the country, the troubles of the department have grown. in the larger cities to-day the bohemian cigar makers and dealers are building up intricate systems of cigar making and selling without paying the government its due. buying direct from farmers and planters, failing to account for the stock bought, making without recording the product, 247selling it clandestinely to refill boxes,—those are some of the details of the operations. the extent of the frauds is growing every day, just as rapidly as the number of aliens who will engage in such practices increases.

of the naturalization frauds much has been written and said, and i have given a number of instances in earlier chapters which show how the italians particularly operate with fraudulent naturalization papers, not only using them to vote with in this country, and so reap the harvest of political heelers,—meanwhile having any true idea of citizenship they might get hopelessly abased,—but farming them out to serve as cloaks for passing in as citizens several of their countrymen each year. the worst feature of this is that politically unscrupulous men in all of the large cities of the country do not hesitate to use their influence to obtain fraudulent naturalization papers for their alien followers, in fact employ the papers to buy the friendship of the aliens or to reward services already rendered. there are election districts in the italian quarter of new york where not more than one-half of the registered foreign-born voters are legally entitled to ballot.

the remedy for this feature of alien legislation and evasion is to change, by federal act, the system of examining aliens, and, without making it more difficult for a man to become naturalized rightfully, make the research into his record and attainments so far-reaching that even perjury will not save him; for perjury, as a crime, rests lightly on the average alien’s conscience.

the evasions of the contract-labor law and of the exclusion-of-diseased-immigrants law have been many times mentioned in these pages, and constitute a 248problem which will not be solved by any legislation making the examination at our ports any more strict.

smuggling across the border from canada and mexico continues to be a favorite method of evasion of the laws. a general statement of the situation is made in the following extract from the report for 1903 of commissioner-general of immigration, f. p. sargent, which includes extracts from the last report of commissioner for canada, robert watchorn, on the year’s work done at canadian ports and on the border. it should prove a revelation to those who believe our present system of controlling immigration is a success.

this statement, covering the past seven fiscal years, will serve to show the steady increase in alien immigration to the united states through the ports of canada:

july 1, 1896, to june 30, 1897 10,646

july 1, 1897, to june 30, 1898 10,737

july 1, 1898, to june 30, 1899 13,853

july 1, 1899, to june 30, 1900 23,200

july 1, 1900, to june 30, 1901 25,220

july 1, 1901, to june 30, 1902 29,199

july 1, 1902, to june 30, 1903 35,920

the foregoing figures, it should be remembered, refer to those only who are manifested on the lists furnished by transportation lines whose north american terminals are at canadian seaports as destined to the united states. they do not include those aliens who subsequent to landing in the dominion enter this country as residents of canada. the number of such is doubtless considerable, but the bureau has no data at its command to enable it to make even an approximately accurate computation thereof. the inspection of those referred to in the foregoing statement is made 249at the canadian port of arrival in the same manner that aliens arriving at seaports of this country are examined.

as to the operations of administrative officers in respect to those who seek admission after temporary residence in the dominion the subjoined report of the united states commissioner of immigration at montreal gives information that cannot fail to impress one with the magnitude and importance of the duties discharged under his supervision, as well as with the efficiency with which those duties are performed.

from commissioner watchorn’s report.

233 st. antoine street,

montreal, canada.

sir: i have the honor to report for the fiscal year concerning immigration from europe to the united states through canada.

pursuant to the requirements of section 10 of department circular 97, dated november 1, 1901, monthly reports have been made to the bureau on the prescribed forms; you are therefore already fully advised as to the numbers of aliens examined, admitted, or rejected, as the case may be. this report is intended to amplify the information furnished per regular forms.

one year ago i had occasion to report that an act of parliament had been passed at ottawa, to wit, bill 112, passed by house of commons may, 1902, designed to prevent “the landing at canadian ports of any immigrant or other passenger who is suffering from a loathsome, dangerous, infectious disease or malady, whether such immigrant intends to settle in canada, or only intends to pass through canada to settle in some other country.”

although this act was passed in may, 1902, it was not made effective till september 8 of the same year. this delay was due to the absence from ottawa of certain government officials whose approval was essential to its promulgation.

during the interim from the passage to the promulgation 250of this act a large number of aliens destined to the united states, and a greater number destined to canada, were permitted to land despite the fact that the act in question, if enforceable, would have precluded the possibility of their landing.

indeed, it was not until said act was made enforceable and enforced that a single legal deportation could have been effected from canada, so that its promulgation may be cited as the one paramount important feature of the year.

the bureau having been amply apprised of the fact that the above-mentioned canadian legislation is due solely to revelations made by united states immigrant inspectors on the canadian frontier, it will not be necessary to dwell further on that point than to emphasize the fact that this very important matter furnishes both the canadian and united states governments genuine cause for gratification, inasmuch as both are now capable of dealing satisfactorily with a very grave question.

i felt constrained to remark in the annual report for 1902 that we must wait for developments in order to be able to ascertain whether the canadian exclusion act would afford the satisfaction anticipated, and experience has demonstrated that it was quite a proper observation to make, because it has frequently occurred that a disagreement of diagnoses has been determined on the canadian medical examiner’s certificate, which has led to certain aliens being allowed to land instead of being deported, as would have been the case had the united states medical examiner’s certificate been accepted as final.

however, it is a source of pleasure to me to be able to report that while such cases were painfully numerous during the early period of the enforcement of the canadian exclusion act, there has been a tendency to uniformity of diagnoses, and not only that, but also an appreciable improvement in the conditions existing between the officers of the immigration services, canadian and united states, respectively.

the superintendent of immigration of the dominion 251of canada, mr. w. d. scott, has evinced a desire to give a broad interpretation of the act alluded to. in this connection it may not be out of place to quote verbatim a few sentences from a communication he addressed to this office on may 28, 1903:

ottawa, may 28, 1903.

... but it is very clear to me that if these people are of the class who are likely to be refused by your commissioners ... they must be of the class that would be refused by the canadian medical officers at atlantic seaports.

it is quite true, however, that our examination, so far as money standard is concerned, is not particularly strict, but aside from that, on all other points i do not know that there is very much difference between the general reasons for deportation taken into consideration by the canadian and united states officials....

allow me to assure you again that this department will do everything to co-operate in preventing an undesirable class of people from the continent to land in this country.

these sentiments are so plainly indicative of a realization on the part of the canadian officials of the necessity for enlightened action, that comment on them on my part is unnecessary.

even a tentative co-operation is a vast improvement on the methods prevalent prior to september, 1901 (all of which was reported june 30, 1902), and a continuance of it may be safely relied on to correct still further a condition which had become well-nigh intolerable.

during the ten months which were covered by my report of june 30, 1902, the gateways to the united states via the canadian frontier east of sault ste marie became thoroughly well known to many interested persons, and it became evident to us that the properly protected gateways were being avoided by certain classes of immigrants, and it was incumbent on us to ascertain what outlet was being sought in lieu of the well-guarded routes.

252this investigation revealed a state of things requiring prompt and vigorous action on the part of the bureau. it devolved upon me to advise the bureau that whatever leak there was was beyond the western extremity of the jurisdiction of the montreal office, and to recommend that steps be taken to “check the current which was all too plainly being diverted to frontier points west of sault ste marie.”

pursuant to instructions i detailed a corps of well-trained inspectors and interpreters to duty at winnipeg, manitoba, and at the same time, through the influence of the bureau, obtained the acquiescence of the parties of the second part (to wit, certain canadian transportation companies) to department circular 97, dated november 1, 1901, to the establishment of a board of special inquiry at winnipeg.

the bureau will have some approximate idea of the importance of this change when viewing it in the light of the following figures:

since the date of the opening of the winnipeg office (february 14, 1903) no less than 2,157 immigrants have been examined by the board of special inquiry, and certificates of admission have been issued to 1,633, while the surprising number of 524[2] have been rejected for the following causes:

2. including pembina and portal.

trachoma 171

minors dependent on above 128

likely to become public charge 171

contract laborers 51

measles 3

______

total 524

the total amount of head tax collected on account of these immigrants is $3,729, not a dollar of which would have been collected had this important change not been made; nor would a single person in the list 253of objectionables have been denied admission to the united states, but would have crossed the frontier without let or hindrance, as thousands of their equally objectionable kind had been doing for an indefinite period of time.

the work of the board of special inquiry at winnipeg had scarcely commenced when we discovered that the objectionable aliens whose access to the united states the montreal office was established to prevent were going still farther westward, and rejections are now not at all uncommon as far west as the borders of montana, idaho, and washington.

the bureau saw fit, on march 26, 1903, to promote the montreal office from a special inspectorship to a commissionership, and to extend its jurisdiction to the atlantic ports, halifax, n. s.; st. john, n. b.; and quebec, que.

this change added materially to the efficiency of this office in view of the fact that it served as a notice to all concerned that the bureau was earnestly supporting its force in canada.

the change also improved conditions at the above-named ports, as it enabled the officer in charge, assistant commissioner john thomas, to co-operate with the border force to greater advantage, and thus conserve to a far greater extent the excellent results attained under his efficient administration.

it has been absolutely necessary for me to apply to the bureau quite frequently for additional medical examiners, inspectors, interpreters, and clerks, since the close of the last fiscal year, and to the prompt and satisfactory manner in which the bureau has responded to those applications is due the remarkable showing made during the present fiscal year.

