The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-22
The Immigrant and the Quota
BY FREDERICK ). HAsKIN

quota law is new and that these cases
represent the main hitch in the law as
it stands. The department has tried
tor treat these exceptional cases with
fairness. 1t has even, he says, been
oyer-sympathetic in good many in
stances. The case of one Scotch boy,
while not quota case, illustrates the
departments hesitancy to cause hard
ship.
This boy, Mr.. Husband explained,
was widely known as a cripple in &C
counts of his case. In reality he was
an imbecile-he was so certified by
/ board of surgeons at two different
times. He should therefore, have been
sent back to Europe at once when his
mother came here with him a year
ago to join his father.
"But friends were aroused and pres
sure was brought to bear on the de-
partment to admit the boy for visit.
The department expressed the opinion
that it would be best for all concerned
for the boy to go back at once
"One Bureau of immigration letter
in the voluminous correspondence said
in part:
1T is distressing thing to deport
child in the present situation, but it
would be still more distressing and
prolongatlon of the agony to tear him
from the parental roof, once admitted,
and return him to Scotland
! But eventually the department
agreed to admit him for a years visit
When the year was up, not long ago.
he had to go back and as the depart
ment had foreseen, the separation was
worse than it would have been at first
The friends of alien families are
naturally eager to have them admitted
and they do not always understand
why an individual is barred when the
quota of his country is not filled. They
say, oh, he could not read, and so he
had to go back. When they write to
US and we look into the case we find
that the immigrant had tuberculosis,
or he was insane, or an imbecile, or
Tor some other serious reason was eX-
pressly debarred by the present law
only congress can change such re-
lstrlctlons which are for the protection
of this country"
i Quota Law Seems Satisfactory
1 In general, Mr.. Husband finds that
the quota law works efficiently enough.
AT first, steamship companies caused
some quotas to be exceeded, and made
d1fhculties by bringing in more aliens
than could be legally admitted This
country was not responsible, as we
have no control over immigrants leav-
ing Europe. The consuls, it is true,
limit the number of visas according to
the quota law. But when they be-
gan to do this a great many outstand-
ing visas had been issued and these
have upset calculations to some extent.
! The matter of steamships racing was
|, not of great significance, Mr.. Husband
says. 1t occurred in the case of a few
ships carrying Greeks. Two or three
!, of these ships would lie outside the
; harbor until just before midnight at
the beginning of a month. Then thew
would race to see who would get to
quarantine first. In one instance a
ship arrived at 1905 and another got
IN two minutes later. This has
stopped.
!, Whether the quota law goes out OF
. effect June 30, or whether it is re
newed depends on congress. Congress
: has for years wanted such a law by
5 which the steady stream of immigra
ton from southern and eastern Europe
( might be partly checked without re
: str1ct1ng the immigration from the
northern and western Europe. The i'm
2 migration from these southern ant
: eastern countries was more than foul
e times as heavy as that from the res
/ of Europe and the balance tended t.
5 become more unequal all the time.
: The quota law settled the proper
: lions definitely, giving northern anc
D western countries 10000 immigrants il
n the year and the rest of Europe 155,
I 700. With nearly five months of tn,
II hscal year left, the northern and west
e ern countries have not set their quotas
e while the other countries almost with
out exception have filled theirs for tn
e year.
e piece or singing song. Refresh
ments OF candy and popcorn wa