Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 5, 1881

No. 704.
Mr. Cramer to Mr. Blaine.

Legation of the United States,
Berne, September 8, 1881. (Received September 22.)

No. 9.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit to you, herewith inclosed, a letter addressed to this legation by Mr. S. H. M. Byers, United States consul at Zurich, accompanied by a sworn affidavit of Mr. F. G. Vetter, United States consular agent at Horgen, near Zurich, both documents relating to what appears to be a case of the sending, by the village authorities of Gossau and Altstätten, canton St. Galle, Switzerland, of a pauper, named A. Steiger, and his family, to the United States, in violation of law.

Although the circumstantial evidences furnished by the inclosed documents appear to be sufficient to make out a case of illegal proceedings against the local authorities referred to, yet, on account of the lack of documentary evidences, I did not feel at liberty to lay the case, officially, before the Swiss Government, because I fear “it would not believe it, unless indubitably proven,” as Mr. Byers says. It is evident, however, from both documents, that some local authorities in Switzerland, in plain violation of the laws of the United States and of Switzerland, send frequently improper persons to the United States. For the purpose of obtaining documentary evidences necessary to detect and prove such illegal proceedings, our consular officers should have a certain amount of money at their disposal. It cannot be expected that they, from their own small salaries, defray the expenses incurred by quietly visiting such communities as are reported of intending to ship paupers and incorrigible criminals to the United States, and procuring documentary and other evidences necessary to prove the illegal proceedings of the authorities of such communities. In this manner the attempted shipment of objectionable persons to the United States might often be nipped in the bud.

I, therefore, take the liberty to suggest that, in view of the immense proportions which emigration from Europe to the United States has assumed, the Department lay this matter before Congress, and ask for an appropriation, to be placed at the disposal of the several legations of the United States in foreign countries, to be divided among them in proportion to the number of emigrants that land, annually, on our shores from these countries. Our diplomatic and consular officers, by a judicious expenditure of comparatively small amounts of money in detecting and proving cases where local authorities attempt to get rid of a class of objectionable persons by shipping them to the United States, would thus be enabled to prevent, frequently, such mean intentions from being carried into effect, and our country would in a large measure be relieved from the presence of paupers, imbeciles, and incorrigible criminals, who otherwise might be sent thither, notwithstanding the vigilance of our diplomatic and consular officers.

I am, &c.,

M. J. CRAMER.

[Inclosure 1 in No. 9.]

Mr. Byers to Mr. Cramer.

United States Consulate,
Zurich, September 5, 1881.

Sir: I beg to call your attention to what seems to me to be a case of improper emigration to the United States.

The inclosed affidavit of Consular Agent Vetter explains itself.

I had been privately informed that the village of Altstätten was about shipping a worthless vagabond to the United States at the expense of the community.

I sent Mr. Vetter to the place, and conversation with the villagers there confirmed him in the belief that the man Steiger and family were cases of improper emigration. Of course it was impossible to secure from the officials there any documentary evidence convicting them, but the affidavit shows what the case is.

The refusal of the town president to give any information whatever on the subject is on a par with the action of the authorities of Zofingen, canton Argovie (reported to your predecessor, Mr. Fish), who simply leave unanswered my letters, asking explanation of their reported shipment of a number of paupers to the United States some weeks since.

This later case I reported to the State Department in my dispatch No. 265, copy handed to Mr. Fish at the time, August 9. I place the Steiger case before you that in case you deem it best to lay the matter before the Department, or to cable asking the detention of the persons on landing, you can have the facts so far as known to me. While on this subject, I may mention that I have been privately informed that, notwithstanding the Swiss laws, and our own laws against such action, the sending of improper persons to the United States as emigrants continues almost daily.

One emigrant agent, knowing Iliad been interested in the matter, privately offered to give me a list of fifty improper emigrants forwarded by commune authorities to the United States since March 1, if I would pay him well for it. Of course I have not the funds to pay him with, and, as from the nature of the case, he would expect considerable, I can do nothing. He told me there had been, only two weeks since, twelve ex-convicts taken to Basle by a certain commune, and shipped from there to New York. It seems there ought to be a stop to this. Of course the federal government does not know of it, nor would it indorse it, nor would it believe it unless indubitably proven. From the nature of the case it is hard to prove by documentary evidence any of these shameful violations of law. They are nearly always kept secret, and as the offenders are the officers themselves, record evidence convicting themselves will not be granted.

The use of some money, however, in the hands of a proper agent, might result in exposing a lot of cases and ending the traffic.

I am, &c.,

S. H. M. BYERS.

[Inclosure 2 in No. 9.]

Affidavit of United States consular agent at Horgen.

Under the instruction of Consul Byers, I went to the village of Gossau, in canton St. Galle, Switzerland, to learn if the report were true that the communities of Gossau and Altstätten were sending a pauper named A. Steiger, and family, to the United States in violation of law. From numerous residents, and from the father-in-law of Steiger, in Gossau, where Steiger lived recently (although he is a citizen of the village of Altstätten), I learned that he had once had a good business as a carpenter, but that he took to hard drink, and bad habits, and became bankrupt; finally going from bad to worse, making debts and spending his time in drinking houses, and earning little or nothing to support his wife and three children.

I then went to Altstätten, and there was told personally by Mr. Engstler, the supervisor of the poor, that Steiger had long since become a worthless fellow, and had at one time to be aided from the poor fund to the extent of thirty francs.

Recently, on his application, it was concluded by the village corporation, or commune, to give Steiger and his family two hundred and twenty francs to aid them to go to America, and this was done, they sailing on September 3, by steamer Labrador, from Havre. The money to pay the passage was to be given to the emigrant agent, Meyer Mettler, at St. Galle, as soon as proof should be shown that Steiger and family were really on ship-board.

The money was being paid as follows:

	Francs.
Community fund	100
Poor fund	120
Total amount received	220

Information received since then shows that the family sailed on last Saturday, and ‘that the emigrant agent was probably paid as contracted. The supervisor of the poor further informed me, directly and personally, that numbers of such had been disposed of by the community by shipping them to America.

I could not, however, secure anything from him on this subject in writing. I next went to J. Schneider, president of the community, told him I was an officer of the United States, and asked for information as to this improper shipment of persons to our country. He refused to give me any information whatever, adding that it was none of my business, nor did it concern the United States what the commune does in this matter.

J. G. VETTER,
United States Consular Agent.

Horgen, September 5, 1881.

Sworn to before me this 6th day of September, 1881.

S. H. M. BYERS,
United States Consul at Zurich.