on june 30, 1902, the total force numbered 66; now it numbers 116. on careful perusal the records of admissions and rejections will be found to correspond to the force employed to deal with the situation, and the maintenance of the present grade of efficient officers 254along the entire frontier will enable the bureau to deal as satisfactorily with the matter as it deals with it at united states ocean ports of entry.

during the twelve months ended to-day many persons have applied for admission to the united states via canada whose personal appearance and general conditions should have precluded the possibility of their having been allowed to embark on any vessel designed to carry passengers under conditions of health and comfort.

it is only necessary to relate that in some instances the filthy conditions have been so abominable as to render it impossible for our medical examiners to give them the attention required by our laws and regulations. the bureau, like myself, will have to leave it to conjecture how fellow-passengers huddled together in the close quarters of an atlantic liner have endured the contaminating presence of such persons.

admission to the united states has been invariably denied to such applicants, and in some instances it has been deemed unwise to return them to canada, and deportation to europe has been effected.

i shall not attempt to draw a picture of the situation as it now appears, for the accompanying figures are so fraught with food for reflection that embellishment would be superfluous. however, it may be well to emphasize a few of the more important features represented by these figures.

we have always contended that large numbers of aliens destined to the united states were designedly manifested to canada, and while there has been some effort made by the steamship lines to correct this evil by refusing passage to the more obviously diseased (some 150 such refusals have been reported by all the “lines”), it is to be regretted that the improvement has not been on broader lines. i have used the words “obviously diseased” advisedly, because the decrease is most noticeable in that class of diseased persons whose ailments cannot be hidden.

for instance, during the ten months ended june 30, 1902, as many as ninety-six cases of favus were rejected 255at the montreal office alone. it was at that time that the agitation on this question in canada was kept up with considerable vigor, in view of which the weeding-out process was undertaken at ports of embarkation.

favus, as you know, shockingly disfigures its victims, eating out the hair, producing disgusting scalp sores until cured, which is often deferred until the head is totally denuded of hair.

an examination at ports of embarkation almost invariably leads to a detection of this disease, and they who are afflicted with it are most likely to be set aside. that such has been the case there is little room for doubt, as you will observe, against ninety-six cases of favus for ten months last year only forty-four such cases are reported for the montreal local office for the entire year, and only seven of these have been reported since january 1, 1903, a date coincident with the commencement of actual enforcement of the canadian act aforementioned.

another dangerous and dreaded disease, which is more difficult of detection, has not been marked by any such decrease; in fact, the very opposite result is shown. even at the montreal office, where the classes of immigrants applying for certificates of admission to the united states show such marked improvement over last year, there has been an increase in the number of trachoma cases.

increases in trachomatous applicants elsewhere than at the montreal office may be safely ascribed to the extended field of our operations and the increased force of inspectors assigned to duty at border stations. practically no rejections were reported west of port huron last year, whereas the present year’s work furnishes a greater number of border rejections west of port huron than east of it.

the accompanying tabulated figures will suffice to inform you as to the classes rejected, showing the nationalities furnishing the greatest number of objectionables and the steamship lines carrying them.

taken as a whole, without special explanatory references, the figures might easily be understood, hence 256the necessity for calling attention to certain features connected with these tables.

the figures given are for the whole year, but the latter half of the year is quite different from the former half. the former half may be said to have been quite normal, while the latter half represents a totally unprecedented condition in canadian immigration.

the provincial and dominion governments have been exerting themselves most actively to induce immigration of the “fitter kind,” and so well have they succeeded that all shipping facilities have been utilized to their utmost capacity to accommodate agricultural settlers, principally for the northwest, to the almost total exclusion of passengers from the continent of europe.

the annual arrivals at canadian ports since 1892 are as follows:

ocean ports only:

??1892 27,898

??1893 29,632

??1894 20,829

??1895 18,790

??1896 16,835

??

total immigration:

??1897 21,914

??1898 31,900

??1899 44,543

??1900 (first six months) 23,895

??1900 49,149

??1901–2 67,379

??1902–3 (estimated) 114,000

these figures are furnished by the dominion superintendent of immigration, and leave no room for doubt as to the trend of immigration to canada, and it is only proper to state that the large numbers having arrived since january 1, 1903, have been for the most part of an exceptionally fine class.

a preponderance of agriculturists has characterized every shipload for the time above specified, and they have gone to the northwestern provinces in search of homes on the rich and inviting prairies of that vast country.

it is natural to suppose that a certain percentage of 257them will find themselves unsuited to the new conditions, and such of them as do so will probably seek admission to the united states, or return to their native homes. arrangements have been fully made to gather actual statistics concerning such of them as may subsequently enter the united states, and these figures will be furnished you monthly, as per official requirements.

not only has the class of immigrants going to the canadian northwest, during the past three or four months, been of a highly desirable sort, but the whole immigration to canada, for eastern provinces and for the united states, has shown some improvement during this time. the two nationalities which gave us the greatest concern last year have shown very perceptible decreases, i. e., hebrews and syrians.

the former were unquestionably sent to the united states from europe via canada to avoid the effects of examination at united states ports, but on learning that the bureau had taken definite and permanent steps to counteract the deflection from united states ports to canadian ports the practice was gradually discontinued, and now the border boards of special inquiry have comparatively few cases of the hebrew race to examine.

a precisely similar condition prevails as to the syrians, though in the latter case the change has been brought about by the vigorous policy of prosecution which has been waged against professional syrian smugglers of aliens into the united states via the canadian frontier.

the smugglers’ business has been made so difficult, dangerous, and expensive that most of them have ceased to advertise in europe, and in consequence the arrivals of syrians and armenians have appreciably decreased; but it is said that they will try to continue their business on the mexican border.

the most notable increase has been among the scandinavians, and as this class generally seeks employment in agricultural pursuits and avoids the congested areas of population, it is a happy feature of the work of the year to be able to report so desirable a change.

258we anticipate still further improvement from the fact that the principal steamship company—that is, the company carrying the greatest number of undesirable immigrants to canada—has been purchased by the canadian pacific railway company, and as the latter company has shown by its policy that it regards its covenant with the united states (department circular 97) as an active working instrument, to be observed in letter and spirit, it is presumed that this spirit will be extended to the operation of its newly acquired property, the immigrant-carrying vessels of the elder-dempster steamship company.

there has not yet been sufficient time in which to note the actual effect of this change, but so far indications quite warrant the foregoing observation.

adequate detention quarters have not hitherto been provided at any of the canadian ports, and much difficulty has resulted from this lack. no fewer than 150 rejected aliens, at halifax, n.s.; st. john, n.b., and quebec, que., have failed of deportation solely on this account, but arrangements are now perfected for the making of necessary provisions of this character, and further trouble in this connection is not expected.

it ought to be stated that the 150 escapes alluded to were not allowed to enter the united states, and that almost the entire number escaped prior to the promulgation of the canadian act of parliament which legalized deportations.

in the annual report for the fiscal year ended june 30, 1902, it was recommended that none but strong, vigorous, young, and hardy men be assigned to this jurisdiction, and it is with peculiar pleasure that i report that that recommendation has been literally accepted and acted upon. it would be a very difficult matter to find in any given line of work a more capable, efficient, devoted class of officers than the men who have made it possible for such a gratifying report as this to be written.

covering a direct line of more than 4,000 miles of frontier, including three ocean ports, and inspecting more than 100 trains daily and a large number of ferries, 259“sound steamers,” and the growing fleets that ply the great lakes, these inspectors, in all kinds of inclement weather, and frequently under most trying circumstances, have boarded every train, met every ferry and every steamer, whether by river, lake, or sound, and have prevented the amazing total of 5,158 diseased and otherwise objectionable aliens from entering the united states, and have done all this without delaying either train or boat for a moment, and, what is still more remarkable, without causing a single complaint on the part of the traveling public.

this manifests a commendable devotion to duty, which the bureau will, no doubt, fully appreciate when considering the year’s work thus completed, from the view-point of the difficulties incident to its accomplishment.

the officers are now fully uniformed, as per department regulation, and the traveling public no longer responds reluctantly to the inspectors’ interrogatories; on the contrary, the average traveler is always ready to impart the information required by law, and many have shown a willingness to aid the inspectors in detecting the cunning devices of those who live by evading the law.

the showing of thirty successful captures and prosecutions is a very remarkable one, especially when viewed in the light of the wide area covered by the prosecutions. grand juries all along the line, have viewed the situation with becoming apprehension, and by their verdicts have given us substantial aid in our endeavors to make effective the mandates of congress.

united states attorneys have also given us very able support by appropriately presenting all the facts we have furnished them to the grand juries and the courts.

there are exceptions to every rule, however, and i regret to have to announce one in this respect.

on may 14, 1903, one lewis feighner deliberately took twenty aliens over the border of north dakota in 260wagons. of these, nineteen were afflicted with trachoma, and all of them had been lawfully excluded from the united states. feighner set the law at defiance and furnished wagon transportation when the railroad companies refused to carry them.

the whole party was taken into custody at grand forks, n. dak., and returned to winnipeg by officers of the bureau, and feighner placed under arrest. the grand jury indicted him (feighner) on june 12, and the following day rescinded its action, and he is at present free and unpunished.

