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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 KW YORK.—Crimes of the Blsck Hsnd, the murders of the Ms As snd the Ca morrs. the assassination at the altar of s priest by sa anarchist are events of s 9 ,V« which point to the need of snore drastic methods in keep In* away from these shores the horde of alien felons, says the Sew York Herald. Robert Watchorn. commissioner of fmniraigratlon at the port of New York, proposes a novel plan by which wherever it is feasible —and it could be so In the case of Italy—foreign gov ernments would be required to vouch for the good character of every immi grant leaving their dominions. Police Commissioner Bingham, in dignant over the present conditions with regard to the admission Of for eign criminals to this country, In veighs against the immigration an tborifie*. who, in his opinion, did not deport the wrongdoers as frequently as they should when attention was called to them. Mr. Watchorn makes an equally emphatic denial that the charge of Oea. had any substantial basis, so far as the administration of affairs at Kills Island is concerned. It Is a fact, aside from the contro versy that the depredations of desper atp ciWnals from abroad, the major ity of whom are Italians, has become ,a Mbcsce to the state. Even admitting jthat the present Immigration laws were enforced at every port with the Utmost efficiency the whole system of .dealing with the foreign criminal iaeems weak and Ineffective. I It is a habit of first-class passengers to inveigh against the “offensive Idiocy*’ of the questions propounded to •them by the immigration inspectors, 'snob as "Have you ever been in prison?** "Have you ever been an in '■ate of an almshouse r* and the like. (The objection on their part is based 'on personal grounds because they (consider the questions unnecessary. ! Such questions propounded to the jmeerage* passenger bent on evading jtb# law border on the futikv The only (punishment that can be meted out to tbs person who perjures himself Is us* istuoion from the country. Be rarely 'futures to his own lend to make am other attempt to gain the coveted do smte. He knows that the inspector Is Emvei with finding out the very 'fUaff which he wlsbee to conceal and isoafbi all the Ingenuity within his Loosr Co thsohm ate the attempt to Sstve iato the past Os Their Own Testimony, i Yet the msta dependence of the an tam — i* A. ktf« tku tk* im»m tors will be able to establish by the testimony of men suspected of being felons the facts which would result la* their own exclusion. Practically no effort was made ten years ago to find out whether n man had a criminal record, and It has only been within the last two or three years that the authorities have seriously ad dressed themselves to the task of ex cluding the criminal classes that come to this countrv. Observations made at Ellis Island ■bow that the immigration laws, such as they are. with regard to criminals from other lands seems to be enforced with painstaking fidelity. The inspec tors are laboriously conscientious, as a whole, in their duties and seem to do all they can within the narrow limitation of the statute to detect criminals. For practical purposes, however, the whole attitude of the present law is against them, to say nothing of the specific provisions i which are greatly in favor of the Im migrant All Supposed Innocent ’ "All Immigrants In coming to this l country/* said Mr. Watchhom, "are • supposed to be Innocent and it is something opposed to the genius of ■ American institutions to suppose that • every man is guilty and that he must ’ prove that he Is Innocent So the Im ' migrant is welcomed here and the op > portunlty of cttisenshlp is offered to • him. He is supposed to be a man of 1 good character until something devel ■ ops which proves the contrary." 1 Altruistic as Is. this attitude toward the immigrant aa interpreted by the i commissioner, the inspectors within » the little latitude which is given to > them seek to find out ns much as they > can. On each .sheet of the manifest i of the steamship are 30 names, snd • their owners have answered every In ■ qulry propounded to them. Age, sex, 1 calling and the like are duly set forth r and the immigrant Is required to state whether or not he Is a polygamist, an i anarchist, a contract laborer and l whether or not he has ever been in r prison or been an inmate of an alms > house. May Maks Few Mistakes. r If within three years to come immi - grants who have been admitted are • found to have been criminals before i they came to this country there la n f long black mark made against the 1 record of the inspector concerned, and i if hla errors accumulate ha la likely to i be (lfsmlssil from the service. Under