The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-03-13
CONGRESS ACTS
TO CHECK PLAN
OF SMUCCLERS
Slash Of immigration
Force Is Peril Says
Newport Man

Il N'pNCial W me NdleuOnlafl- k9cOfuD
y WASHINGTON, Mar. 13-Ap-
prehensions entertained through
Tout Northern Vermont, and COM
municated in urgent kilograms to
the states representatives in Con-
gress, that smugglers operating
across the Canadian line in, their
4 trade OF running in illegally en-
teung aliens are about to take
VIDE spread advantage of an en-
forced furloughing of immigration
inspectors owing to lack of funds
VIII be materially relived by the
information that the Senate has
come to the rescue in difficult
and dangerous situation with an
emergency appropriation that will
restore the force Of border guard
lans to its regular numerical
strength for the balance of the
fiscal year.
The situation on the Vermont
Canadian border is regarded in
Newport and Derby Line especi-
ally as constituting a grave emer-
gency. Hon, Curtis S. Emery,
formerly Collector of Customs at
Newport, and Judge f. ]. Smith
nave telegraphed Senator Dilling-
nam unglng congressional aid in
preventing the wholesale running
or aliens across the line. Similar
appeals have been received also
from the secretary of the chamber
OF commerce at Newport and, the
secretary at Derby Line, setting
lofth the proposition that it is
utterly unsafe to leave the border
open at any point or without its
lull force of immigration officers
Senator Lodge, of Massachu
sets, explained conditinons to his
colleagues in the upper branch
when the appropriation bill for
the departments of Commerce
and Labor was undergoing dis
SuSSlon in the Senate the latter
part of last week. In Offering an
amendment for an additional 800 |
900 Tor the immigration inspection |
SerVlce-an amount that was in |
creased on the Senate floor in a
lew minutes to S150,000- the !
massachusetts member said in |
part;
The appropriation for the I'm.
migration Service was so made
quate that they will be Obliged be-
tween now and the first of july
TO lay off most Of the force by fur
lougillng them for two weeks or
month at a time and it will re-
duce 1t from force which num-
berS only 1900 men, to from 400
to 700 officers
THE service Is now Inadequate
and this laying off of inspectors
OF immigration can have but one
erect, an increase in the smueg-
ling of immigrants who are barred
by law, and an increase in the
Of immigrants illicitly
coming into this country" /
The Senator then referred to a
newspaper article which declared
that the word had been passed |
along throughout the border states
and up and down the Atlantic
md Gulf coasts that "for the next
Tour months the lid was off" and
smuggling operations could be
'arrled on almost at will because
u the scarcity of inspectors.
Continuing and explaining the
situation further Senator Lodge
,ald that the plan adopted per
orcc would mean an utter lack Of {
protection at out-of- the-way
POINTS, and he referred in particu-
ar to the Canadian border as an
exceptionally difficult field in
which to prevent illegal entries.
lie said that this was a kind of S
economy that constituted the
worst kind of extravaganza. {
After a very brief debate, in :
Which the Massachusetts member
vas supported by Senator Jones,
" Washington, who has in charge ,
u the bill in The Senate, and by {
senator PoindeXter of the same
tate, the Senate increased the | :
mount to $150,000 and incorpor, 4
ted the amended amendment in r
he bill. 1t passed the Senate that
anne afternoon, and was sent to
he Committee on Conference, re-
Presenting the conferees will re-
am the emergency provision in
he bill and that the money will
Don be made available.
commissioner General of Immi-
ration Husband in talking over
his very subject with the writer
few days ago depiored the nee
Ssity of laying off any of his men
Though he said that they had
cen able so to shift the burden in
he Bureau as to reduce the per- q
9d of prospective furloughs of :
bout two weeks per man.
1t is well known in official cir I
les in Washington that rum-run-
lg, and the smuggling of Chinese
nd other aliens barred by law :
rom entry into the United States
re two activities that go often
and in hand many of the agents
'ho are at work in border states -
eng equally handy at bringing in 5