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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1908)
ALIEN FELONS ARE MENACE TO LAND Commissioner of Immigration Urges Drastic Changes in the Present Law Would Have Foreign Nations Certify to the Character of Their Citizens Who Seek New Homes in United States EW YORK. Crimea of the Black Hand, the murders of the Mnfla and the Cn morrn, the assassination at the altar of a priest by nn anarchist are events of a few days which point to the need of more drastic methods in keeping away from these shores the hordo of alien felons, says the New York Herald. Robert Watchorn, commissioner of imnimigration at the port of New York, proposes a novel plan by which wherever it is feasible and it could bo so in the case of Italy foreign gov ernments would bo required to vouch for the good character of every Immi grant leaving their dominions. Police Commissioner Bingham, In dignant over tho present conditions with regard to the admission of for eign criminals to this country, in volghs against the Immigration au thorities, who, In his opinion, did not deport the wrongdoers as frequently as they should when attention was called to them. Mr. Watchorn makes nn equally emphatic denial that the charge of Gen. Bingham had any substantial basis, so far as the administration of affairs at Ellis Island is concerned. It is a fact, aside from the contro rersy that the depredations of desper ate criminals from abroad, the major ity of whom are Italians, has become a menace to the state. Even admitting that the present Immigration laws were enforced at every port with the utmost efficiency the whole system of dealing with the" foreign criminal seems weak and Ineffective. It Is a habit of first-class passengers to Inveigh against the "offensive idiocy" of the questions propounded to them by the immigration inspectors, suoh as "Have you ever been in prison?" "Have you ever been an In mate of nn almshouse?" and the like. The objection on their purt is based on personal grounds because they consider the questions unnecessary. Such questions propounded to the steerage passenger bent on evading ' the law border on the futile. The only punishment that can be meted out to the .person who perjures himself is ex clusion from the country. He rarely returns to his own land to make an other attempt to gain the coveted do main. Ho knows that the inspector is charged with finding out the very thing which he wishes to conceal and exerts all the ingenuity within his power to checkmate the ntUmpt to delvo Into the past. On Their Own Testimony. Yet the main dependence of the au thorities is tho hope that the inspec tors will be able to establish by the testimony of men suspected of being felons the facts which would result In their own exclusion. Practically no effort was made ton years ago to find out whether a man had a criminal record, and it has only been within the last two or three yoars that the authorities have seriously ad dressed themselves to the task of ex cluding the criminal classes that come to this country. Inspectors in using their principal lover to pry into records can wield it with mo 10 or less skill. They can with modulation and with diplomatic evasion frame their inquiry, but in the last analysis they say, in effect, to every immigrant, "Are you a crim inal?" and trust to their knowledge of human nature to tell whether ho may be or not. Applying the Idea to every day life, the policeman might under the same analogy ask men entering a house with force and arms: "Are you burglarfl?" and then to permit them to enter If they assured him Ills suspicions wo 10 unfounded. Observations made at Ellis Island show that the immigration laws, such as they are, with regard to criminals from other lands seems to bo enforced with painstaking iidelity. Tho inspec tors are laboriously conscientious, as u wholo, in their duties and scorn to do all they cnu within tho narrow limitation of the statute to detect crimlualj. For practical purposes however, the whole attitude of the present law Is against them, to say dip nothing of the spucltlc provisions which are greatly In favor of the im migrant. All Supposed. Innocent. "All immigrants in coming to this country," said Mr. Watchhom, "aro supposed to he innocent, nnd it is something opposed to the gonlus of American institutions to suppose that every man is guilty and that he must prove- that he is Innocont. So tho im migrant is welcomed hero and the op portunity of citizenship is offored to him. He is supposed to lie a man of good character until something devel ops which proves the contrury." Altruistic as Is this attitude toward the immigrant, as Interpreted by tho commissioner, the inspectors within the little latitudo whicli Is givon to them seek to find out as much us they can. On each sheet of the manifest of the steamship are 30 names, and their owners have answered every in quiry propounded to them. Age, sex, calling and the like aro duly set forth and the immigrant is requlrod to stato whether or not he Is a polygamlst, an anarchist, a contract laborer and whether or not he has ever been in prison or been an inmate of an alms house. Inspectors, by speaking the lan guage of the candidates for admission or by availing themsolves of the serv ices of an interpreter, are supposed to be able to determine whether or not the person who presents himself is a criminal. After he has passed upon the :t0 names and made notes of bis opinions he signs his name to the sheet. Immigrants who either by their direct admissions or by suspicious conduct are detained for investigation have hearings before a board of in quiry, which then takes much of the responsibility. May Make Few Mistakes. If within three years to come immi grants who have been admitted are found to have boon criminals beforo they came to this country the.ro is a long black mark made against the record of the inspector concerned, and