Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-11


him until he arrives at his DESTINATION.
Mrs. French met her husband Wnlle
her father was consul general to Eng
automatically be subject for deporta-
ton. The plan is opposed by liberals
and by some foreign organizations.
They say it smacks of European ponce
espionage.
Sporadic Campaign.
Secretary Davis has directed sporadic
campaigns against the wholesale SNUG
Cling of aliens. Some of the smugglers
when caught with parties of aliens In
tow, have been arrested and given the
maximum penalty-10 years lmpr1son-
ment and fines of $4,000.
Mr.. Davis has suggested that Army
recruiting stations hand over appll-
cants who could not show evidence OF
citizenship. He appealed to employers
of labor to do likewise, pointing out
that Henry Ford, employer of $4,000
persons. does not hire any except those
with credentials of citizenship of legal
entrance into the United States. This
scheme was called "a protective tariff
ON human beings"
Mr.. Davis contends that the 1,000,-
900 or more Smuggled aliens In this
country were a menace to organized
labor and inspired wage-cutting and
unemployment.
In this connection II is interesting to
note that today some spokesman for
the foreign-bofn elements in our cities
are opposed to further immigration,
saying that an influx of aliens would
jeopardize prosperity.
At the same time that Secretary Davis
was fighting smuggling Justice Siddons
In the District of Columbia Supreme
Court was upholding Secretary of State
Kellogg in the ruling that the six
month visitors who wanted to stay in
the country must go back to their ma
tive lands and take their turns, like
other immigrants, at the quota turn
stile.
Many Of these alien visitors who had
been granted the Nations hospitality
have insisted, once they were in the
country, that they should be allowed to
take out citizenship papers and remain,
now that they were here.
The smuggled alien hopes to stay I'M
der cover for five years. Then he's safe.
The statute of limitations protects him.
Unfortunately, only too often the
same international syndicate which
bootlegged him into the country at a
price Of perhaps $500 insists on collect
ing monthly hush money" on the
threat of informing immigration off,
Gals of his illegal residence.
One argument for increasing the
frontier barriers is the allegation that
much of our crime, particularly the
rum running, the gang murders, the
racketeering in various industries, such
as the building trades and the cleaning
and dyeing industry, is committed by
a foreign-born underworld Police rec
ords in Ell Paso, Tex, it is said, show
that 80 per cent OF those convicted of
crimes were aliens.
On the other hand, some humanita-
rians say that most of the aliens who
spend their hard-earned savings and
endure untold hardships and suffering
in their roundabout Journeys to crash
the back gate" must be made of pretty
good stuff-hardy, adventurous, spirited,
ambitious. No timid peasant, no weak
ling, Is likely to take the risks neces-
sary for one bent on surreptitious en-
try.
But the facts answer otherwise.
While many an illegal alien has prob
ably become decent, laW-abiding resi-
dent and has prospered, the overwhelm-
ing majority of those apprehended and
deported are the scum of humanity
the chronically jobless, the jailbirds,
crooks, prostitutes, hopelessly diseased,
white trash and yellow.
Now that the master minds of crimi-
nality are seeing what rich harvest
is being made in smuggling human con-
traband into the United States, the
border racket Is becoming efficiently
organized, with territories" fiercely di-
vided. Already "hijackers" are at work,
stealing shipments of aliens from rivals.
THE large financial rewards for the
smuggling of European aliens are at
tracing a higher type of criminal
men with brains," said F. w. Husband,
commissioner general of immigration
"These big-business smugglers, unlike
the border coyotes independent
smugglers-take an interest in the well
fare of contraband aliens and give them
every possible advice as to what course
they should pursue upon reaching this
country.
This more intelligent type is
cause for real apprehension. 1t means
a battle of wits between our officers
and the smugglerS. AS conditions now
stand it must be admitted that the
odds are in favor of the smugglers."
Secretary Davis is even less optimistic
about combating the traffic.
IF we had the army on the Canadian
border and on the Mexican border we
couldn't stop Them" he said. IF we
had the Navy on the water front we
couldn't stop them"
And 1t is depressing historic fact
that every new legal restriction results
in an increase of violations. Prohibi-
ton has shown this and the immigra-
ton quota law proves 1t.
Meanwhile, as the thousands-yes,
the hundreds of thousands-of Polish,
German, Russian. Italian, Greek, Por-
tuguese, Chinese and Czechoslovak
aliens are struggled across the borders,
the Government does what 1t can.
In 1925 the immigration authorities
deported 9,495, at a cost of nearly
100000. In 1925 they were shipping
aliens out of the country at the rate
of 700 a month. In 1928, 1925 were
corralled and deported.
With first-hand information obtained
by this newspaper on the Atlantic
Coast, along the Canadian border, In
Florida, along the Mexican border and
on the Pacific Coast, IL succeeding
articles in this series will disclose alien
smuggling conditions wildly and COM
prehensively, relate actual experiences
of the border patrols blood-and-thun
der adventures, and present the views
Of r1r0t11f1ent officials on this fast