sources; reopen the cases of excluded immigrants by appealing from the decisions of the station authorities to the Department of Commerce and Labor; secure bonds for excluded immigrants; and have discharged in their care immigrants whose friends or relatives have failed to meet them on arrival, whose friends and relatives are unable to satisfy the immigration authorities that they are proper persons to receive and care for the immigrants who are waiting for money to be forwarded in order that they may continue their journey, or who are awaiting the recovery of a sick member of the family in the station hospital.

At one immigrant station the many missionaries and representatives who go there every day are provided with office headquarters in a room set aside for that purpose. A few representatives at this station have office room in the rear of one of the discharging diviAt the other stations missionaries and representatives are present only upon the arrival of steamships, or when they visit the detention rooms for the purpose of assisting immigrants detained

there.

Far too often the chief concern of missionaries and representatives seems to be to have immigrants discharged in their care. Some of the homes and aid societies seem to proceed on the theory that they are achieving results only when their missionaries and representatives are having immigrants discharged to them by hundreds. This view is evidently shared by an experienced discharging inspector at one of the immigrant stations, for this inspector stated that one society, which had a home, did the best work at his station because its representative took the most immigrants to the home. A certain institution became convinced that immigrants who, it thought, should be sent to its home, were being discharged to the representative of another home. Thereupon the president of the institution wrote to the immigration authorities pointing out which immigrants should be discharged to the institution's representatives, and declaring that an immigrant home could not exist without receiving immigrants from the immigrant station. In one instance the relatives of certain immigrants complained to agents of the Commission that the girls had been hurried off to immigrant homes before their relatives had time to go to the station for them, and that the relatives were then put to considerable expense of time and money in securing the girls.

Some of the missionaries and representatives are little more than "runners," whose business it is to secure a sufficient number of immigrants to fill their respective homes. It was the testimony of some of the leading officials at Ellis Island that the majority of missionaries and representatives there care only to secure the discharge of immigrants who have money and can pay for food and lodging. An inspector at the head of a discharging division stated that on one occasion he discharged about ten immigrants to a representative of a certain home. In about twenty minutes the representative returned with the immigrants and insisted on leaving them at the station, saying that he could not take them because they had no money.

One society officially stated to the immigration authorities that if it were not for its representatives at the immigrant station "immigrants would be without the aid and advice which they need to enable them to make proper communications with their relatives and friends

in this country and to prevent misunderstandings affecting their right to land." Another society said that it sent representatives to the station "in order to facilitate the society's work and appearance before the board of special inquiry." The representative of still another society stated before a board of special inquiry in December, 1904, that the society existed "for the purpose of protecting aliens who have been excluded, in order to avoid their being sent back; and that is the reason I appear in behalf of these cases."

The great number of appeals from the decisions of the immigration authorities to the Department of Commerce and Labor, which are made by some of the representatives in behalf of excluded immigrants, is noteworthy. According to its annual report for 1906, one society filed during that year appeals for 282 excluded immigrants, 147 of whom were admitted and 135 of whom were debarred. A second society filed appeals in 1907 for 1,906 excluded immigrants, 1,252 of whom were admitted and 654 of whom were debarred. The report of the second society for the year 1907 states that "thousands have been saved from deportation; who can tell how many more might have been spared such a fate were we enabled to employ more men [the immigrant station]."

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The investigation showed that missionaries and representatives are sometimes instrumental in securing the admittance into this country of contract laborers. In order to test the good faith of some of the missionaries, representatives, and managers of homes, agents of the Commission went to them and, representing themselves to be agents of firms who wished to import skilled laborers from Europe, asked the cooperation of these managers and representatives in securing the workmen desired. Two of the managers and representatives readily agreed to assist in this business; one said that the firms should write directly to the home; and the others asked for time to think over the proposition, or to talk with their co-workers in regard to it. One representative said that he could have persons in this country send for their relatives who were in the old country, and that if the agent desired to make arrangements with some of these persons he would have them come to the home for a conference. Another missionary stated that he had been abroad recently and knew of many desirable people who could be brought over, and that he would be glad to go to his own country and get the immigrants in person, provided he was sufficiently well paid for the work. The record files at one immigrant station contain a copy of a letter written by the commissioner of immigration to the representative of a certain home, in which letter the commissioner states that it has come to his attention that the representative has taken it upon himself "to send advice to the relatives of detained aliens as to the causes of their detention or exclusion, such advice tending to offset the endeavors made by the government officials to enforce the United States immigration laws and regulations, this being particularly true in the case of aliens detained by reason of being suspected of violating the alien-contract-labor law." This letter admonishes the representative that he must not abuse his privilege of appearing at the station and having access to detained immigrants and to the records, and suggests that he communicate only with the friends of immigrants who are held as likely to become public charges.