the present lawjUte Inspectors who •**■•** their poettlona on their ■ Judgment proeesd to n large extent by • dead reckoning ffnmstlw 3 merlesn consuls on the other side or the for eign consuls nt this port send Infor mniion which is of the greatest value. An alleged embessler. Bchonnwe. was apprehended on the complaint of the Russian consul general, whose de scription snd that which the man gave of himself tallied so exactly that he admitted his identity to the‘immigra tion authorities. Owing to the repre sentations of Commissioner Watchorn n year ago not only immigrants who have been convicted of a crime and have served terms la prison may be deported, but those who admit having committed n felony or other crime or misdemeanor Involving moral turpi tude. This is especially effective where immigrants are fugitives from Justice. Without friendly suggestions the in spector must depend upon his knowl edge of human nature, his study of physiognomy and other qualities of a Sherlock Holmes, sad even then he may go sadly astray. By dint of prolonged cross exsmlna- Uon. if the intuition be keen, he may be able to establish n criminal record for the suspected alien out of his own admissions; but frequently the candi date has been so well coached that be Is able to baffle the inspector at every turn. If he Is tripped up he can re turn to the land whence be came and try again for admission through some port which is less closely guarded. Oread Fees Here. The thing which the habitual crim inal from outre mer dreads most, especially If he be a Sicilian or of a race which long nourishes feuds, 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 take his re venge in this way. "Can it possibly be," an Inspector will ask suavely, "that you have an enemy In this country who would say that you have been in prison six times r* "It Is a great lie," the response may be. "I swear, crossing my heart, that It has been but twice.” That Is enough to bar the candidate. It is not unusual for the noted crim inals to cross the ocean ferry two or three . times .before their identity la i noted. The law provides that any alien i felon may be returned to the place i whence he came if complaint Is made \ within three years of his landing in ; the United States. After three years ► he Is beyond the power of the law, ■ and no matter If his record outruns ■ Herod he cannot be disturbed. Italians predominate among the ! criminal occupants of the detention ■ pen, and most of these are from the south of Italy or from Sicily. Swarthy, 1 dark browed, with faces furrowed by i the records of evil lives, they are i closely watched on the Island, al i though no special prison Is provided ■ for them. They are carefully searched : for knives and stilettos. The turning I over of many of them to the immlgrm - tlon authorities comes through their , arrest by the police for some deed of i violence. Hard to Make Cass. i In order to make a case against L them it Is necessary to have accurate i information as to when they came to ■ this country and on what ship. Fre quently for lack of definite lnformar tlon and evidence of previous guilt It - is impossible to deport criminals i against whom the police believe there i Is a strong case. The differences be \ tween the local and the federal Hews i of the matter led recently to the erltf i cisms made by CoL Bingham sgntsst i the immigration authorities. Among the occupants of the deten i tlon pea recently were several ixurt* ■ grants with long records of crime. ■ There was Benedetto Tordtni, for tn : stamoa, who had stabbod a man In Ban Francisco six months ago, snd la the i course of his trial s prison record la • Italy had been discovered. He landed | originally at this port. Many a man j who by book or by crook has entered , the country and has taken op his abode in the Italian quarter, there to prey on the respectable members of his own race by threats of violence, is returned by Ellis island to his native land. The «ii»<Hng of so many crim inals of this class indicates there are I many who get through the meshes of | the immigration service net. Always Source ef Pa tiger. "Criminals such as these are like the foxes with the brands tied to their tails which caused the burning of the corn. No matter where they are nt large they are the cause of damage and trouble, and I never found any foundation for the stories that other governments turned them loose upon the United States. "It is unfair that the 2f.000.0fi0 of immigrants who have come to this country should suffer on account of the 111-doing of n few hundred thou sands. The crimes which have recent ly been laid at the doors of the Italians are committed by only a hand ful of that race, perhaps not mom than 600 in nil." Mr. Wat<jM>rn declared In