If his errors accumulate he is likely to be dismissed from tho service. Under tho present law the inspectors who chance their positions on their judgment proceed to a largo extent by dead reckoning. Sometimes American consuls on the other side or the for eign consuls at this port send Infor mation which is of the greatest value. An alleged ombozzler, Schouawe, was apprehended on the complaint of the Russian consul general, whose do scrlptlon and that which the man gave of himself tallied so exactly that ho udmltted his identity to the Immigra tion authorities. Owing to the repre Hesitations of Commissioner Watchorn a year ago not only immigrants who have been convicted of a crlmo and have served terms in prison may be deported, but those who admit having committed a felony or other crimo or misdemeanor Involving moral turpi tude. This Is especially effective where immigrants are fugitives from justice, Without friendly suggestions tho in spector must depend upon his knowl edge of human nature, his study of physiognomy und other qualities of a Sherlock Holmes, and even then he may go sadly astray. By dint of prolonged cross-examlna tlon, If the intuition bo keen, ho may bo able to establish a criminal record for the suspected alien out of his own admissions; but frequently the candl date hns been so woll coached that he Is able to baflle the inspector at every turn. If he is tripped up he can re turn to tho land whence lie came and try again for admission through some port, which is less closely guorded. Dread Foes Here. Tho thing which the habitual crim inal from outre mer dreads most, especially if ho be a Sicilian or of a race which long nourishes fouds, Is that some favorite enemy has warned the authorities about him in order to even up old scores. It is nothing un usual for the enemy to tako his re venge In this way. "Can it possibly be," an Inspector will nsk miavely "that, you have au enemy in this country who would soy that you have been In prison six times?" "It Is a groat lie," tho response tuny ho. "1 swenr, crossing my heart, that It hns been but twice." That Is enough to bar tho candidate. Toye, a Scotch criminal, who landed here parly last month, had found no difficulty, according to the story. In coming nnd going between this coun try nnd England several times. He was at last marked for deportation, whon a false friend who desired to see him out of tho country for reasons of his own dropped a line to the de partment of commorco and labor, In Washington, concerning him. Toyo was captured and deported. It Is not unusual for the noted crim inals to cross tho ocean ferry two or threo times beforo their Identity Is noted. The law provides that any nlicn felon may be returned to the place whence he came If complaint is made within threo years of his landing In tho "United Stutes. Aftor three years he Is beyond tho power of the law, and no matter if his record outruns Herod he cannot bo disturbed. Italians predominate among the criminal occupants of the detention pen, und most of tlicse arc from the south of Ituly or from Sicily. Swarthy, dark browed, with faces furrowed by tho records of evil lives, they are closely watched on tho Island, al though no special prison is provided for them. Thoy are carofully searched for knives and stilettos. The turning over of many of them to the immigra tion authorities comes through their arrest by the police for sonio deed of violence. Hard to Make Case. In order to make a case against them It is necessary to hnvo accurate Information as to when they cumo to this country and on what ship. Fre quently for lack of definite informa tion and evidence of previous guilt It is impossible to deport criminals against whom the police believe there Is a strong case. The differences be tween the local and tho federal views of the matter led recently to the orltl- clsms made by Col. Hlngham against the immigration authorities. Among the occupants of the deten tion pen recently were several Immi grants with long records of crime. There wns Benedetto Tordlnl, for In stance, who had stabbed a man In San Francisco six months ogo, nnd in the course of his trial a prison record in Italy had been discovered. He landed originally at this port. Many a man who by hook. or by crook has entered the country "and has taken up his abode In the Italian quarter, there lo prey on the respectable members of his own ruco by threats of violence, is returned by Ellis island to his native land. The ilndlng of so many crim inals of this class Indicates there aro many who got through the meshes of the Immigration service not. Always Source of Danger. "Criminals such as these are like the foxes with the brands tied to their tails which caused tho burning of the corn. No matter where they aro at large they are the cause of damage and trouble, and I never found any 0, foundntlnn for tho Btorios that other governments turnod thflai loose upon tho United States. "It Is unfair that the 20,000,000 of Immigrants who hnvo come to this country should stiffor on account of the Ill-doing of a few hundred thou sands. The crimes which have recent ly been laid at the doors of tho Italians aro committed by only a hand ful of that rnco, perhaps not more than r.00 In nil." Mr. Watchorn declared lu favor of the utmost vigilance in watching for allon folons, no matter whether they were supposed to bo In the steerngo or the flint cabins of tho liners. He declared gifted swindlers and embez zlers und persons of immoral char acter were ns likely to he found In tho saloon aa in tho steerage. During the administration of Com missioner Wntehorn the number of foreign felons returned In a year has Incroasod from "4 a year to nearly ten times that numbor and extraordinary vigilance haw been exorcised, yot there are many who are able to run the blockado with success for all that. Suggests Change In Law. The commissioner of Immigration has suggested that, the law be so