on the same date a united states attorney refused to prosecute an offender of this class for reasons not yet disclosed.

this offender presented himself at our winnipeg office and demanded to know why his brother could not go to the united states, and he was told that it was because he was contagiously diseased.

he took said alien into the united states with him, in utter defiance of the officers of the law. the alien was arrested on a treasury department warrant and in due time was deported to europe, and the offender was arrested also and held under bail for action of the grand jury, but when the grand jury met the united states attorney refused to prosecute.

it is difficult to understand why a sworn officer of the law could refuse to prosecute so serious a violation of the law.

in striking contrast with this case is that of an alien who, after being duly inspected at quebec, forged an additional name to his certificate, by virtue of which he attempted to take a diseased alien with him into the united states, over the vermont border. the violation was discovered, and both were prevented from entering, the diseased alien being deported, and the offender has suffered imprisonment in default of bail (five months) and paid a fine of $50.

attempts to defeat the law have been made by providing aliens with naturalization papers, but on investigation we discovered sufficient evidence to warrant us in calling the matter to the attention of the department 261of justice, and on june 25, 1903, we succeeded in convicting the principal figure in the scheme, and he is now undergoing a two years’ term of imprisonment in the detroit house of correction.

the public press somewhat severely criticised us during the month of september, 1902, owing to a young syrian girl having committed suicide while being deported to europe.

the press did not, however, publish the fact that the same girl had been twice deported to europe from new york, and that when taken into custody at detroit she was being smuggled into the united states by a lawless element who not only ignore our laws but who derisively defy the officers of the law.

at the time the unfortunate girl took her own life she was made aware for the first time that the man she had expected to marry had married another girl some few weeks previously, and this was probably the real cause of her rash act. at any rate she was treated with every humane consideration by us, and so far as that is concerned, she had no more cause to complain than any one of the thousands who were similarly deported, none of whom made any complaint of our treatment of them.

concerning those who smuggled her into the united states, we caused their arrest, and the federal grand jury, on learning all the facts, indicted the principal, who was subsequently convicted and fined $250, which is an appropriate answer to the sensational stories circulated by a misinformed or a malicious class.

the immigrant inspectors on the frontier are fully conscious of the fact that the average immigrant who is detained for cause is far more a fit object for pity than one deserving censure, and while called upon to perform the unpleasant duty of denying them the coveted admission to the united states, that duty is invariably performed with a maximum of humane consideration.

it is due to the two principal railroads, who are signatories to the agreement under which we are operating, to state that their interpretation of the agreement, 262clause by clause and line by line, has been in exact accord with the views held by the bureau.

free and full access to all their trains has been accorded your inspectors, free transportation being furnished them that the inspections may be completed before the trains reach the border.

they have removed from their trains at the border all objectionable aliens, and have detained them at their own expense until the government’s disposition of them has been made.

their instructions to all ticket agents and train hands have been in keeping with our requests, and one result of these instructions has been the refusal to sell tickets to more than 7,000 aliens until they first produce evidence to prove their admissibility to the united states, and in every case they have directed said aliens to the nearest united states immigration office.

so far as these railway lines are concerned, up to this time there is nothing left to be desired as to the observation of the terms of the agreement into which they have entered with the united states government in regard to immigration.

a reference to the number of exclusions on account of violation of the alien contract-labor laws will be of undoubted interest.

employers have unquestionably made use of canada as a source through which to draw employees in many branches of industry. the testimony of the rejected aliens under this head leaves no room for doubt on this point, and while we have been unable to deport any of them direct to europe from a canadian port, admission to the united states has been denied them, and they have been compelled to remain in canada.

some of them have subsequently tried to effect surreptitious entry to the united states, but owing to the system of inspection in vogue all along the line they have failed, and for their temerity have been deported to europe via new york, and the pursuance of this policy has had a very salutary effect on others, who are quite as anxious to evade the law, but who are of less defiant demeanor.

263during the periods of great industrial strife, to wit, the anthracite coal strike and cotton workers’ lockout at lowell, mass., it required constant and unflagging attention to duty on the part of the entire force to prevent violations of the alien contract-labor laws, and the bureau will doubtless agree with me that the absence of the serious complaint on the part of the united states workmen involved amply attests that the law was remarkably well enforced under the circumstances.

it is the common opinion of all the inspectors at important border gateways that the majority of aliens seeking admission to the united states in violation of the alien contract-labor law are thoroughly advised before leaving europe that the canadian frontier affords the easiest access to the united states; indeed their testimony compels this conclusion.

special cases might be mentioned in wearying detail, but i purpose mentioning one case only, and will ask you to accept it as a criterion and to judge whether it justifies the conclusion aforementioned.

on june 6, 1903, fifty-four aliens applied for admission to the united states at winnipeg, manitoba, their destination being caro, mich.

the testimony of this party conclusively proved that they were engaged in europe, that all their expenses were paid by their prospective employers, and that they were advised to reach their destination via winnipeg, manitoba. this route involved a journey of 2,000 miles farther than was necessary and a corresponding unnecessary expense.

there can be but one reason for this, and that is that the canadian frontier as far west as sault ste marie was known to be well guarded, while the frontier west of that point was supposed to be wide open, and it goes without saying that for the same reason the united states ocean ports of entry were also avoided.

special stress must be laid on the recommendation that none but young, active, strong, and robust men should be assigned to duty on the frontier, and they 264should be selected with a view to putting none but men of good judgment in these places of unusual importance and responsibility.

a maintenance of the present system of border inspection must inevitably reflect the wisdom thereof in the returns of the almshouses, hospitals, asylums, and other places of refuge which aliens have previously been wont to seek, for of the 5,158 denied admission at border stations it is not improbable that a very large number of them would already be a charge on the taxpayers of whatever community in which they might have settled had they been admitted, and the 1,439 suffering from the dangerous, loathsome, contagious diseases would certainly have been a hidden menace to public health, and an element of deterioration to the general hygienic standard of the states in which they would have settled.

every one of the diseased aliens reported herein was examined under most careful circumstances by a corps of medical examiners of high repute for proficiency, whose official certificates in writing are on file here in each and every case, which will, when duly considered, serve to demonstrate what a very serious omission it was to leave the frontier subject to the methods in vogue until recently in matters of immigration.

this report will undoubtedly show that immigration from foreign contiguous territory is susceptible of adequate control, and the government can select its future citizens with as much care through this channel as through its ocean ports of arrival, and successfully exclude all who would tend to pollute rather than to promote the general body politic.

respectfully,

robert watchorn, commissioner.

hon. f. p. sargent,

commissioner-general of immigration,

washington, d. c.

nicola curro at work—ina americanized—saint’s figure, covered with bags of money

of new legislation there is an abundance in prospect, varying all the way from the carefully considered bill 265introduced by senator lodge, of massachusetts, to impose an educational test and exclude illiterate immigrants, to the wildly impractical measure introduced by representative adams, of pennsylvania, a congressman from a district that is filling up with immigrants, and who would limit the number of aliens who may enter the country in any one year to 80,000. i wonder how he would select them from a million, by competitive examinations in twenty languages and three hundred dialects, and a series of gymnastic events to determine physical fitness? what proportion of men, women, or children would he admit?

representative simmons has introduced a bill which would establish a system of state bureaus which should set forth to arriving immigrants the advantages of each particular portion of the country. if all or even a large portion of the immigrants came with unsettled plans or uncertain destinations, this would be an excellent plan, providing that italian farmers, who are accustomed to farming with a spade, were not deflected to agricultural districts where sulky plows and three-horse teams are necessary, and scandinavian agriculturists, learning of the wealth of the valley of the red river, did not go there expecting to maintain their health in a climate entirely different in the mean from that to which they have been accustomed.

there is a great amount of wisdom in portions of the following extracts from commissioner sargent’s last report, selected from under the titles of “distribution and naturalization” and “new legislation,” and each recommendation would undoubtedly serve to increase the efficiency of our present system and bring about a betterment of the condition of immigrants at present in the country as well as to assist those who might arrive 266in future; but their great drawback is that they are patches on a system which is fundamentally wrong in itself.

it is impossible for any but the most reckless or foolishly optimistic to consider the figures presented in this report without realizing their serious bearing upon our well-being. it is not alone that virtually 1,000,000 aliens have been added to our population within the brief space of one year, although that fact is one of large dimensions. the constituent elements of this great army of invasion are to be considered, their individual character and capacity for useful work, their respect for law and order, their ability to stand the strain—morally, physically, mentally—of the life of their new surroundings; in other words, the power to assimilate with the people of this country and thus become a source of strength for the support of american institutions and civilization instead of a danger in periods of strain and trial. to doubt that they possess such ability is to discredit unvarying human experience. human beings vary not so much because of any inherent difference of nature as because of difference in the molding influences of which at every stage of development they are the product. all instruction of mind and training of body constitute a practical recognition of this fact. the problem presented, therefore, to enlightened intelligence for solution, is how may the possibility—nay, probability—of danger from an enormous and miscellaneous influx of aliens be converted, by a wise prevision and provision, into a power for stability and security? if such a solution can be obtained, it seems the part of foolhardiness to make no effort to that end, to trust fatuously to the circumstance that, though numerically immigration was years ago nearly as large in proportion to our population as it now is, no very serious ill resulted from the failure to take any especial care in reference to it other than an inspection at the time of arrival.

