Speech #510212309

This bill would not prevent that. The gentleman from Maryland has an amendment which he proposes to offer in reference to this matter. It is the unanimous judgFEBIrUAr Y 19. ment of the committee that the best immigrants who come to this country are those who come on what are known as prepaid tickets. who come here with money sent them by some relative or friend. Under the law of 1882 the Secretary of the Treasury is charged with the duty of entering into contracts with various State commissions for the purpose of executing the immigration laws. It has been found that that does not work well. Secretary Manning. a late Secretary of the Treasury. looked forward to a time when his contract with the State commissioners could be annulled. and the late Secretary Windom. following the suggestions of Secretary Manning. did annul the contract with the commissioners of immigration of the State of New York. He appointed asuperintendent of immigration. Colonel Weber. at that pcrt. This committee recommends that the Government shall take control of this subject at all ports of immigration. and have a superintendent of immigration in the city of Washington. under whose direction this law shall be executed. We also add two clauses to the bill. Mr.Chairman. in relation to the steamship companies. At this time. when a vessel pulls into a port. her immigrants can walk off the dock up into the streets of the city of New York. Boston. or elsewhere where the vessel may land. and not report at all for inspection. When the commissioner of immigration at New York goes to the commander of a vessel and asks. "Why was not this man brought to us for inspection?" the answer is. "I have no authority to hold this man on board. or put him on the floater and send him to the barge office or Castle Garden for inspection." When the Majestic landed at New York the other day one hundred and twentyeight of her immigrants walked off the dock and up the streets in the city of New York and were not inspected. From five to one hundred immigrants walk away from everyvessel landing in New York. and a corresponding number at other ports. without inspection. By this hill we make it incumbent on the managers of the vessel to bring the immigrants to the point of inspection. and impose a penalty in the event of a failure to do so. Again. under the present system when a man is decided as prohibited from landing. the superintendent or one of the commissioners of immigration orders him back to the boat. and the officer or manager of the ship says: "All right. go right back on board." but they make no effort whatever to keep the man there. When the superintendent brings complaint that he was not kept aboard they say: "We do not have to keep him on board until we are ready to sail. If he is there when we sail we will take him. but do not propose to hunt him up."1 Under the clause of this bilt however. if a man is decided as prohibited from landing he shall be put at once on board of the boat which brought him. and the law compels him to be kept there and returned to the port from whence he came. The value of this bill as an administrative bill is incomparably above the substitute offered by the gentleman from Alabama. I will say therefore in conclusion that this bill has received the ripest suggestions of the commissioners of immigration in four different States. has received the approval of the late Secretary of the Treasury. is a wise. conservative measure. designed and proposed to accomplish a good purpose. it does not propose to levy any tax of $5 a head. allows the present tax of 50 cents to lay as it is. and we believe that its passage into law will give all the control and all the discrimination and restriction on the question of immigration that is needed.