At all of the immigrant stations, with one exception, which were visited by the Commission's investigators, some worthless, unprincipled missionaries and representatives were found. The unworthiness of these missionaries and representatives was shown in various ways. One member of the clergy frequently went to an immigrant station so intoxicated that he was entirely unfit to attend to his missionary work; one minister charged the relatives of detained immigrants large fees for getting these immigrants out of the station's detention rooms; some showed that they had low moral standards. The willingness of many missionaries and representatives to place immigrant women and girls in positions and surroundings that were likely to be detrimental to their morals is considered later in the report.

IMMIGRANT HOMES.

The greater part of the work of this inquiry was given over to an investigation of immigrant homes, in which institutions thousands of newly landed immigrants receive their first impressions of American ways and life.

It is of great importance that the immigrant's start in the new life be of the right kind. Whether or not he is to become a good citizen depends to no small degree upon the kind of treatment accorded him at landing and during the first few days after his arrival. If he is deceived, overcharged, and illtreated the moment he first sets foot upon our shores, he is likely to consider his treatment typical of the relations which members of society in this country bear toward each other, and to either accept his ill treatment submissively or try to retaliate by the same methods which were used against him. The kind of life that friendless young women and girls are to lead in this country depends to a large extent upon the protection which they receive while inmates of immigrant homes and upon the degree of care which these institutions exercise in placing them in employment.

The treatment of immigrants by managers and servants of homes, the sanitary conditions in homes, the rates charged for food and lodging, the financial management of the various homes, and the care exercised by home officials in placing immigrants, particularly young women, in employment, were all subjects about which the Commission desired first-hand and accurate information. Forty-four representative immigrant homes, in seven cities, were carefully investigated and reported upon.

In the majority of cases the homes investigated were located in respectable neighborhoods, but in a number of instances homes were located on streets of doubtful character and among vicious and squalid surroundings. Many of the homes, accommodating both men and women, or accommodating women and girls only, were managed by men and had no matrons on the executive staffs.

About two-thirds of the homes investigated were clean, comfortable, and sanitary, and about one-third were overcrowded, badly ventilated, filthy, and insanitary. When the representatives of a certain home were debarred from the immigrant station by the commissioner of immigration in August, 1909, on the ground that the home was not a fit place for immigrants to go to, the chairman of the executive committee of the home asked the commissioner to state the reasons for his action. In reply the commissioner wrote:

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For some time past the quarters in which your society receives immigrants have been maintained in a condition of almost indescribable filth, and ordinary sanitary requirements have been disregarded. These facts have, at various times in 1908 and 1909, been reported to a congressional committee by government agents, who went to the house in order to investigate it. The same atrocious conditions were on August 9, 1909, again witnessed and reported to me by an inspector of this office. That all of these government agents have been conservative in their statements is now conclusively proved by an investigation conducted a few days ago by the health department of the city of New York, which shows the home's quarters to be grossly insanitary and filthy, some of them being offensive with decomposing animal and vegetable matter. As a result, appropriate orders will be issued by the health department. In view of what precedes, I am amazed that you should have cared to write me under date of August 11, 1909, that "now the house is in a clean, good condition."