in my judgment the smallest part of the duty to be 267discharged in successfully handling alien immigrants with a view to the protection of the people and institutions of this country is that part now provided for by law. its importance, though undeniable, is relatively of secondary moment. it cannot, for example, compare in practical value with, nor can it take the place of, measures to ensure the distribution of the many thousands who come in ignorance of the industrial needs and opportunities of this country, and, by a more potent law than that of supply and demand, which speaks to them here in an unknown tongue, colonizes alien communities in our great cities. such colonies are a menace to the physical, social, moral, and political security of the country. they are hotbeds for the propagation and growth of those false ideas of political and personal freedom whose germs have been vitalized by ages of oppression under unequal and partial laws, which find their first concrete expression in resistance to constituted authority, even occasionally in the assassination of the lawful agents of that authority. they are the breeding-grounds also of moral depravity; the centres of propagation of physical disease. above all, they are the congested places in the industrial body which check the free circulation of labor to those parts where it is most needed and where it can be most benefited. do away with them, and the greatest peril of immigration will be removed.

removed from the sweat-shops and slums of the great cities, and given the opportunity to acquire a home, every alien, however radical his theories of government and individual right may have been, will become a conservative—a supporter in theory and practice of those institutions under whose benign protection he has acquired and can defend his household goods. suitable legislation is therefore strongly urged to establish agencies by means of which, either with or without the co-operation of the states, aliens shall be made acquainted with the resources of the country at large, the industrial needs of the various sections in both skilled and unskilled labor, the cost of living, the 268wages paid, the price and capabilities of the lands, the character of the climates, the duration of the seasons,—in short, all of that information furnished by some of the great railway lines through whose efforts the territory tributary thereto has been transformed from a wilderness within a few years to the abiding-place of a happy and prosperous population.

another means of obviating danger from our growing immigration is the enactment of legislation to prevent the degrading of the electorate through the unlawful naturalization of aliens. undoubtedly such naturalization is now often granted upon very insufficient evidence of the statutory period of residence, a looseness in the practice of the courts which is fostered by the heat and zeal of partisanship in political contests. it rests with congress to prevent such abuses, and the consequent distrust in the popular mind of the purity of elections, by establishing additional requirements to be complied with by aliens seeking the privilege of citizenship.

within the past year the bureau has established at the various ports of entry a card-index system, by reference to which the date of the arrival and personal identity can be readily verified. to require every alien applicant for naturalization to produce a certified copy of such record, attested by the signature and seal of the custodian thereof, would substitute for the oral testimony of professional witnesses written evidence of an entirely reliable character.

in addition to the new legislation recommended, i have to suggest that congress be urged to strike out from section 1 of the act approved march 3, 1903, the words which exempt transportation companies from the payment of the head tax for aliens brought by them, respectively, who profess to be merely transits to foreign territory. it is believed that that provision was retained in the act through a clerical error, and its elimination is recommended because of the embarrassments, both to the transportation lines and to the bureau, in its enforcement. the amount saved to the passenger carriers is too trivial to justify the labor and delay involved in ascertaining who are actually transits, 269and under the law not properly subject to the head tax, and who are merely professing to be such.

the new law referred to above has not been in operation long enough to enable the bureau to point out specific defects other than that one just cited; but it was so carefully drawn and so aptly embodies the results of the bureau’s experience in the ten years of the latter’s existence, that the best results are anticipated.

irrespective of the effect in diminishing the number of alien arrivals, now approximating 1,000,000 annually, i am impressed with the importance of still further measures to improve the quality of those admitted. such measures would be merely additional steps in the same direction already taken in dealing with the question of immigration to this country. they would involve no new departure from a policy which has been pursued for years, and which therefore may now be assumed to be a fixed principle of the united states in dealing with this subject. from this point of view it seems not unjust to require of aliens seeking admission to this country at least so much mental training as is evidenced by the ability to read and write. this requirement, whatever arguments or illustrations may be used to establish the contrary position, will furnish alien residents of a character less likely to become burdens on public or private charity. otherwise it must follow that rudimentary education is a handicap in the struggle for existence, a proposition that few would attempt to maintain. it would also, in a measure, relieve the american people of the burden now sustained by them of educating in the free schools the ignorant of other countries.

there should also be some requirement as to the moral character of such persons. the present law excludes convicts. this only partially accomplishes the purpose of establishing a moral standard for admission to this country. without attempting in the restricted limits of this report to indicate the method of devising such legislation, it is sufficient to point to the criminal record in this country of many aliens as a justification for this recommendation. before the close of the 270next fiscal year the bureau will be in possession of interesting and suggestive data in relation to this subject.

for the purpose of distributing arriving aliens in accordance with the plan already outlined, it is recommended that suitable legislation be enacted for the establishment, in connection with the various immigration stations, more particularly the ellis island station, of commodious quarters, properly officered, where information may be given to the new arrivals. in such quarters should be displayed maps of the different states, with descriptive matter as to the resources and products of each state, the prices of land, the routes of travel thereto and cost of transportation, the opportunities for employment in the various skilled and unskilled occupations, the rates of wages paid, the cost of living, and all other information that would enlighten such persons as to the inducements to settlement therein offered respectively by the various sections of the united states. i believe that such a plan is entirely practicable, and that its adoption offers at once the easiest and most efficient solution of the serious problems presented by the enormous additions of alien population to our great cities, and the resultant evils both to the people of this country and to the immigrants.

for the purpose of forming an approximately accurate estimate of the actual annual increase of the population of the united states by the immigration of aliens, it is recommended that measures be taken to obtain information of the number of aliens departing annually. these figures will be valuable to students of the subject as presenting both sides of the case, and will correct the extravagant estimates that may be made from reports of arrivals only as to the actual size of our alien population.

i do not think it is an unwarranted assumption to say that in the foregoing chapters the frauds which are enacted for and among immigrants who sail from the southern portions of europe are well disclosed, and 271that sufficient light is thrown on the dark corners of the situation to enable thinking people to consider understandingly the tremendous problem before the nation; but for corroboration of statements made and for new information of a most pointed and direct nature i beg to submit the major portion of the report of special immigrant-inspector marcus braun,[3] who left the united states two or three months previous to the departure of my wife and myself. it considers many conditions among classes of immigrants which, while not so numerous as the italians, are nevertheless most important factors in the question. mr. braun says:

3. exhibits mentioned in mr. braun’s report are omitted.

new york, n. y., august 24, 1903.

sir: i have the honor to make the following report, pursuant to authority contained in bureau letter no. 35,719, dated march 21, 1903, authorizing me “to proceed to such points in europe as may be necessary for the purpose of procuring information concerning certain knowledge believed to be possessed by the italian authorities as to emigration of undesirable aliens to the united states, and also in regard to persons who are booking diseased and otherwise inadmissible aliens to vera cruz en route to points in the united states.” this report is likewise made pursuant to directions received from you in personal interviews had on march 23, 1903, authorizing me to procure general information and evidence, where practicable, concerning the large influx to the united states of undesirable and inadmissible aliens, and the methods employed by steamship companies, agents in their employ, or other persons, to induce such emigration, as is more specifically enumerated in bureau memoranda containing the following specific questions and directions:

“1. what steps do the steamship companies take at 272european ports to ascertain if their passengers are eligible for admission under the law?

“2. what secret instructions are given to such passengers at the various rendezvous where the government officials make their examinations? examinations usually made twenty-four hours before sailing. this is particularly true of london and liverpool.

“3. how many undesirable aliens are brought from the continent to the jewish shelters in whitechapel, london, weekly, and are there put through a purifying process preparatory to being shipped to the united states via canada?

“4. what steps are being taken at marseille, antwerp, and chiasso to deflect diseased aliens from the united states ports to canada and mexico?

“5. do canadian lines really reject passengers for cause at liverpool, as stated by them; and if so, what percentage, and for what causes?

“6. are immigrants induced to ship to canada, who would otherwise have shipped to the united states, by reason of a cheaper fare, to wit, the $2 head tax?

“7. do all canadian lines make the two rates indicated? if not, which ones do?

“8. does anton fares, a ‘runner’ at marseille, act direct for certain lines? if so, which ones?

“9. it is very important to ascertain if frederic ludwig still represents the beaver line at chiasso.

“10. ascertain how hamburg-american packet company secures the miserable people they put off at halifax, while carrying to new york on same line or ship acceptable aliens.

