Department of State,
Washington, October 23,
1906.
[Same, mutatis mutandis, to American diplomatic representatives in
Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.]
[Inclosure.]
The Secretary of Commerce and
Labor to the Secretary of
State.
Department of Commerce and Labor,
Office of the
Secretary,
Washington, October 10,
1906.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your letter of the 8th instant, No. 907–11, with which
you forward a copy of a dispatch received from the American minister
at Brussels in regard to the efforts of Mr. E. J. Watson,
immigration agent of the State of South Carolina, to secure the
emigration of Belgian families to this country by the payment of
their passage money in advance.
Referring to previous correspondence had with your department on this
subject, I beg to reiterate the views therein expressed to the
effect that the prepayment by Agent Watson of the passage of the
aliens will not necessarily, under the immigration laws, result in
the rejection of the applicants upon arrival at ports in this
country. The effect of such action is to place the aliens within
that class described in section 2 of the act approved March 3, 1903,
as those who shall be excluded from admission into the United States
on the ground that they are persons whose passage is paid for with
the money of another, or who are assisted by others to come, unless
it is affirmatively and satisfactorily shown that such persons do
not belong to one of the classes named in the said section. If,
therefore, upon arrival at a United States port any of these
prospective settlers should be found upon examination to belong to
any one of the classes named in the said section of the act—for
instance, if they should be found to be “persons likely to become a
public charge,” or persons under “promises or agreements to perform
labor or service”—it would be necessary to refuse them
admission.
Mr. Watson, in his efforts to secure settlers for the State of South
Carolina, is doubtless proceeding under the exception contained in
the proviso of section 6 of the act of March 3, 1903, reading:
[Page 71]
“Provided, That this section shall not apply
to States or Territories, the District of Columbia, or places
subject to the jurisdiction of the United States advertising the
inducements they offer for immigration thereto, respectively.”
Respectfully,