leave Russia without them. This was frequently stated to the Commission. A Russian official at St. Petersburg complained to the Commission that Jewish secret agents of British lines had been employed in Russia to induce Christians, instead of Jews, to emigrate. It was learned that some letters had been received by prospective emigrants containing more information than the dates of sailing, terms, etc. (as allowed by section 7 of the United States immigration act "), and also that on market days in some places steamship agents would mingle with the people and endeavor to incite them to emigrate.

The Hungarian law strictly forbids the promotion of emigration and the Government has prosecuted violations so vigorously that at the time of the Commission's visit the emigration authorities expressed the belief that the practice had been checked. It was stated to the Commission that foreign steamship lines had constantly acted in contravention of the Hungarian regulations by employing secret agents to solicit business, or through agents writing personal letters to prospective emigrants, advising them how to leave Hungary without the consent of the Government. Letters of this nature were presented to the Commission. Some of them are accompanied by crudely drawn maps indicating the location of all the Hungarian control stations on the Austrian border, and the routes of travel by which such stations can be avoided. The Commission was shown the records in hundreds of cases where the secret agents of foreign steamship companies had been convicted and fined or imprisoned for violating the Hungarian law by soliciting emigration. It was reported to the Commission that in one year at Kassa, a Hungarian city on the Austrian border, eight secret agents of the German lines were punished for violations of the emigration law.

In Austria, at the time of the Commission's visit, there was comparatively little agitation relative to emigration. Attempts had been made to enact an emigration law similar to that of Hungary, but these were not successful. The solicitation of emigration is forbidden by law, but it appeared that steamship ticket agents were not subjected to strict regulation, as they are in Hungary. Government officials and others interested in the emigration situation expressed the belief that the solicitations of agents had little effect on the emigration movement, which was influenced almost entirely by economic conditions. It was not denied, however, that steamship agents do solicit emigration.

The Italian law strictly forbids the solicitation of emigration by steamship agents, and complaints relative to violation of the law were not nearly so numerous as in some countries visited. Nevertheless there are many persons engaged in the business of selling steerage tickets in that country, and the Commission was informed that considerable soliciting is done.

The Commission found that steamship agents were very active in Greece and that the highly colored posters and other advertising matter of the steamship companies were to be found everywhere. According to its population Greece furnishes more emigrants to the United States than any other country, and the spirit of emigration is

a See Vol. II, p. 734.

Unpublished reports of agents of the United States Bureau of Immigration.

so intense among the people that solicitation by steamship companies probably plays relatively a small part even as a contributory cause of the movement.

ASSISTED IMMIGRATION.

Emigration from Europe to the United States through public assistance is so small as to be of little or no importance. It is probable and easily conceivable that local authorities sometimes assist in the emigration of public charges and criminals, but such instances are believed to be rare. As a matter of fact, European nations look with regret on the emigration of their young and able-bodied men and women, and the comity of nations would prevent the deportation of criminals and paupers to a country whose laws denied admission to such classes, however desirable their emigration might be. Besides, the assisted emigration to the United States of the aged or physically or mentally defective would be sure to result in failure because of the stringent provisions of the United States immigration law. It is well known that in the earlier days of unrestricted immigration large numbers of paupers and other undesirables were assisted to emigrate, or were practically deported, from the British Isles and other countries to the United States. Even at the present time, as shown in the Commission's report on the immigration situation in Canada, there is a large assisted emigration from England to Canada and other British colonies, but it does not appear that there is any movement of this nature to the United States.

a

On the other hand various nations of the Western Hemisphere make systematic efforts in Europe to induce immigration. The Canadian government maintains agencies in all the countries of northern and western Europe where the solicitation of emigration is permitted, and pays a bonus to thousands of booking agents for directing emigrants to the Dominion. Canada, however, expends no money in the transportation of emigrants. Several South American countries, including Brazil and Argentine Republic, also systematically solicit immigration in Europe.

Several American States have attempted to attract immigrants by the distribution in Europe of literature advertising the attractions of such States. A few States have sent commissioners to various countries for the purpose of inducing immigration, but although some measure of success has attended such efforts the propaganda has had little effect on the immigration movement as a whole.

EMIGRATION OF CRIMINALS.

That former convicts and professional criminals from all countries come to the United States practically at will can not and need not be denied, although it seems probable that in the popular belief the number is greatly exaggerated. This class emigrates and is admitted to this country, and, in the opinion of the Commission, the blame can not equitably be placed elsewhere than on the United States. The Commission is convinced that no European government encourages the emigration of its criminals to this country. Some, it is true, take no measures to prevent such emigration, especially after criminals

a The Immigration Situation in Other Countries. Reports of the Immigration Commission, vol. 40. (Senate Doc. No. 761, 61st Cong., 3d sess.) b See Vol. II, pp. 607 and 608.

have paid the legal penalties demanded, but others, and particularly Italy, seek to restrain the departure of former convicts in common with other classes debarred by the United States immigration law. The accomplishment of this purpose on the part of Italy is attempted by specific regulations forbidding the issuance of passports to intended immigrants who have been convicted of a felony or other crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude within the meaning of the United States law. Under the Italian system local officials furnish the record upon which is determined the intending emigrant's right to receive a passport, and it is not denied that some officials at times violate the injunctions of the Government in this regard, but as a whole the Commission believes the effort is honestly made and in the main successfully accomplished. The weakness and inefficiency of the system, however, lie in the fact that passports are not demanded by the United States as a requisite of admission, and although subjects of Italy may not leave Italian ports without them, there is little or nothing to prevent those unprovided from leaving the country overland without passports or with passports to other countries and then embarking for the United States from foreign ports. Thus it is readily seen that the precaution of Italy, however effective, is practically worthless without cooperation on the part of the United States.