“11. note particularly report of mr. watchorn, a copy of which will be supplied. would also recommend getting copy of january, 1903, blackwood’s magazine and noting article therein on immigration.”

i desire, in addition thereto, to refer to directions contained in bureau letter no. 36,663, dated april 6, 1903, directing me to observe whether the requirements of section 8 of the act of march 3, 1893, are being complied with, to the effect “that all steamship or transportation 273companies engaged in the transportation of aliens shall keep exposed to view in their offices abroad, where tickets are sold to emigrants, a copy of the united states immigration laws, printed in large letters in the language of the country where such offices are located, and to instruct their agents, moreover, to call the attention thereto of persons contemplating emigration, etc.”

subsequent to my return from washington, after receiving above instructions and directions, and until my departure on april 9, 1903, i was in daily attendance at the immigration bureau at ellis island for the purpose of familiarizing myself with the work of the department as conducted at that station.

on april 9, 1903, i sailed on the steamship deutschland, bound for hamburg, germany, and arrived at the latter place april 17, 1903. having received no specific instructions concerning any particular route which i was to travel to procure the information desired, and owing to the fact that i frequently received information which did not permit of a systematic or straight line of travel, and prompted also by the desire to procure authentic information at the very home of the emigrant, i followed occasional instances and cases as they presented themselves to me.

in all i traveled about 25,000 miles by railroad and about 600 miles by special conveyances, visiting substantially all the provinces and crown lands of the following countries: germany, austria-hungary, russia, roumania, switzerland, italy, france, belgium, holland, and great britain, making special studies of the subjects involved at the following european ports: hamburg, bremen, stettin, fiume, trieste, odessa, naples, genoa, marseille, st. nazaire, havre, antwerp, rotterdam, southampton, london, and liverpool.

i find upon investigation that the steamship companies carrying emigrants from naples, hamburg, and rotterdam are subjecting such emigrants to a strict medical examination for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not they are afflicted with any dangerous contagious disease which might prevent their landing 274in the united states; this can be said of almost all european ports, but is more strictly enforced at the three ports enumerated; at the other ports there is a disposition to be more lax in this respect, particularly at havre, france, where, in the search for persons afflicted with trachoma, the eyeball is merely examined, and no eyelid is turned up as at the other three ports mentioned above; the additional method of the physical examination employed is to require the emigrant to hold up his hands, which, of course, does not permit the discovery of any other ailments except those visible to the naked eye. questions are also asked the emigrants concerning other grounds of inadmissibility, such as whether the emigrant is a criminal or an ex-convict, but no further investigation is made in this respect and the answers given by the emigrant are deemed sufficient.

i did not discover any secret instruction given to passengers at the points of embarkation; the usual questions are asked of the emigrants, and if correctly answered they are permitted to proceed, otherwise they are refused; the latter, however, is a rare occurrence, for the reason that almost all of these emigrants arrive at the ports thoroughly instructed, such instructions being given them before they start upon their journey by subagents in the employ of the steamship companies or their general agencies. while i have no direct proof that the steamship companies are directly concerned or even tolerate the giving of these secret instructions, yet i learned in the course of my travels, particularly in the countries of austria-hungary and russia, that a large number of reputable persons, such as priests, school-teachers, postmasters, and county notaries, are directly connected with certain agents representing these steamship companies, and that they advise and instruct the emigrants how to procure steamship tickets, passports, and all other things necessary for their travel, for all of which they receive a commission from the agent employing them. it is obvious that since the amount of the earnings depends entirely upon the amount of business procured, hence, 275in their anxiety, the subagents above enumerated, by promises and in order to earn a commission, induce a large number of persons to leave their homes and come to the united states. the governments of each of these countries, in good faith, are endeavoring to stop this sort of traffic and provide for the punishment of any person inducing another to leave the country; but i found that in many of the towns visited the local authorities are in league with the subagents, and their business thrives practically with the consent of the officials whose duty it is to prevent it; this is particularly true of austria-hungary, as i was able to ascertain from personal interviews with a large number of emigrants at the austro-prussian border. i also ascertained that a majority of these people act for and are in the employ of f. missler at bremen, and the anglo continentales reise-bureau at rotterdam. upon obtaining this information, together with specific data, names and addresses of these so-called subagents, i laid the matter before dr. koerber, prime minister of austria, and coloman de szell, prime minister of hungary. they at first appeared incredulous, and the latter called my attention to the newly enacted prohibitive emigration laws of hungary, a copy of which, together with translations thereof, is hereto annexed and marked “exhibit a, no. i” and “exhibit a, no. ii.” however, upon my submitting to them the information which i had in my possession, including the names and addresses of people who were acting as such agents, an investigation was caused at their instance, a number of arrests made, and convictions had for the illegal solicitation of emigration. the names of these persons, together with their addresses and vocations, and the periods for which they were sentenced, are annexed hereto and marked “exhibit a, no. iii.”

the police officials in the course of the investigation made, which led to the arrest of these men, confiscated a large number of letters and literature containing offers and inducements to emigrate. the agencies whence this literature emanated also flood the respective countries, particularly hungary and croatia, with similar 276literature through the mails, but great vigilance is exercised by the authorities, and most of these letters, bearing the postmark of hamburg, bremen, or rotterdam, are confiscated and are never delivered to the addresses, if, in the judgment of the postal officials, they contain enticing literature respecting emigration. i have seen at the offices of the ministry at budapest at least one-half million of these letters and documents from time to time confiscated, and through the courtesy of the hungarian government i was enabled to procure a few of the letters which i annex hereto and mark respectively “exhibit b, no. i, ii, iii, iv, v, and vi.” some of this literature has features quite amusing, and i respectfully beg to submit to you a copy, together with a liberal translation of two poems, marked “exhibit c i, and c ii,” intended to work upon the susceptibility of the plain peasant in order to induce him to emigrate. i also invite particular attention to a slip which is invariably contained in such letters sent through the mails by f. missler, of bremen, a copy of which, together with the translation thereof, is hereto annexed and marked “exhibit d.” the idea of sending out this slip appears to be to create the person to whom it is sent a sort of a subagent, by offering him a compensation of eight crowns for every steamship ticket that he succeeds in selling to an emigrant, and through this offer any number of persons are engaged as subagents for f. missler, at bremen. the anglo-continentales reise-bureau at rotterdam is also engaged in sending out personal letters to peasants, containing offers of commission, provided they will procure for them the sale of steamship tickets. i herewith annex one of such letters, with a translation, marked “exhibit e.”

with reference to written question no. 3, i visited the poor jews temporary shelter, at 84 leman street, whitechapel, london, and there interviewed the superintendent, mr. j. sonper, from whom i learned that on the average 500 russian, polish, and roumanian jews are brought there weekly by steamer from either antwerp or rotterdam, and are detained at the home 277until they are enabled to raise sufficient money with which to prepay their passage to america, or until they are in a sufficiently good condition to be acceptable to the steamship companies at the port at which they intend to embark. mr. sonper himself acts as an agent for various steamship companies, and informed me that since the canadian government is equally strict as the united states government in the medical examination of emigrants he tries to induce persons to go to south africa, but so far he has met with poor success, for the reason that persons under his care all have a desire to go to the united states. he cited instances to me where people were detained by him at the jewish home for as long a period as six months in order that they may be properly prepared for their proposed trip.

a more adequate and definite idea of the scope and activity of the poor jews temporary shelter may be had by examining the last three annual reports of the organization, a copy of each of which is hereto annexed and marked “exhibit x i, ii, and iii.”

concerning the steps taken at marseille, antwerp, and chiasso to deflect the diseased emigrants from the united states ports to canada and mexico, i beg to state the following: at chiasso this practice has been largely discontinued since the strict enforcement of the immigration laws of the united states and the strict observance of the medical examinations at canadian ports. at antwerp the practice is still prevailing, though in a lesser degree, the information given to such emigrant being that he sail to england, preferably to london, whence his departure and opportunity of landing in the united states will be much easier than from any other port. the “hotbed” for the deflection of such diseased emigrants, a majority of whom come from syria, armenia, and greece, is marseille. there are in marseille about a half-dozen duly licensed and properly appointed steamship agencies, each of whom employs its “runners,” the most unscrupulous of whom is one anton fares, the publisher of the syrian weekly al mircad. these runners are at a landing 278whenever a steamer having such emigrants aboard arrives from syria, turkey, or greece. these emigrants are then taken charge of by the runners and escorted to the various emigrants’ headquarters to be there examined and classified. such of these emigrants who are not afflicted with some disease receive the ordinary instructions and are shipped via regular ports of embarkation, mostly havre and boulogne. those found suffering from trachoma or favus are then thoroughly instructed and are told that the only way for them to effect an entrance to the united states is to embark at st. nazaire, france, and sail on the ships of the french line (compagnie générale transatlantique) for vera cruz, mexico, and, according to the personal statement made to me by fares, those emigrants are then escorted across the mexican border to the united states by friends or people with whom he is connected in a business way. heretofore entry into the united states from mexico was effected by way of laredo, el paso, or eagle pass, but since the detention and deportation of some of these emigrants who thus effected an entry to the united states this method was abandoned and the above method resorted to. i verified this statement by personal investigation at st. nazaire and from interviews had with the mexican and cuban consuls and the manager of the compagnie générale transatlantique, each of whom informed me that no fewer than 250 emigrants leave that port on the 21st day of each and every month for mexico. i briefly referred to this condition of things in my report to the department, dated, respectively, marseille, june 28, 1903, and paris, july 10, 1903. so alarming did i find these conditions at st. nazaire that i was prompted thereby to address my cablegram to the department on july 13, 1903, suggesting a close watch on the mexican border outside of regular railroad passes, and i also briefly referred to these matters in subsequent communications to the department. i also ascertained that all of the steamers plying between st. nazaire, france, and vera cruz, mexico, are controlled and operated by the compagnie générale transatlantique, 279and that emigrants are booked directly from beirut, syria, via marseille and st. nazaire, to vera cruz, as more fully stated in my previous communications to the department on this subject.

