Page:Senate Reports 1892–’93.djvu/789

{| Senator. You say that those who go from here to Key West become citizens of the United States?
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. Most all of them; all of those who establish themselves there, and who live in accordance with the law, reside there five years, and become entitled to citizenship.

Senator. Do they not, every time they go, pay their head tax at Key West, the 50 cents immigrant tax?

Mr. . No, they go as passengers; they do not go as emigrants.

Senator. I understood from the collector at Key West, that it was customary for them to pay their head tax over and over again, and not become citizens.

Mr. . There may be some, but very few, I think.

Senator. The committee have learned that many Canadians come over into the United States during certain seasons and work for wages, and then return to their own country; a number of people come from different European countries and work here for a season at higher wages, and then return to their own country to spend the summer or winter. We find a good deal of that class of immigration from all countries, and we wish to know whether that holds good here.

Mr. . As a general thing I think Cubans are more Americanized than those people; they have more attachment for the United States than that sort of people.

Senator. Do I understand you to mean that laborers who go from here to Key West become naturalized?

Mr. . Yes; many of them.

Senator. When they return here they are American citizens?

Mr. . Very few of them return here to live permanently.

Representative. I want to know whether you have looked at the act of 1882 creating the head tax and whether you are aware that that applies to all alien passengers, whether immigrants or not.

Mr. . I have not seen that act. I have always understood that alien passengers pay the same tax. I think steamers generally pay this tax; it isn't collected directly from the passenger.

Representative. How many European lines touch here?

Mr. . We have three steamers a month from Spain, and I think two from France. Is it not so, doctor?

Dr. . Yes; the Transatlantique, the French line that passes through here once a month, and then there is the Hamburg line that touches here once a month.

Mr. . There is no English steamer; they took away the Royal Mail several years ago.

Representative. Is there any quarantine from Hamburg?

Dr. . Yes, coming direct from Hamburg, if they are not quarantined before they arrive here. The last one that arrived here was quarantined.

Mr. . Yes, and a French steamer was quarantined here the other day.

Representative. Do European steamers bring any immigrants to this port?

Mr. . Not for this port. Those that come from Europe come mostly from Spain and they are passengers coming to Cuba through Spain just as our young men go from New England to the West.

Senator. They come here to reside?

Mr. . Yes; to reside and establish themselves.