Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-11

lines now have to bear the expense Of
carrying these bewildered people back
to their starting point. The saddest
feature of the whole thing, perhaps, is
the fact that these helpless people,
who have looked forward for years to
coming to this land of promise, unable
to comprehend anything about the
whole business, are sent back to the
misery they have tried and failed to
leave behind them.
The steamship companies were
ton laws than they are at present.
That is because under the so-called 20
per cent law" the fine for bringing to
this country every alien certain to be
turned back is the sum of $500. I'm
der the old law the fine was only 500,
and the steamship line could keep the
lpassage money and even make a charge
for taking back the aliens refused ad-
mission at American ports, or ordered
Ideported after their cases have been
examined. The new law compels the
steamship companies not only to re-
fund the passage money originally re-
ceived, but to take the undesirable
aliens back to the point where they
boarded the ship, entirely free of
charge. Naturally, with a dead loss
facing them, the lines have been more
careful about how they fill their steer
age spaces with this human freight.
Many Chinese Cases
There are other immigration laws
and agreements which furnish cases
for the board of review to handle. The
question of Chinese immigration is al
ways a perplexing thing. 1t is an open
secret that Chinese laborers are
struggled into this country to some ex-
tent. Many Of them are stopped, but
the department Of labor has not the
funds with which to draw a Gordon
tight enough to guarantee absolute ex-
clusion.
In Chinese cases and in some others
the draft records compiled during the
war are of considerable assistance, CIV
ing a means of information formerly
the board Of review. A Chinaman will
swear to being born in Los Angeles.
His oath will be supported BY other
Cinnamon. They will swear that they
have known him a long time, even since
boyhood.
The case will appear to be perfectly
simple. A mistake has been made, and
the Chinaman actually Is an American
citizen, having been born in the United
States. 1t is at this point that the
draft records come into the situation.
1t will be found that when he regis
tered under the draft law. this same
Chinaman swore that he was born in
Canton, and thus escaped military
under the plea Of being an
alien. The boards course Is clear
then, and the Chinaman is sent back |
to his homeland.
The diseased, the criminal, hte polit- |
ically undesirable, the physically III
sane the illiterates, the deaf and dumb, |
as we'll as aliens in excess OF the quota
the country from which they !
came, continually are knocking at the
once wide-open doors into this u
try. Stowaways and those likely to
public charges arrive with
their pitiable pleas TO be allowed to
Those already here Of the
nationality add their fearful
pleas and often considerable influence
TO the efforts of these new arrivals TO
try to break down the law. which on
gress in it's wisdom has found neces-
for the protection of America and
labor.
The board of review, naturally the
point of attack for the bitterness en-
yendered by disappointment, has the
task of disposing of all of
cases. Actually, the secretary OF
Iabor finally acts. but be Is frank to
that the unpleasant and heavy
.ask-sometimes 20 or so cases are
acted upon in a single day-falls on
he shoulders Of this instrument of the
government headed by Chairman Robe
Earl White. and consisting Of T. v:
oowderly. once commissioner general
irrigation. A. e. Reitzel. e. j..
and George W. Bope.