regarding the question as to whether canadian lines really reject passengers for cause at liverpool, and what percentage and for what causes, i beg to state that i have visited the various emigrant lodging-houses at liverpool controlled by the white star, cunard, dominion, american, allan, and canadian pacific railroad (beaver line) lines, and found that the emigrants are subjected to a strict medical examination, and those found suffering from trachoma or favus are promptly rejected, the proportion of such rejections not exceeding two per cent.

as to whether or not emigrants are induced to ship to canada, who would otherwise have shipped to the united states, by reason of a cheaper fare or because of the $2 head tax, i respectfully submit that such emigrants are frequently, and in a large number of cases, induced to ship to canada. the reason for this, however, is not the desire to avoid the $2 head tax, but because of the cheaper railroad fares charged to emigrants in the dominion of canada by the canadian pacific railroad. in every such case the emigrant is invariably told that upon landing he must state his destination to be some place or town in canada, where he intends to settle. having thus availed themselves of the advantage of a cheaper fare, they then await the coming of an agent or some person connected with the agency where they purchased their tickets, and are escorted across the border into the united states.

in regard to the inquiry as to whether all the canadian lines make the two rates indicated, i desire to report that heretofore the beaver line charged a cheaper rate of fare than the other canadian lines; this, however, has been abandoned, and at present a uniform rate is charged over all canadian lines. i had an interesting and lengthy interview with mr. i. i. gilbertson, the liverpool traffic agent of the canadian pacific railway, which now operates the former beaver line 280under the name of the pacific railway line, and learned from him that, while the line he represented was not in the steamship pool, he was upholding the regular rates of the pool, and had no intention of deviating therefrom. he added that he regretted very much the bad repute into which the beaver line had gotten, and, while he admitted that it was partly justified, he thought that it was worse than deserved. mr. gilbertson also told me that all of the continental agents of his line have been fully and thoroughly instructed to comply strictly with the immigration laws of both the united states and canada in booking passengers, and that under no circumstances would tickets be sold to passengers for quebec or montreal whose original destination is some part of the united states.

in reply to the inquiry as to whether anton fares, a runner at marseille, acts direct for certain lines, i beg to refer to my previous reports to the department made in this connection, wherein i stated, among other things, that fares does not represent any line directly, but that his services are very much sought after by all of the agencies established at marseille, and i reiterate that he is one of the most dangerous and unscrupulous men in the business.

replying to the inquiry as to whether frederic ludwig still represents the beaver line at chiasso, i likewise beg to refer to my report on this subject, dated chiasso, june 25, 1903, and i reiterate that ludwig still represents the beaver line at chiasso, but apparently does not book any diseased emigrants and invariably causes a physician to examine his passengers. in all other respects, however, i found ludwig as active, energetic, and reckless in the pursuit of his business as ever before, as a result of which he was arrested in italy for soliciting emigration, released on bail of 20,000 lire pending his trial, and subsequently “jumped” his bail, forfeiting the amount.

nicola curro studying english in the author’s home in new york

in regard to the question as to how the “hamburg-american packet company secures the miserable people they put off at halifax, while carrying to new york on same line or ship acceptable aliens,” i respectfully 281refer to my report dated jassy, june 17, 1903. i endeavored to ascertain the method by which these persons referred to were procured, and for this purpose had an interview at the steamship office of george stoeckel, at odessa, by whose representative, johann bischof, i was informed that the main reasons for sending emigrants into the united states via halifax were the cheaper rate and the possibility of evading the immigration laws at the canadian border with greater success than at the united states ports. realizing that diseased and afflicted emigrants have to undergo a close inspection at a united states port, this agency of stoeckel’s makes it a practice to solicit the business of such people with the thorough understanding that they are to travel via halifax. the said agency has a number of subagents traveling all over the southern part of russia, ostensibly engaged as agents for agricultural implements, representing some american firm, but in reality only to dispose of steamship tickets and seek out such persons who have fears about traveling owing to some affliction which would prevent their admittance at a united states port. these people are given every assurance that if traveling via halifax they will have to undergo very little inspection, if any, and can obtain admittance into the united states without difficulty. it seems immaterial to these agents whether the emigrant would be permitted to land or not, even at halifax, for in the latter case he would be deported, with no probability of his ever returning to russia, and hence the agent would escape all liability. subsequent to this interview i called on mr. a. storm, manager of the passenger department of the hamburg-american line at hamburg, and called his attention to this practice, whereupon he showed me copies of personal letters written to all of the agents warning them not to book any emigrants via halifax intended for the united states, with instruction that such emigrants would be refused, and, moreover, the agents would forfeit all commissions, the agency being withdrawn from them in addition. my personal investigation seemed to confirm this statement 282of mr. storm, for the reason that prior to my going to odessa i frequently found circulars inviting emigration to the united states via hamburg to halifax, one of which circulars i annex to this report, marked “exhibit f i.” later on, however, i failed to find any of these circulars except in rare instances, but instead found a large number of circulars sent out by falck & co., general agents of the hamburg-american line, specially calling the attention of the proposed emigrants to the advisability of having themselves examined by a physician prior to their departure, to ascertain whether they are suffering from trachoma or favus, and informing them of the fact that if suffering from any of these diseases they will be barred from landing in america, regardless as to what route they took. i inclose two copies of such circulars, one in slovak and the other in hungarian, together with a translation, marked “exhibit f ii.”

following your instructions to investigate the fact as to whether steamship companies or transportation companies engaged in the transportation of aliens observe the requirements of section 8 of the act of march 3, 1893, i called your attention in some of my previous reports to instances where the law was not observed. however, the law is observed by the majority of the steamship companies, but, i am satisfied, not in an effective manner. it is true that a copy of the law is displayed in the language of the country where such steamship offices are located, but it is equally true that very few of the emigrants have the time or the inclination to read it, and as a large percentage of them are unable to read at all it tends to make the law of very little if any value. at the border of russia and germany this law referred to is displayed in the german language, and i found that the great majority of emigrants are russians, poles, and hebrews, none of whom can read or understand the german language.

i desire to invite your particular attention to instructions contained in bureau letter no. 35,719, dated march 21, 1903, authorizing me “to procure information concerning certain knowledge believed to be possessed 283by the italian authorities as to emigration of undesirable aliens to the united states,” and to personal directions upon this point given me in our interview on march 23, 1903. i have made thorough investigations to ascertain, if possible, first, whether or not such knowledge is really possessed by the italian authorities, and, second, in what measure this circumstance was instrumental in encouraging undesirable emigration to the united states. i find a general disposition on the part of the italian government and authorities to restrict emigration of persons visibly afflicted by some disease, this restriction being by no means made for the benefit of the united states, but because of the opinion that the influx from italy of this class of people might cause the united states government to enact more prohibitive immigration laws, a thing very much feared in italy, for the reason that italy considers the united states the best safety valve for the discharge of its over-population. more prohibitive immigration legislation on the part of the united states, if it would materially affect the influx of italian emigrants to the united states, might, in the opinion of the italian people, have the effect of reducing a great many of their revenues. i have ascertained that the prosperity of entire villages in the southern part of italy depends upon remittances regularly made from the united states.

the italian authorities, as such, profess to have no such knowledge of undesirable emigration as indicated in your personal interview with me. pauperism in italy is differently construed than in the united states. over there no person, no matter how poor he may be, is considered a pauper so long as he appears to be able-bodied and is in a condition to walk about, and no person is committed to the poorhouse unless physically disabled to such an extent as to be unable to be about without the assistance of another, and if placed in the poorhouse under those circumstances there is no possibility of their ever attempting to come to the united states. these are the only paupers of whom a record is kept by the authorities, and who are 284recorded as public charges upon the respective communities. of the other class of poor people, who are not only in the prevailing majority, but who constitute a material part of the italian population, and who, according to american conceptions, would be considered paupers, no public record is kept, except by the priests of the respective villages and towns in which they reside. these people are considered poor and are dependent upon the charities of the church. they can obtain at any time a certificate of poverty, but still are not recorded as paupers. mr. angelo boragino, deputy consul of the united states at genoa, gave me valuable assistance in my attempt to discover the existence of such records.

unlike italy, all other countries do keep a public record of their paupers, copies of which are obtainable at any time. i beg to annex hereto two such authenticated copies of pauper records of the township of klenocz, hungary, and nyustya, croatia, marked, respectively “exhibit g. i” and “exhibit g. ii.”

