The Washington herald., 1921-09-13
Blames III ards hips of
Aliens at u. s. Ports
On These Men. z
WRITES TO SIEGFL,
EXPLAINING VIEWS
Says Immigrants Landed
Here Despite Many
Warnings.

NEW YORK. Sept l2.-Hardships
worked by the new restrictive i'm
migration laws apparently are the
fault Of dishonest steamship agents.
President Harding declared in q
letter to Representative Isaac
Siegel, of New York, made public
today by the Representative.
Mr. Siegel. who is a member OF
the House Committee on ImmiEra-
ton and Naturalization. recently
wrote the President seeking execu-
tive Intervention in enforcement of
imml grafton laws-an enforcement
which the Representative declared
was resulting in parents being ad-
nitted and their children sent back
because they happened to arrive
after the country's admittance quota
had been filled. In his reply Mr.
Harding said:
Text of Letter.
I haven't any doubt in the world
that the enforcement of one immi-
grafton laws is worlin many a
hardship. Ny own distress has been
very reat over some of the specific
instances which have been reported
to me-
IF have the situation correctly
presented, the dinicuIty must be
chared 10 the dishonest steamship
aents who have brouht 70 this
country innocent fmmirants despfte
our continued warnings during a
period OF very great leniency I
know how very persistent have been
the impositions which have been
made on the government agents
who have been disposed to be sym
pathetic and more generous in car
rying out the laws.
Letter Is Reps<fed.
However. l am sending your let
ter to the Department Of Labor for
further information on the subject.
/ have great confidence in the Com
missioner of Immigration, and L
know that the Secretary Of Labor
is one of the most humane and
sympathetic men in all the land.
II there are conditions such as YOU
suggest, ! feel pretty confident
that they are absolutely unavoid-
able under the law"
Mr.. Siegel said that a conference
had been arranged by Secretz ~
Davis for next Friday with him
Stlls ctHdIOF NdlOtF. Assistant Sec
retary Of Labor Henning. Theodore
Risley. solicitor Of the Labor De-
partment. and W. W. Husband,
Commissioner General.
People sent hack.
When the Red Star liner Finland
docked on August 2l. il was found
that her Polish passengers exceeded
the quota for that month by fifty
five persons. They were held al
Ellis Island until last Saturday.
when they were sent back TO
Antwerp. the port from which they
had sailed. on the steamer iceland.
a man in touch with the situa-
tion said: When the Finland sailed
from Antwerp the company had no
way Of knowing that the quota
would be exceeded. IT had kept In
touch. as far as possible. with the
number OF passports issued. but
there was no way Of telling ac-
curately just how many Polish
| immigrants would enter the United
States before the end Of the month.
It could not tell how many Poles
would sail from various ports IN
Europe and land at various ports
in this country. or evan cross the
]
Denies Racing.
The ship was sailing on regular
schedule. IL was not making a
race to land immigrants during the
first few hours Of the month. II
seemed unjust and extremely in
human that these people. most Of
whom had sold their last stick Of
furniture to secure passage. should
be deported to Antwerp. where they
would be left practically destitHte.
unable to return to the United
States for another year because OF
the requirements of the law.
The steamship companies have
no desire to exceed the quota limit
and they certainly don't want 20
take immigrants hack and lose
money on them. The trouble is
that the law was made in too much
of a hurry and cannot be enforced
without injustices. Human beings
can't be handled like bales Of cot
ton.
1T Is well enough for President
Harding and the government on
cials to blame the steamship COM
panies. but II they would work out
a better law IL would do more to-
ward relieving the situation. In
the case of the Red Star Line great
suffering would have been spared
ffty-five people had the line been
allowed to cable to Europe and re-
strict its September bookings 70
fifty-fve less. for the September
quotas had not even sailed. But
as the law now stands the ffty-fve
would have been deported anyway.
so the cancellation would have done
no good"