favor or > the utmost vigilance in watching for , alien felons, no matter whether they were supposed to be in the steerage or the first cabins of the liners. He. declared gifted swindlers snd embes xlers and persons of immoral char acter were as likely to be found in the j saloon ns in the steerage. During the administration of Com missioner Watchorn the number of foreign felons returned In a year has i increased from 34 a year to nearly ten ' times that number and extraordinary has been exercised, yet there are many who are able to run ! the blockade 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 three years after their landing in this . country Irrespective of any prison sen • tence they may have served In their i native land. This would rid the United i States of many who am unfit for cttS ) sen ship. He thinks also that the oo i operation of the foreign governments i might be obtained. i “There am some nations which is , sue what are called penal passports," i said he. ’ltaly has two Mads of pass ports—one which states that the per* i son bearing It is a subject of the king i and yet another which states if Ike i bearer has ever been in prison, and if , so the offenses of which he was eon* ’ victed and the terms am specified. » "Since certain nations, among whleh am Italy, Russia, Germany and t France, Issue such passports it would I be feasible to pass a law inquiring [ that immigrants from those countries * bring penal passports with than. * These would have to be well authsntt* • cated and they would serve as com plete records. Any person who had a prison record would thus be barrod i from coming to the United States and i none with such a passport would come t hem. "It would be just as well to make - tke law far reaching and to permit no : one to land here who had ever been i in prison. Them are a few cases, I ad t salt, where a men by years of correct - living may have completely reformed, i hot It would be Jest as well for him - to remain in his own country. I be* l lieve that the various govsramsats weald willingly cooperate in this, for - criminals art the foes of all humanity. * Tbs foreign nations am not engines . that criminals should fits from Justice • la order to corns hers to ply thdr woman’s Realm DRESSING THE TOTS •RIGHT COLORS BEST FOR SMALL CHILDREN. Russian Blouses Becoming to Beys and Girls Alike Striped and Tiny Cheeks snd Plaid Ginghams Am M*U(.h in Favor. Some parents dress their child on tn white all the year round and nt nil times of the day, but save for very small tots this scheme Is not n practi cal one. In the nursery or kindergar ten a child should not be hampered In playing for fear of soiling or mussing the dainty linen frock, and a bright colored blue, pink or brown linen dress Is really best during the morn- ing. The Russian blouses are still worn by small girls and boys alike, and this style of dress in a becoming color, relieved only by bands of white linen or embroidery and a smart little leather belt. Is still a favorite model. Guimpe and suspender dresses are. however, just ns much In vogue, and ns soon ns the girl graduates from the Russian blouse or suspender a strap dress is appropriate for any age, and is even fashionable for the grown-up, and of course this is n most sensible style of costume for n little girl, as by putting on a fresh guimpe each day when the sleeves become mussed or soiled the gown can be kept looking clean and fresh for longer than is otherwise possible. COMBINE SASHES AND SCARFS. Fancy Forms' of Bretellss Much Ussd as Omamsntation. Sashes and sleeves are important details of Bpring and summer toilettes, both being capable of the widest va riety. Only In ultra-dressy gowns will one find the sash arranged with any show of elaboration, but it is largely em ployed in simple effects for unpreten tious frocks of dimity, lawn, mull, etc. As far as sleeves are concerned, the Japanese armhole and various adapta tions is yet much in evidence, though there is no question that some of the leading dressmaking establishments are inaugurating a movement from Japanese effects. Terminating in long fringed ends, bretelles have taken on all sorts of fancy forms and are ÜBed to garnish both day and night frocks. Theae combined sashes and scarfs are gen erally made in mousseline de sole, gauze or filet net richly embroidered in colored beads, pearls or gold and silver thread embroidery. They are very effectively worn at the side or back of some chiffon, batiste or mus lin toilette de diner. The echarpe of satin, souple fringed with knotted strands of silk, combines an effec tive adornment for a plain prin cess robe. Whits Voile Vest One of the new spring suits is ot white serge, finished with a vest of plaited white voile, lined with taffeta. The