as already reported to you in a previous communication in reply to bureau letter no. 36,810, dated washington, april 14, 1903, i located joseph ellsner at littai, austria, and endeavored to get from him some information with reference to importation of laborers under contract into the united states. i succeeded in obtaining from mr. ellsner a copy of a letter addressed to him by some person from chicago, asking for 200 able-bodied men to work on the railroad, which letter i mailed to you, together with my said report to the department. i sent you the information that about 1,800 croatians are being shipped monthly from fiume to the united states. i endeavored to ascertain the purpose of this large number of emigrants, and found that quite a number of them, especially in the month of august of each year, were hired by several austrian firms to be sent to wisconsin, minnesota, and mississippi, to cut staves, and that some of these firms, owing to difficulties which they had in the united states with these men, who made trouble and threats against the contractors, abandoned this practice, and it 285is now largely controlled by the firm of julius kern & co., at vienna, through whose agency some 300 or 400 men are sent to the united states at certain intervals. i paid particular attention to this firm and employed the friendly services of mr. a. knoepfelmacher, a journalist, who called at the place of business of mr. kern under the pretext of writing an article upon the enterprising ability of an austrian firm, such as julius kern & co., in dealing so extensively with the united states. the interview was obtained, and incidentally mr. knoepfelmacher asked questions with reference to the sending of the contract laborers to the united states, and some information was given him, with the strict injunction, however, that no part of it should be made public. i received a letter from mr. knoepfelmacher which i annex hereto, together with a translation thereof, marked “exhibit h,” which letter fairly expresses the contempt of these europeans at our contract-labor laws and the ease with which they evade them. it was admitted by the firm of julius kern & co. that as many as 1,500 laborers are sent to the united states under contract, each of whom is thoroughly instructed as to the manner in which questions should be answered when arriving in the united states. subsequent to the receipt of the letter from mr. knoepfelmacher he accompanied me to the united states embassy at vienna, and there, in the presence of secretary rives, repeated the statements contained in his letter. the information i thus received, together with the positive knowledge which i possessed that a great many contract laborers enter the united states annually, prompted me to pay particular attention to this subject, and i made various and frequent attempts, particularly at places and railroad stations where emigrants concentrate, to question and interview individuals or groups of emigrants, with a view of learning their destination or of affirming my belief that they were laborers under contract, destined for the united states. not only did these interrogations confirm my suspicions, but i have become convinced that the importation of contract labor to the united states has assumed 286alarming proportions of which the department cannot form an adequate idea. i base this conviction not only upon my experience at the various places where emigrants concentrate, but upon observations made and collected in numerous villages which i reached by special conveyance, and in a large number of which i found that almost the entire male population, able to work, was absent, and upon close inquiry i learned that the men were all in the united states, having gone there under some contract of labor or other. this evil is largely contributed to by residents of the united states engaged in the steamship ticket and foreign exchange business, and not infrequently either connected with or publishing some newspaper in a foreign language. i took occasion to refer to this phase in one of my previous reports to the department, containing information in point procured by me at the city of laibach and from the government at vienna. i am convinced that fares, at marseille, also avails himself of many sources of this character in the pursuit of his nefarious business, as i was able to judge from the hundreds of letters i saw delivered to him, coming from the united states and bearing the heading of numerous steamship ticket agents and publishers of syrian newspapers in this country. another method which in my opinion is frequently resorted to to promote the importation of contract labor is as follows: a native of a certain village or town abroad, who had spent some time in the united states, will suddenly appear at said village, ostensibly on a visit, and within a short time thereafter he may be met on his return trip to the united states accompanied by groups of men whose number vary from ten to twenty-five, according to circumstances. i have observed such men purchasing a number of railroad tickets at oderberg, on the austro-prussian border, for bremen, and distribute them among the group of men that so accompanied him. i met the same man, who thus purchased the tickets at oderberg, a few days later at bremen, and upon my questioning him for the whereabouts of his friends i saw in his company at oderberg he denied 287all knowledge of them; but i saw all of them in the immediate vicinity, and found that they had steamship tickets in their possession which were procured in the office of f. missler. they were no longer in groups, and acted in a manner as though they had never seen the man who had led them, this being evidently part of their instructions and a matter of precaution. i could refer to hundreds of similar cases which i have encountered in my travels abroad. most of these people so interrogated by me were in possession of addresses of persons residing in the united states, alleged to be friends or relatives, but which, to my best impression and belief, were frequently fictitious addresses, and the addressees absolutely unacquainted with the emigrants in question. most of these addresses referred to persons residing inland, particularly in the states of ohio and pennsylvania, and rarely to people residing in new york city or other atlantic seaports. unfortunately, these emigrants are so thoroughly instructed and prepared, that it is exceedingly difficult and almost impossible to gain an admission from them after they depart from their respective homes.

supplementing a previous report which i made to the department concerning the prevalence of trachoma in various european countries, particularly austria-hungary, russia, the balkan states, and italy, i respectfully state that so alarming and so widespread is this most dangerous and contagious disease that the governments of the various countries enumerated have adopted most heroic measures for its suppression. in hungary this disease has assumed such proportions that the government encounters great difficulties in some counties to muster the required quota of men for military service, trachomatic people belonging to the class which are rejected for the army. to combat and, if possible, to stamp out the disease, the hungarian government maintains a special medical corps, consisting of fifty physicians who constantly travel to and fro in certain respective districts to which they are assigned, it being the duty of every person to submit 288to an examination for such disease, and if found afflicted therewith to present himself or herself for gratuitous treatment twice a week until cured. records of such trachomatic persons are kept, and they are subjected to constant surveillance in the manner that no person can leave his respective district for another before first submitting to a medical examination as above outlined; such person is provided with a book in which the physician of the district makes an entry that the bearer is either free from trachoma or afflicted thereby, and if he has undergone any treatment, the period of such treatment is entered; upon the arrival of such person in another district he or she must present himself or herself immediately to the physician of that district, and if afflicted with trachoma the treatment is systematically continued. although this rule is strictly enforced, people intending to emigrate rarely observe it, and in order to be enabled to give the department more definite information on this subject i accompanied dr. simon buchwald, one of the physicians appointed by the government of hungary for the district of lipto-szt. miklos, on one of his tours through the villages of his district, and was present at the examinations and treatment conducted by him. i succeeded in obtaining from dr. buchwald an extract of the official record of thirty-five persons of the age ranging from seventeen to forty-two years, who had left the district for the united states, and were afflicted with trachoma, had been treated by him, and at the time of their departure were not cured. only four of these emigrants returned to their respective homes, having been refused at the medical examination, regularly held at the control stations of the north german-lloyd and hamburg-american lines, at the austro-prussian border, upon the ground of this very affliction. i annex the said extract hereto, marked “exhibit i,” containing the names of these thirty-five persons, and having underlined thereon, with red pencil, the names of the four persons thus returned.

of the countries enumerated, hungary seems to 289have the disease under best control, although i can state, on reliable information, that there are at least 60,000 persons in the kingdom of hungary suffering from trachoma. the worst conditions in this respect prevail in russia, where at least thirty per cent of the army are afflicted with this dread disease, who, after their discharge from the army, spread the affliction in all parts of the empire.

supplemental to my report heretofore submitted to the department upon the subject of emigration to the united states of roumanian jews, i beg to reiterate that the forwarding of these people is conducted systematically and is invariably in charge of the jewish colonization association. the method pursued in this instance is that representatives of the jewish congregations in the various places through which these emigrants pass generally await them at the railroad stations and care for their safe transportation to the next station, where the same thing is repeated, until they reach rotterdam, from which port they are sent to england for embarkation to the united states. i attach herewith copy of the usual letter sent by doctor lowenstein, the representative at bucharest, roumania, of the jewish colonization association, addressed to the jewish congregation at budapest, together with a translation thereof, advising said congregation of the near approach of a group of such jewish emigrants, attaching also hereto a copy of a list of names of such group of emigrants, marked “exhibit j.”

with reference to prostitutes and women imported for the purpose of prostitution, i have made several reports to the department, and, reiterating the same, i beg to report in addition as follows: in the cities of paris, berlin, vienna, budapest, lemberg, krakow, and more particularly in warsaw and wilna, i learned that annually a number of women and men engaged in this nefarious business here in the united states pay visits to the places above enumerated and invariably a number of such immoral women follow them to the united states. in many instances these women are provided with american passports or citizen papers of 290their alleged husbands residing in the united states, and so widespread did i find this traffic in, and issuance of, american passports in austria-hungary, that i deemed it my duty to call the attention of the hon. bellamy storer, united states ambassador and envoy plenipotentiary at vienna, to the disgraceful practice, who again, on his part, instructed the united states consulates under his jurisdiction to be very careful hereafter before transmitting requests for passports for women intending to go to the united states to join their alleged husbands, and whose citizen papers are generally annexed to these requests.

i have the honor also to report that the hon. frank d. chester, united states consul at budapest, hungary, informed me that there was quite a traffic in united states passports and citizen papers carried on at the city of fiume, and that one of his attachés had some time ago made a special investigation and reported about it, i believe, to the state department at washington. in this latter instance, it is my opinion that the passports and citizen papers are used mostly for contract laborers, for the reason that, as i convinced myself during my travel through switzerland, a similar traffic is carried on there for the use of contract laborers, who mostly come to switzerland from the southern part of austria, croatia, and dalmatia, the business of these countries, in the way of emigration, being done mostly by steamship agents located in switzerland. there is no doubt that hundreds and hundreds of citizen papers are being sent from the united states to europe annually for just these purposes.

another practice which i observed during my trip is that most emigrants are in possession of cards of all kinds of boarding houses, emigrant agencies, and “homes” of all nationalities and in all cities of the united states. i attach hereto one of said cards, of which thousands can be obtained daily, and mark it “exhibit k.”

