Mr. Speaker. I desire to call the attention of the House to a censorship of the press brought about by a minor official of the United States Government. the Cominissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island. Now. there Is a tendency in this country on the part of a few unimportant people to abolish the great American institution of freedom of speech and free press. and here and there a petty official in a minor office is found willing to carry out this purpose. A few days ago there arrived at Ellis Island an English boy. a stowaway. on the steamer Lancasta. He arrived with both feet frozen. Under the law. of course. the boy can not be admitted. The deportation is mandatory. A daily newspaper in New York City sent one of its reporters to Ellis Island to interview this boy. and admission to newspaper men was refused by the Commissioner of Immigration. That naturally causes to arise a suspicion as to the condition of the Government institution at Ellis Island. Gentlemen. I worked there 21 years ago under Commissioner Watchorn. and the island was so conducted at that time that newspaper men were admitted at all times. and everything that was going on there was open to the inspection of the public. I now charge that there must be something very rotten at Ellis Island to prompt the Commissioner of Immigration passing a rule or censorship preventing representatives of the press from going on the island and seeing people.
Keywords matched
Immigration deportation