effect is far more attractive than it sounds. The Toilet Table Remember that excessive exercise wears away fat. while moderate exer cise develops IL The skin that cannot use glycerin pure may suffer no evil effects if It is diluted with soft water or with lemon and water mixed. It Is a mistake to tuck the nignt* dress under the pillow by day, as is the habit with many. First air It thor oughly and then hang It in the closet. If yon want to strengthen the mus cles of the throat both inside and out try puffing out the cheeks and at the same Urns blowing hard with the Ups. Striped snd tiny checks sal pMiff ginghams is bright shades of Mss and pink make attractive dresses for the morning, and then nil the plats col ored and striped linens art always at tractive when made very simple, the white guimpe giving a youthful sad becoming finish. Fbr n party frock or for dancing school, the moot exciting of all parties to the average youngster, white Is al ways the most attractive, hot "the white dress may be relieved by a bright colored sash and shoulder bows, and n colored lawn or silk sup worn occasionally under the white frock will give nn effect of variety and make the little trousseau seem more plentifully stocked. Flowered organ dies and soft French moussellneo are extremely pretty for dancing frocks and made up with ruffles and flounces edged with lace and white lace yoke; and sleeves the little flowered gowns are quite fascinating. Pink is the favorite shade la nil flowered dresses, as there are few figured designs In which blue can be introduced, and nil the other shades of yellow, mauve, green, etc., are not sufficiently youthful. A faint shade of yellow or a delicate apple green Is sometimes seen for tiny girls, bat Is noticeable generally only in the rib bon trimmings, not In the material It i self. With their exquisite skins and bright, soft coloring, there are few children to whom both pink and blue are not equally becoming, so that when n flowered gown is selected pink will surely be perfect, whereas if the gown is white and n bright colored rib. bon is desired, pink and blue are both sure to make the little one look charm ing. Wide sashes are being worn even more, and among the new sashes there are to be found many extremely pretty designs. Wide double-faced satin ribbons edged with a silk fringe of the same shade ia effective In white, as well as in the more noticeable colors. Flowered and Dresden rib bons are also used, and when bordered with a deep silk fringe introducing one of the most prominent shades in the design, are most attractive. Broad, many-colored Roman sashes are charming with the dainty Ungerle frocks, especially when the hair rib bon and shoulder bows are of the same ribbon in a narrower width. MAKES FOR SMOKER'S COMFORT. Pipe Rack a Welcome Present Lover of the Weed.' Here is a useful little present for a man friend. It may be made in art serge, linen or Roman satin. First a foundation of cardboard must be cut; It may be arranged to hold as many pipes as required : for our model the card Is 18 inches long and oeven deep. This is covered with the mater ial selected, which must be strained evenly over one side, and the back lined with linen or sateen. The strip that forms the pockets is about 22 inches long and 3% deep; it will be firmer if lined; the upper edge must be finished with cord that should bo arranged In loops at the point divid ing the pockets, a little longer space being allowed for the tobacco pouch, or box and matches, than for the pipes; now place the strip on the foundation and stitch as shown to form the pock ets, also at the ends and lower edge; finish all the edges with cord arranged with loops at the corners. Bew ribbon at each end, with a bow in the center, by which to suspend the rack. In getting any tooth powder In quan tity It Is better to take out but a small portion at a time for daily use, aa, if exposed to the air, it absorbs im purities. ir you ever are troubled with buz zings and thumping noises in the ears a physician should be consulted at once, aa the hearing ia too delicate to be trifled with. New Neck Finish. The small things of dress reaftf rule the costume .and one of Urn most becoming of the new dress fan cies Is the modesty fold which is worn around the low neck or which is used to fill in the square neck should the gown be cut too low for general wear. A lovely dinner dress of ecru crepe de chine was finished with a modest fold of pink chiffon, which was set into the square neck, front and back. The chiffon waa embroidered sad seed, ed with pearls. And another gown had a fold of Persian velvet set in the neck. It was four inches deep, forming a little vest, and the velvet was moat elaborately embroidered ha various tones of silk and gold.