Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-16
SEVEN WAYS TO
TIGHTEN RULES
OF IMMIGRATION
Would Have Naturalization
Courts in Large Cities to
Handle Cases

Courts in Large Cities to
Handle Cases
New York. Dec. 16.-Some of the
defects of Ellis Island and seven rec
concentrations which the Congress
sional committee will make to the
House for Tightening up" OF immi-
grafton regulations throughout the
{ United States. particularly as they
apply to anarchists. bolshevists the
other, ultra radicals We're indicated
here to-day by officials of the United
States immigration Station and by
I Representative Isaac Siegel Il mem =
ber of the committee which has been
investigating this port of entry.
These recommendations, according
10 Mr.. Siegel, will include:
Naturalization Courts in large
cities
\ method of requiring all young
Americans to take the oath of al
legiance upon reaching 81 years.
Abolition of the office of Commits
sioner General OF Immigration;
Appointment of an Assistant Sec
reiary of the Department of Labor
to supervise all immigration affairs;
Mandatory legislation providing
for more rigid inspection at Ellis Is
land where so per cent of incoming
aliens arrive;
y military immigration patrol on
the Canadian and Mexican borders:
More drastic penalty for ship own
ers who permit alien members OF
crews to desert.
Reds Arc Shrewd.
81 \ H. 10 at
him. declared one of the Ellis Is
land officials. You can't catch n
Red by cross-eXaminins him. They
are far too willy and shrewd. 1t is
only after they have been in this
country for sufficient length of
time that you discover their perni-
cious beliefs and when YOU do no
time should be lost In deporting
them. No examination. prior to en-
try. can give the protection intend
ed by the law. 1t is necessarily per-
functory and ineligible aliens are
bound to slip through because Of our
wrong methods"
New York has the biggest immi-
grafton station in the country. he
said. the others being at Boston,
Baltimore, Philadelphia. New Or
leans. San Francisco and Seattle,
weston. Tex. are ports of entry with
inspection officers but are not
classed as stations like Ellis Is
land and the rest. It is compare
lively easy to shut out the ment-
ally and physically defective when
they come in at these big ports.
said Congressman Siegel, but the
big problem is to prevent the en-
trance of undesirable aliens over our
Northern and Southern borders.
inadequate as our immigration
machinery may be in New York
and other large ports" said the
Congressman, 'it is much more eff
fective than the machinery we have
along the international boundary
lines of Canada and Mexico. We
have no means of knowing how
many men and women, hostile to
American institutions and demo-
cratic government. have surrepti-
tiously entered the United States.
Still another means of illegal in
gress has been for Reds to ship
as sailors and desert upon reach
ing this country. Under our pres
ent law. the ship owners can be
penalized by a $40 fine only. We
purpose making the penalty more
stringent"
Would Relieve the Courts.
The House committee, Mr.. Sic
gel said. will recommend the es-
tablishment of She Naturalization
Court so that Federal and other
judges, whose time is taken up with
hearing hundreds of civil and Grim
inal cases, may be relieved of a
task of immense importance to the
country's welfare but which, by
the very nature of things at pres
ent. is generally sighted from
sheer judicial necessity.
Last year, Mr.. Siegel said, the
Government realized a net profit
from naturalization fees of $780,
900 and the profit to date since the
beginning of the immigration SER
court, it was said, could expedite
hearings and "undesirables" in
stead of being released on their
own recognizance or paroled in the
custody of their lawyers, could be
ordered deported within thirty
days.
One Judge, said the Congress-
man, his mind preoccupied with
other cases recently had a lot of
naturalization cases before him.
The crowd in the courtroom repre-
sented several nationalities. Soon
a bailiff shouted: "All you Czecho-
Slovaks hold up your hands," Up
went the hands of about a dozen.
The Judge thinking of other press
ing matters, soberly rema rked:
Gentlemen of the jury" but
quickly recovered himself and ad-
ministered the oath of citizenship
Here was a ceremony which should
have been attended with great care
and solemnly turned almost into a
vaudeville show.
A Naturalization Court, presid-
ed over by Federal judges similar
to the Circuit Court of Appeals and
where it would not be known who
was to administer the oath of allegi-
ance, declared Mr.. Siegel. would
lend dignity and force to one of the
most sacred obligations imposed
upon the alien and start him right
IN Tho rood IN nat OfiSpo and oood