Nogales international., 1931-02-07
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Carrying Red Tape Too Far

There is such thing as carrying red tape too
far. -:
This has been proven time and time again III IN m
migration circles at Nogaes but never more forcloly
than on Wednesday when a feeble, OLD German
more than four score years Old-Was compeNed TO
stand straddlng the international line Tor seven long
hours-and most Of the time IN heaVy do"npou1 VI
,ain-While very little effort, II any, was mace dur
np that period to relieve the old fellow OF ms misery
1t was not until several persons became very IN
dignant that the American Chief OF Immigration at
this border point budged little and Ilnay CONSENT
cd fo1. the little old man-William Woertz by name
TO be given shelter in the Grand avenue garta just
= few feet from where Woertz had been standing al
most all day. ~.
Woertz, having no passport papers admitting
him into either the United States or Mexico found
himself denied admission to both nations He was
truly a man without country and one VINO Would
undoubtedly have gone hungry all day II KIND
hearted business Of this city had not gone to ms
rescue and sent him some sandwiches Whlcn ne aCe
while standing there III the rain
Similar cases as this have bobbed up IN Nogales
In the past but never before exactly Ike that OF
the aged German. Here was an old man Iorceo !: 10
stand on the line for seven long hours and IN add!-
ton to that not allowed shelter from the rain until
after he had been drenched and had shivered and
trembled for hours. ~,
We are all led to believe in Nogales that tine law
IS the law" when it concerns the immigration service
hut even so we believe there is such thing as carry
ing cred tape too far We feel sure that the imml-
grafton service on the American side at Nogales can
little discretion IN Sucn cases aS Cllet " WV ~
If thew care to- They did Wednesday-AFIER
PRESSURE HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO BEAR.
They saw that the old German was brought IN out
of the rain and placed in the large, new comforabe
COW garita at 4:10 o'clock Wednesday afternoon Ii
they could do it then they could have taken the same
step hours before
The United States government we are sure, does
not expect any of its officials to be heartess Wnen
case such as that Of Woerz comes before them Every
person who saw Woertz standing there that day, and
observed his sad plight, had right to be indignant
We have been told by the chief of the American
immigration that he did not know Woertz was stand
lng there in the rain until he Informed by rep,
resentative of the Nogales International It ne did
not know it, other immigration officers did and they
should not have waited to give the old man shelter
until numerous persons had become indignant
Mexican immigration authorities in denying
Woertz ADMISSION into that country took the stand
that inasmuch as Woertz had lived in the United
States for some years. the United States should take
him in and then deport him. Such deportation, we are
told, would only cost the United States few hund-
red dollars at the most. Surely this rich natlon-the
richest on earth-woulq rather stand such expense
than see any person. particularly up in years, sui
fer or be denied shelter simply because he did not
have passport papers,
WOm2on Who M0rrv Statesmen