Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-12-01


NEW YORK CITY, Nov. 2S-In
a few days, Jackie Schumacher, a
little 1~2-year-old cripple boy, u
go back alone to Scotland. All OF
Jackie's family. who are devoted
TO him, live IN White Plains, \. u,
and he hasn't a single relative or
friend left IL mis- native country.
Nevertheless, he must so back.
American immigration officials have
said so.
Jackie's father. accompanied by
an elder son and daughter, came to
this country from Scotland soon af-
ter the war ended. Mrs. Schu-
macher and Jackie, with another
boy and girl, did not arrive In New
York until the early part of 1920.
immigration agents Immediately
raised an objection to Jackie's ad-
mittance upon the ground that he
was a defective, n detained him
at Ellis Island.
Through the aid of friends and
the good Offices of a congressman
the family was able to obtain the
boys release by filing a bond guar
anteeing that he would not become
la public charge. Later this bond
| was extended. Still the matter was
not permanently settled. The fam
lily was constantly haunted by the
fear that eventually Jackie would
have to go, that an immigration Of
ficer would come and get him. Sew
eral months ago Mrs. Schumacher
died. The doctor who attended her
said hat her death was u to con-
slant fear and worry over the fate
of her son.
And now hat fate has come. \
general roundup of detectives was
recently ordered by the immigration
authorizes, and Jackie is only one
Of a large number of forlorn hu-
man beings who are to be disposed
Of in the usual cold-blooded arbi-
trary at Ellis Island. On
the list of undesirables awaiting
deportation are likswise mothers
and infants who VIII be torn from
their families now residing in this
country; husbands and fathers, pre-
vented by various te~chnicalities
from joining their families here.
and mentally and physically defec-
tive children who are 10 be cast
back upon lands where they no
longer have homes.
The blame for this cruel and in
human treatment of aliens does not
belong to our immigration officials.
They nave no personal influence or
authority and merely act as auto
nations in carrying out the immi-
grafton laws. Neither does the
blame lie in the laws, which are
necessary evils for the protection
of the nation from large mas-es of
undesirable citizens. But blame
must descend upon a government
which fails TO provide the near
/ tn Gnf rG1da tho 1apyG Whan II ic
seen that in individual cases they
cause intolerable hardship.
Relentless Law
Even the Secretary of Labor is
virtually powerless to interfere with
the immigration machinery, once
il is set in motion. The late Sec
rotary of Labor Wilson went about
as far as he could when he issued
the following instructions to Inn
migration officials:
while regulation and exclusion,
and therefore detention, are neces
sary in respect of immigration" he
said, 1T should be understood by
ali who participate in administer
ing these laws that they are not
intended to be penaliZing. 1t is
with no unfriendliness to aliens
that immigrants are detained and
! 3RAAAS "a tA&AAN@0H O1A 4
for the protection of our own peo-
pie and our own institutions. Indif-
ference, then, to the physical or
mental comfort of these wards of
ours from other lands should not
be tolerated"
That these instructions ar. not
always carefully observed is evil
denced by the numerous complaints
that haye arisen on that score In
deed they have recently become so
Vociferous that the British Govern
ment, we are informed, has filed
a protest with our State Depart
ment. The immigration officials
claim that they do all they can to
minimize the necessary hardships
inflicted upon aliens and to abol-
ish all that are unnecessary, but
that they are handicapped by mad
equate facilities.
In other wqgds the just and
equitable treatment of aliens is pre-
vented, according to one immigra-
ton official, by the slimness of
congressional appropriations, un-
warrantably limited. in view of the
fact that the income from arriving
aliens in head money alone. since
the beginning of the immigration
service, has exceeded the total
running expenses of the service by
more than $4,000. 900"
If Congress were not so stingy
continues the official lin words.to
this effect) the United States would
provide an administration board al
Ellis Island. which would be au'