Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-05-11

Davis, or the Assistant DetFtldfy VI /
Labor. Mr.. Il. J. Trenning. so great |
has this volume of business become, |
however, that q Board Of Review has I
becn appointed. which passes upon all |
such cases. recommending the finol |
action which still rests In the hands of |
the executive heads O fthe Labor De !
partment.
This Board is faced with n tre-
mendously hard and unpleasant set
Of duties Practically every appealed
alien case has behind It q dramatic,
pathetic. or tragic phase which can
not help but make an appeal TO
anyone whose heart is not Of granite.
But the sworn duty of this Board Of
Review is protection Of the United
States and it's citizens. 40 in any
court Of law, the single case before
the Board Is not the sole consideration.
IF a point or two is stretched here and
there. while it may be and usually is
the humane course to take. It es-
tablishes precedent which lawyers
would not be slow to use to the ut
most limits in future similar cases
| before the Board. The Board is faced
with the necessity of appearing, on
occasion. TO he cold and heartless to-
ward some alien individual or family,
| but the underlying reason Is for
the benefit Of hundreds of thousands
Of other individuals and families.
Propaganda Is Used.
The present immigration statute
has been the target Of propag nda by
special racial interests which have
been hard nit by. it Also. many Of
the cases Of appeal are conducted by
lawyers. SO often lawyers will make
n heart-stirring appeal to allow some
alien, ordered deported, TO remain in
this country. Tho order has been
issued because the alien. who may be
I one Of n family of perfectly accept
able immigrants. Is defective mentally
or physically. II is easy for lawyer
| TO dwell upon the undisputed fact that
the hundred million odd people Of the
United States are not going TO be
harmed by admitting this one manor
boy or giri-end thus prevent misery
and heartache in breaking I'D family
1t would be the easy way and the
way dictated by considerations OF hu'
manity and compassion to let thu
one alien remain. Also, II falls with
in the discretionary powers the Law
gives TO the Secretary of Labor. Blu
? one decision Of this sort would brin!
down upon the heads OF the member
q Of the Board of Review an avalanch
, of similar cases, with the reproachfu
a. xvf ha n the paGp
pointing to this single decision As
precedent which should be followed.
Unfortunately for the peace OF min
n Of the Labor Department and IN
,. Board of Review. not all OF the steam
O ship cOmpa nies have tried hard
e assist in carrying out the law. Alien
o in excess of national quotas have bee
brought in. These poor people mus
be sent back. The discretionary pow
. ers OF the Labor Department do nc
extend so far that utter disregard {
p the law may be included. The offendin
Z | steamship lines now have TO bear I'll
= expense of carrying these bewildere
= people back TO their starting poin
d The saddest feature Of the whol
I thing, perhaps. is the fact that thes
. helpless people. who have looked foi
e ward for years to coming TO this Ian
l. of promise. unable 70 comprehend any
= thing abut the whole business, al
7 sent back to the misery they hay
10 tried and failed to leave behind ther
- The steamship companies wei
grea ter offenders under old immigr;
ton laws than they are at presen
n That is because under the so-callS
n "3 per cent law the fine for bringir
s. TO this country every alien certa.
% to be turned back is the sum Of $50
l. Under the old law the fine was on
2? 500, and the steamship line could kee
L. the passage money and even make
l. charge for taking back the aliens r
& fused admission at American port
n or ordered deported after their cas-
$. have been examined. The new Ia
In compels the steamship companies n
Is only to refund the passage mon'
M originally received. but 10 take u
n undesirable aliens back TO the poi
e where they boarded the ship. entire
y, free Of charge. Naturally, with a de'
loss facing them, the lines have be,
more careful about how they fill the
e steerage spaces with this hums
Z freight.
Many Chinese Cases.
ar There are other immigration la,
re and agreements which furnish cas-
for the Board of Review to hand
The question of Chinese inlmigrati
o. is always a perpleXing thing. 1t
a. an open secret that Chinese Lahore
AZ are srnuggled into this country to soT
(" extent. Many Of them are stopped, b
the Department of Labor has not I
or funds with which to draw a cord
n. tight enough to guarantee absolu
!" exclusion.
in In Chinese cases and in some othe
the draft records compiled during 4
- war are Of considerable assistant
n giving the means of information 70
merly impossible. Cases Will cor
before the Board of Review. y Chin
man will swear to being born in l.
Angeles. His oath will be support,
| by other Cinnamon. They will swe;
that they have known him loi
time. even since boyhood.
III The case will appear to he perfect
simple. A mistake has been mad
and the Chinaman actually is Z
American citizen, having been bo
in the United States. II is at I'll
point that the draft records come in
the situation. 1t will be found that VIII
lhe registered under the draft la