EXAMINATION OF EMIGRANTS ABROAD.

The practice of examining into the physical condition of emigrants at the time of embarkation is one of long standing at some European ports. In the earlier days, and in fact until quite recently, the purpose of the inspection was merely to protect the health of steerage passengers during the ocean voyage. The Belgian law of 1843 provided that in case the presence of infectious disease among passengers was suspected there should be an examination by a naval surgeon in order to prevent the embarkation of afflicted persons. The British steerage law of 1848, the enactment of which followed the experiences of 1847, when thousands of emigrants driven from Ireland by the famine died of ship fever, provided that passengers should be examined by a physician and those whose condition was likely to endanger the health of other passengers should not be permitted to proceed. Similar laws or regulations became general among the maritime nations and are still in effect.

The situation is also affected somewhat by provisions of the United States quarantine law, which requires American consular officers to satisfy themselves of the sanitary condition of ships and passengers sailing for United States ports. The laws above referred to are intended to prevent the embarkation of persons afflicted with diseases of a quarantinable nature, and the only real and effective protection this country has against the coming of the otherwise physically or mentally defective is the United States immigration law which, through rejections and penalties at United States ports, has made the transportation of diseased emigrants unprofitable to the steamship companies. This law is responsible for the elaborate system of emigrant inspection which prevails at ports of embarkation and elsewhere in Europe at the present time.

A systematie medical inspection of immigrants at United States ports was first established under the immigration act of March 3, 1891. Under that law steamship companies were required to return free of charge excluded aliens, and the number of rejections soon compelled the companies to exercise some degree of care in the selection of steerage passengers at foreign ports of embarkation. The necessity of a careful inspection abroad was increased when in 1897 trachoma was classed as a "dangerous contagious" disease, within the meaning of the United States immigration law, and again when the immigration law of 1903 imposed a fine of $100 upon steamship companies for bringing to a United States port an alien afflicted with a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease, when the presence of such disease might have been detected by a competent medical examination at the foreign port of embarkation.

The immigration law of 1907, at present in force, increased the causes for which a fine of $100 may be imposed on steamship companies to include the bringing of idiots, imbeciles, epileptics, and persons afflicted with tuberculosis whose condition might have been detected at the foreign port of embarkation.

The effect of the various laws in debarring undesirable immigrants since 1892 is indicated by the following table, which shows by years the number rejected at all United States ports, as compared with the total number of immigrants admitted in such years:

TABLE 20.-Immigrants admitted and aliens debarred at United States ports, fiscal years 1892 to 1910.

[Compiled from reports of the United States Commissioner-General of Immigration.]

How to prevent the embarkation at foreign ports of emigrants who under the immigration law can not be admitted at United States ports is a serious problem, in which the welfare of the emigrant is the chief consideration. In a purely practical sense, except for the danger of contagion on shipboard the United States is not seriously affected by the arrival of diseased persons at ports of entry, because the law does not permit them to enter the country.

a See Vol. II, p. 571.

Immigration act of February 20, 1907. See Vol. II, pp. 731–744.
See Vol. II, p. 734.

From a humanitarian standpoint, however, it is obviously of the greatest importance that emigrants of the classes debarred by law from entering the United States be not allowed to embark at foreign ports. This is accomplished in a large measure under the present system of inspection abroad, for in ordinary years at least four intending emigrants are turned back by the steamship companies before leaving a European port to one debarred at United States ports of arrival.

In view of the importance of the subject the Commission made careful investigation of examination systems prevailing at the ports of Amsterdam, Antwerp, Bremen, Cherbourg, Christiania, Copenhagen, Fiume, Genoa, Glasgow, Hamburg, Havre, Libau, Liverpool, Londonderry, Marseille, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Patras, Piræus, Queenstown, Rotterdam, and Southampton, from which ports practically all emigrants for the United States embark.

There is little uniformity in the systems of examination in force. at these ports. At Naples, Palermo, and Messina, under authority of the United States quarantine law and by agreement with the Italian Government and the steamship companies, the medical examination of steerage passengers is made by officers of the United States Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service, who exercise practically absolute control in this regard. These officers examine for defects contemplated by the United States immigration law every intended emigrant holding a steerage ticket and advise the rejection of those whose physical condition would make their admission to the United States improbable. While acting unofficially, these officers have the support of both government and steamship officials, and their suggestions relative to rejection are always complied with.

The other extreme, so far as United States control is concerned, exists at Antwerp, where the Belgian Government is unwilling to yield even partial control of the situation, this attitude being due in part to a former disagreement incidental to the administration of the United States quarantine law at that port. At Antwerp not even American consular officers are permitted to interfere in the examination of emigrants. Between these extremes there exists a variety of systems, in which, for the most part, American consular officials perform more or less important functions, as outlined in the United States quarantine law previously referred to. As a practical illustration of the value of examinations at the various European ports in preventing the embarkation of diseased or otherwise undesirable emigrants, the Commission, as will appear later, has made a comparative study showing rejections, by cause, at United States ports of emigrants from different ports of Europe.

The examination of intending emigrants, however, is not confined entirely to ports of embarkation, but in several instances is required when application for a steamship ticket is made or before the emigrant has proceeded to a port of embarkation. The most conspicuous existence of such preliminary examinations is the control-station system which the German Government compels the steamship companies to maintain on the German-Russian and German-Austrian frontiers. There are thirteen of these stations on the frontier and one near Berlin. Germany, as a matter of self-protection, requires that all emigrants from eastern Europe intending to cross German territory to ports of embarkation be examined at such stations, and those who do not comply with the German law governing the emigrant