THE INFLUX OF ITALIANS

Posted to the Comunes of Italy Mailing List by Gay Parisano Raab - 2 October 1998.

The recent influx of Italian immigrants to the is country is said to be explained by the fear that restrictive measures will be enacted by the present Congress. Commissioner General of Immigration Powderly yesterday notified Commissioner Fitchie of this port that the State Department has been informed by the American Ambassador in Rome of a wholesale traffic in American naturalization papers. The object of this is to effect entry to this country under the guise of citizenship of immigrants who would otherwise be subject to exclusion.

Commissioner Fitchie says that it is difficult to detect fraudulent papers, because the forms of certificate granted by the various States differ. The Commissioner, speaking of the great number of Italian immigrants now arriving, expressed the opinion that agents abroad are telling prospective immigrants that unless they come now they will be unable to secure entry here, owing to restrictive legislation.

Over 1,000 immigrants arrived on the steamship Trojan Prince on Sunday. Commissioner Fitchie said that many of these had been carried miles on railroads as well as on the steamer for $16 each. As reported in The New York Times yesterday,there was a glut of immigrants at the Barge Office. In addition to those from the Trojan Prince, there were a great many from other vessels, and the officials were unable to pass upon a large number of them on Monday. Including barred immigrants, 680 were held over Monday night. Of these 379 were women and children and 191 men, held for examination, and 110 were detained for deportation.

There were cots for only 154, and all the others had to lie on the floor on such "shake downs" as they could improvise with their clothing and luggage.

There was a good deal of grumbling.

A statement was issued yesterday by C. B. Richards & Co., agents of the new Prince Line, replying to reports reflecting on the line which had been given circulation. It sets forth that the Trojan Prince brought 1,008 steerage passengers, of which number only 279 purchased their tickets in Italy, the others being the families of men who have been here a year or more, and who had purchased prepaid tickets here to send home. These tickets had been purchased during a period covering several months. Some of them had cost as high as $24; none had been sold for less than $17. Under pressure of the competition of the conference lines, the statement says, the price has now been reduced to $16.50. The statement then says:

"The reason for so many immigrants being kept over at the ship's expense is due to the slowness in which their examination takes place in the present cramped quarters of the Barge Office. It is an injustice to the steamship companies to compel them to pay for the immigrants' board at the Barge Office so long as the Government fails to provide adequate quarters for them or a sufficient staff of officers for their examination. About 200 husbands and fathers were waiting all day long in front of the Barge Office for their families to pass the formal examination, and had these men been allowed to enter and claim their families the place would have been emptied in a couple of hours."

"It was also owing to the fact that the immigrant authorities can handle but a certain number of immigrants in a day that those brought by the Trojan Prince were detained on the steamer for twenty-four hours, as the Barge Office was full of immigrants that had landed from other steamers."