The Cordova daily times., 1921-08-25
IMMIGRATION LAW HASJOKER
 IT TISBELIEVED
(By International News Service)

called ten steps," in which whoever 1 was 'it" stood with closed eyes and
 counted rapidly to ten, the others
 -ushing from a starting point in an
 effort to be first to the counter. Any | one caught moving after ten" had been counted had to go back and start over
 It is much the same game which wouldbe immigrants to the United States play these days. The rules are the new IS of 3 per cent" law, which sounds like beer, but which is really an attempt to check immigration. Olga | md Carlos and Boris start from the other side and rush for the land of | the free, trying to reach Ellis Island before the quota man says ten" If he catches them on the move they have to go back and try all over again the first of next month.
 | The new law, which has been effec- l tive for about two months, has cer- taiuly jazzed up the business of immi grafton. It provides that the number | of immigration. It provides that the number of immigrants from any one country belimited to per cent of that nations 1910 population. And 1t has q joker which says that only Is of that 3 per cent shall come in in any one | month.
 Now with q country like Germany, which had about a million population in 1910 and has sent less than 800 | here since the law became effective | las the June, the new restrictions don't matter very much. But when it comes to Greece, Poland. Turkey and some i of the smaller nations. they are eating up their quotas in record time and hollering for more. The United States is still to them the land of freedom, | and the report that their coming here Is about to be curtailed has raised an awful furor among intending immi- grants.
 U. S. PASSENGERS IN FURY If the law merely stipulated that when a nation had sent us per cent of it's 1910 population no more would be admitted there would be no difficul' ty; the overflow could simply be shippe back home, with Uncle Sam's regrets. But this 1-5 of per cent each month business has them all guessing. Or i'd at first.
 It didn't take the willy foreigner long to catch onto the joker and turn the trick against us Eight little nations used up their quotas during July, which was the first monthg When it came around toward the last of the month. did the liners bringing immi- grants to this country put in. learn they were too late because the months quota was full. and put back? They did not.
 Much to the disgust, even to the fury, of some hundreds of American citizens who happened to be passen- gers eight big Transatlantic liners due late in July calmly delaye their arrival in New York until the first of l the month until the first of. \ tost month. One. the Megali Helas, a Greek liner, with l30 Americans aboard, arrived off Fire Island July 29 and, despite the rage and hair tear ing of the United States citizens, dropped anchor and stayed there, just outside the three,mile limit, until Au- gust dawned.
 JOKER HAS A BROTHER 1 Several other liners, one big one | from Italy among them, followed suit. Ou the stroke of midnight, when July | became August. there was a grand rush acros sthe line. With footing 1 of whistles the immigrant-bearing | cavalcade swept down upon Ellis isl and. Their passengers would have | been in excess of the first months quota, but this was August now. and | that was another matter.
 IL is reasonable to suppose, immi- i grafton officials say, that this per formance will be repeated around Sep tember l and again the first of each month until at midnight, November 90, the last grand rush begins.
 To cope with the situation it has been decided by local officials that all surplus immigrants shill be admitted ] upon personal bonds, If they can find them, until October 1. It is hoped that