54 
THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM 
nals, especially those who have committed certain 
classes of serious crimes, such as forgery or even 
burglary, may be well drest, intelligent persons, travel 
ing in first cabin. Unless something is known of their 
previous history, if they do not declare that they have 
been convicted of crime, they will be admitted without 
question. Doubtless many aliens enter the United 
States contrary to the law after having been convicted 
of a crime, and having served out their sentence; or, 
having been convicted of crime by foreign courts dur 
ing their absence from the place of trial, as is permitted 
in some countries, if they have escaped arrest and fled 
the country. Moreover, our laws do not exclude per 
sons who have not been convicted of crime altho they 
may be looked upon as dangerous persons or probably 
criminals and on that account have been placed by 
their home courts under police surveillance. 
The Immigration Commission,* in order to make 
as careful a study as possible of this most important 
question within the means at its disposal, took into 
careful account the material collected by the United 
States Census on the extent of crime, going through 
carefully the latest report regarding prisoners and 
juvenile delinquents in institutions in 1904. In addi 
tion to this, use was made of the records of the County 
and Supreme Courts of New York State, from 1907 
to 1908, of the New York City Magistrates Courts, 
1901-1908, and of the New York Court of General 
Sessions, October 1, 1908 to June 30, 1909, the ma 
terial in this last case having been especially collected 
by agents of the Commission. 
Furthermore, the records of commitments to penal 
institutions in Massachusetts, October 1, 1908, and 
Reports of Immigration Commission, Vol. 36.