The food furnished in the majority of the homes investigated was wholesome, plentiful, and nourishing; but in some cases it was very bad, lacking much in quality, quantity, and variety. That a number of the homes were conducted as regular money-making enterprises, rather than as philanthropic institutions, was shown by the filthy and insanitary conditions which prevailed in them and by the rates which they charged for food and lodging. Investigation proved that the quoted rates were often much lower than those which were actually charged.

In order to have full information concerning the management of the homes, the Commission sent a letter to the president of the board of trustees, or other responsible official, of each home, asking him to state by what body the home was controlled; how this controlling body was chosen; to whom it was responsible; how frequently it inspected the home; how the controlling body selected the superintendent and other members of the staff of the home; what financial reports concerning the home were rendered to the controlling body; whether the home paid its own expenses, and in case it yielded a profit what use was made of the same, and in case of a deficit who provided for the same.

It would seem from the replies received that the majority of immigrant homes are well supervised and inspected and that their superintendents and staffs are chosen with a sufficient degree of care. The results of the Commission's investigation, however, hardly support this conclusion. The investigation showed that very bad conditions existed in homes which, according to the letters received, were frequently inspected and closely supervised and whose superintendents and staffs were carefully chosen. It was found that in a good many instances the controlling bodies of homes are not in touch with the situation which actually prevails in these homes and that they do not appreciate their responsibility for the bad conditions which exist in them.

DISCHARGE OF IMMIGRANT WOMEN AND GIRLS BY IMMIGRANT HOMES AND AID SOCIETIES.

The chief evil in the present situation with respect to immigrant homes and aid societies is the insufficient amount of care which these institutions exercise in discharging young women and girls who have been placed in their charge by the immigration authorities. It is obvious that a heavy responsibility rests upon the institutions assum

ing charge of this class of immigrants. This responsibility means, of course, the adequate protection of the women and girls while they are inmates of the institutions, but it also means the full protection of these immigrants when they leave the institutions to go out into employment. It is the duty of immigrant homes and aid societies to see that the women and girls intrusted to them by the immigration authorities shall, in turn, be discharged by them only under circumstances and conditions that will make it unlikely that these persons will become a public charge. It is particularly the duty of these institutions to see that, when the young women and girls go out into employment, they shall go to positions and surroundings that will not be detrimental to their morals. That the majority of immigrant homes and aid societies do not recognize these duties as binding upon them, and do not exercise a sufficient amount of care in discharging the young women and girls who are intrusted to them, was conclusively shown in the course of this investigation.

It has been explained that one feature of the investigation of each home was to have one of the Commission's women investigators go to the home and ask the manager or other member of the staff to supply her with a girl for work as a servant in an alleged "sporting house" or "fast house." Of the total number of homes investigated by the Commission only about one-sixth refused to place girls in such immoral surroundings. One-half of the homes actually supplied the girls asked for. Some of the homes said that they had no girls at the time, but they would be glad to supply the demand later. A few said that they had no girls and advised the investigator to go to some other home or to an employment agency.

Some of the managers supplying girls for alleged "sporting houses" urged the girls to do just what their mistresses told them to do and to try to give satisfaction. One woman manager said that the Lord had probably sent the girl supplied and the woman employer to the home at the same time, and added that she supposed the latter's "house was all right. The investigator replied that her house had "never been raided" and was "well protected by the police;" whereupon the manager said that sometimes there were "temptations," and she hoped that the girl would get along all right. One woman manager advised the girl to shut her eyes to the things she did not like, and said that unless things were very bad she did not wish to see her back at the home again within six months. Another told the girl that there would probably be many men around the woman's house, but she should not pay any attention to them; and added that, in her own opinion, it was the girl who always made the first advances. A few of the managers told the girls to return if they did not like the places to which they were sent.

In order to ascertain the degree of care exercised in this respect by aid societies which did not maintain homes, 21 missionaries and representatives of such societies were asked by one of the Commission's women investigators to supply her with a girl for work as a servant in an alleged sporting house" or "fast house," which was "well protected by the police," and had "never been raided." Seven men (three of whom were or had been clergymen) and four women supplied the girls; one man made every effort to do so, but the girls refused to take the place; one woman agreed to furnish girls, but failed to do so; two men said they could not supply girls, but one of