i have pointed out very frequently the fact that steamship companies are unable to ascertain the admissibility 291to the united states of emigrants who present themselves prior to their embarkation, except through the medical examination and the questions put to each of them, before the final ticket is issued. if the emigrant is not well enough instructed by those who originally sent him on his road, it happens that his inadmissibility is occasionally detected, as i have noticed at the offices of the hamburg-american, red star, and holland-american lines, at the ports of hamburg, antwerp, and rotterdam respectively, but this is rarely the case. the emigrant is most thoroughly instructed when he reaches the offices of the steamship companies, having undergone perhaps two or more special courses of instruction at the hands of the so-called subagents; but should the answers of such emigrant, in spite of this instruction, be found faulty in certain respects, it would be idle to assume that the agencies would refuse to forward him; a striking example, illustrating this circumstance, may be found in an article of the italian newspaper il dovere, published in the city of bellinzona, switzerland, bearing date june 23, 1903, a copy of which i annex hereto, marked “exhibit l.” the article in question will be found on the second page of said exhibit, marked with blue pencil, which was sent from chiasso under like date, relating the story of an italian emigrant by the name of marcaccio vincenzo, who on may 2, 1903, sailed for new york on board the north-german lloyd steamer friedrich der grosse, accompanied by a woman who had deserted her husband, in the same manner that said vincenzo deserted his wife, and both of whom, upon their arrival at ellis island, were duly deported.

the article further states that vincenzo returned to chiasso and went to the agency of jauch & pellegrini, where he had purchased the tickets for himself and the woman, and demanded the return of his money, which of course was refused. vincenzo thereupon went to the authorities and made a sworn statement to the effect that at the time of purchasing the tickets mentioned he told the firm of jauch & pellegrini that the woman accompanying him was not his wife, and that he was 292then and there instructed by said firm that upon his arrival at new york he must state that the woman accompanying him was his wife. the case of this emigrant was disposed of in a very simple manner; he was sent across the border to italy and sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment for deserting his wife and committing adultery. the woman in question was likewise sent to jail for eight months.

i was informed at chiasso by the other steamship agents that they had reported this case to their respective companies, requesting that the agency be withdrawn from jauch & pellegrini, as occurrences of this kind had a tendency to harm them in their business, but that nothing was done by the steamship companies in this direction. i was also informed that the real owners of the firm of jauch & pellegrini are the notorious firm of corecco & brivio, at bodio, switzerland, who are the general agents of the compagnie générale transatlantique, and to whom reference was made by special immigrant-inspector robert watchorn, in his report of august, 1902—corecco & brivio are likewise the owners of la svizzera societa anonima per l’emigrazione, at chiasso, representing the beaver line.

the material collected and the observations made during my travels abroad would permit of the citation of hundreds, even thousands, of other instances of a similar character, and those above enumerated are but individual cases selected from an abundance of equally flagrant examples. we cannot escape the conclusion that a large number of undesirable emigrants succeed in reaching our shores in spite of the vigorous enforcement of our immigration laws at the atlantic seaports as well as the canadian border, and in spite of the apparent good faith on the part of the steamship companies to comply with such laws. although this undesirable emigration still continues, yet it is my observation that it has materially decreased in the past year or so, because of the fact that it is generally known throughout the continent that our laws, as at present administered, are being strictly enforced and 293every effort made to detect undesirable immigrants and to return them upon such detection. if it were not for the precautions taken and the excellent work at our various immigrant stations, as well as the apparent desire of the various steamship companies to comply with the law, undesirable immigration would have increased to alarming proportions. i do not mean to be understood that the law in its present state is in a perfect condition, for it still leaves open loopholes for unscrupulous steamship agents and their dupes, who succeed in one form or other in evading the law, in spite of the vigilance of the officials under your jurisdiction.

i am confirmed in this statement by my observance of many instances in point, particularly the fact that a large number of deported and refused emigrants never return to their homes, despite the fact that steamship companies provide them with railroad tickets and necessary transportation to convey them to their homes.

a significant feature in this connection is the exhibition to me by mr. a. storm, manager of the passenger department of the hamburg-american line, of a letter addressed to him by the director of the royal prussian railroad at altona, substantially to the effect that the railroad authorities would hereafter decline to redeem, at their full value, unused portions of railroad tickets for points at the austrian and russian frontier presented by passengers at berlin, but would deduct twenty per cent therefrom for the trouble and inconvenience caused by the redemption of so large a number of these tickets. it is evident, therefore, that some secret agency is at work deflecting from their homes to parts unknown such deported passengers who arrive at berlin. one reason for such deported and refused emigrants not returning to their homes was given me by mr. max hirschfeld, manager of the anglo-continentales reise-bureau, at rotterdam, which, in its zeal and activity, is second only to f. missler, at bremen, in an interview which i had with him. he frankly admitted to me that it had been and is his purpose, when passengers 294booked by him are refused or deported, to prevent them from reaching their homes, for the reason that it would injure his business to have it spread in the community that passengers booked by him were not admitted into the united states, and in order to accomplish this he cited cases to me where he spent as much as $100 on individuals for such purpose.

taking all of the above, together with the experience gained and the observations made as a basis, the situation can be summed up as follows:

the deplorable political and financial conditions of the eastern and southern countries of europe, coupled with the prosperous condition of the united states, creates a large natural emigration to our shores. the most convincing proof in the eyes of the people of these countries of the exceptional prosperity of our country is the large sums of money, almost unprecedented to them, which annually arrive from friends and relatives residing in the united states. besides this natural emigration, however, we are burdened with a dangerous and most injurious unnatural immigration which from year to year assumes larger proportions. this unnatural emigration consists of paupers and assisted emigrants, and is induced and brought about by the unscrupulous and greedy activity displayed by a large number of agencies and subagencies having well-established connections in the united states and abroad, apparently unknown to the steamship companies, which activity manifests itself in the peddling of steamship tickets and prepaids on the instalment plan, both here and abroad, the constant agitation and offers of inducements by subagents in europe, occupying semi-public positions, who, in order to earn commissions, play upon the ignorance and susceptibility of the plain peasant, frequently inducing him to sell or mortgage all his belongings for the purpose of raising the necessary traveling expenses, which latter transaction is also turned to profit by such agent.

the steamship companies of course do not concede the existence of such unnatural emigration, as i learned in the course of an interview which i had with a high 295official of one of the steamship companies abroad. i called his attention to this unnatural emigration, but the prevalence of the same was denied by him. “if all this emigration is brought about by natural causes,” said i, “and the business would come to you any way, why do you have so many agencies broadcast instead of opening offices under your direct supervision and control, thus saving the commissions you have to pay your agents?” he replied, that would necessitate the employment of a large corps of clerks and assistants, and that the maintenance of such offices would, in the end, result in the expenditure of a much larger sum of money than is paid out in commissions. this argument, of course, does not in the least refute the well-established fact that there is a very considerable unnatural emigration caused and augmented through the agencies and methods above enumerated.

i am not prepared to say that there are remedies to combat this evil, but i respectfully submit and state most emphatically that the influx of this undesirable element into the united states could be reduced very materially if means were adopted to procure the names, addresses, and, if necessary, the pedigrees of persons constituting this class of undesirable emigrants. all of the countries visited by me keep public records of paupers, criminals, ex-convicts, prostitutes, and diseased; and such records are obtainable, and if placed at the disposal of proper united states officials the information thus at hand would obviate the necessity of relying upon the statement of the emigrant himself, and would tend to keep out of the united states an element which annually invades our shores in so large a number.

the contract-labor question is somewhat more complex. it is undeniably true that great numbers of contract laborers are annually imported into the united states, which fact is well-known to government officials abroad. if the statement made to me by herr franz von kaltenbrunn, councilor to the ministry of the interior of austria, can be taken as an argument in point, it establishes this importation of contract 296labor beyond a doubt. herr von kaltenbrunn, in the interview which i had with him, exhibited to me a rough sketch of an emigration bill, in the drafting of which he was then engaged and which he said is to be submitted to the next session of the reichsrath (lower house of austrian parliament), such bill being designed for the protection of austrian subjects who are being engaged to work abroad, by requiring the contractor or his representative to furnish a guarantee or some form of security to the effect that the promises and agreements contained in the contract made with such laborer, such as safe passage, payment of wages promised, etc., will be closely adhered to. irrespective of this proposed legislation, it would be very difficult, as stated in the body of my report, to detect the fact that any such person actually travels to the united states under contract of labor, and in my opinion there are but two ways to discover this fact, one being that some means be found to watch the emigrants prior to their reaching the ports of embarkation, and the other by close scrutiny and questioning at the various landing ports of the united states. if the various boards of special inquiry were aided by attorneys at law assigned to them, a twofold object would be accomplished; first, it would lead to the discovery of the importer of contract labor himself, and, secondly, it would dispel the prevailing opinion abroad that a large number of persons are constantly deported from the united states as contract laborers who, in truth and in fact, are alleged to be going to the united states in good faith and not under contract, which i believe is frequently the case and is due to the fact that the unfortunate emigrant becomes so confused by the manifold advices and instructions he receives prior to his arrival that he is made to believe things he has never intended to say. the assignment of counsel to the various boards of special inquiry would also aid them in every other respect.

respectfully submitted.

marcus braun,

special immigrant inspector.