modi fied as to make it possible to deport aliens who commit crimes within threo years after their landing lu this country Irrespective of any prison son tenco thoy may have sorved In their natlvo land. This would rid tho United States of many who are unlit for citi zenship. Ho thinks also that the co operation of tho foreign governments might be obtained. "There nre some nations which is sue what, are called penal passports," sold ho. "Italy has two kinds of pass ports ono which states that tho per son bearing it is a subject of tho king and yet another which statos if the bearer hns ever been In prison, and if so the offenses of which ho was con victed und the terms are specified. "Since certain nations, among which are Italy, Russia, Germany nnd France, issue such passports It would be feasible to pass a law requiring that immigrants from those countries bring penal passports with them. These would have to bo well authenti cated and they would serve as com pleto records. Any porson who had a prison record would thus be barred from coming to tho United Stales and none with such a pusspnrt would cotno here. "It would be just as well to make the law far reaching and to permit no one to land here who had ever been in prison. There are a few cases, 1 ad mit, where a man by years of correct living may have completely reformed, but It would be just as well for him to remain In- his own country. I bo lleve that the various governments would willingly co-operate In this, for criminals are tho foes of all humanity. The foreign nations are not anxious that criminals should flee from justice in order to come here to ply their calling. A Man's Opinion. A persistent bachelor Informs us that women would stubbornly refiiBO to vote If the men wanted to estab lish womun suffrage. FRENCH MEAT ROLLS ECONOMICAL USE OF ROUND OF BEEFSTEAK. Cooked with Bacon and a Slice of Onion They Afford Welcome Change In the Menu To Smoke Meat. Economical Roast. Put meat in the master with water In the pan; let simmer on ton of stove until tonder, then put lu tho oven for a half hour or three-quarters to brown, .insi as good as cooking In the oven nil tho time, To Cook Steak. Beefsteak should not be salted till dono and when ready to take from the skillet, it novor should be pounded nor prodded with a fork In turning, as that allows tho Juices to escnpe. A round steak, spread over with a dressing tho snme as used to stuff a fowl, then rolled nnd tied with a cord and baked for an hour Is a nice meat service. French Meat Rolls. Take a choice round of beefsteuk cut thin. Cut in six-Inch squnres. Place a slice of bacon on each square, add ono slice of onion, salt and pepper. Roll and tie or sow thorn up. Lay them In Hut bottomed kettle, add half ii cup of wa ter, butter tho size of an egg, two bay leaves and four cloves. Simmer slowly for ono hour. To Smoke Meat. Ham or othor meat treated according to tho follow ing plan will be perfectly cured for smoking without llrst having stood in nlckllnc fluid or brine. Take ton quarts of salt, ono pound of pepper, ono pound of saltpeter and tnroo pounds of sugar. Dissolve saltpotor In a Httlo hot water, and then mix all tho ingrcdlonts thoroughly together and rub this mixture into tho meat or hams with tho hand until every part. Is well covered. Tho mixture- must be worked in uround and under the cen ter bone, nushlng woll In with n knife. Then lay In a cool plnco for about two weeks, but do not lot it freeze me meat then Is ready to smoke, nnd will prove of oxcollont quality. HOUSEHOLD HINTS. To cleau a copper kottlo rub the ket tle with powdered bath brick and par affin and then polish it with dry brick dust or whiting. When pouring out tea one somotimcH is annoyed to find tho tea will run down tho spout.. To provent this rub a little butter round tho outside of the spout. Whon thin tumblers stick together, and thero Is danger of breaking them, do not try to pull them apnrt, but put them into a pan or warm suds. In a short tlmo they can bo easily sepa rated. If housewives who dislike to find worms whon cutting apples would ijrst put the fruit in cold water they would find that the worms would leave tho apples and como to the surfuco of the wntcr. A wire basket, known as a salad shaker, or drainer, Is used to dry greens aftor thoy havo been thorough ly washed. The leaves of lettuce often hold the water, even after a good shaking. Each leaf should bo wiped off witli a piece of cheesecloth. If not thoroughly dry 'the dressing will not be ovonly distributed. Sauce Coloring. Burn sugar In a roast pan until it is black. Then pour a llttlo water at a time on the sugar, let It boll overy time till it is liquid. Pour it in a little bottle and whon needed tnko a tea spoonful of this color and mix with the sauce. Chicken and Celery Soup. Take the best part of two heads of celery. Cut It up lino and add a heap ing tablespoon of rice. Cook till soft. Take ono quart of chicken broth, one pint of milk nnd cook all together und season with salt and pepper. You huve a tine soup. Making Jars Airtight. Many housekeepers have trouble with keeping airtight anything that is put up in jars. If, however, after a Jur or bottle is corked It Is sealed with n mixture of beeswax and rosin thero Is no danger of air getting at it. To muke this sealing mixture put two ounces of yollow booswax and four ounces of rosjn In a small tin pan, which Is then set In a larger pan of hot. water. Stir constantly until the wax and rosin aro woll blended. Baked Mackerel, Souk salt mackorol over night to remove brine; wash woll, butter pie dish, roll mackerel In flour and put in dish, skin side down; cover with milk, add fow small pieces of butter and bake 45 minutes. Turnip Salad. Pare and cut in dice four medium sized turnips; boll In salted water until tendor, changing tho water sev eral times. Drain In colander ami when cool add ono cupful of rich may onnaise. Seree on lettuce leaves.