The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-09-23
GUARDING AGAINST ANARCHISTS.

GUARDING AGAINST ANARCHISTS.
The announcement OF Louise Michel
| the Paris anarchist, that she intends
to come over to this country to make
| lecturing tour in behalf of her doctrines
] appears to have caused much alarm in
the bureau of immigration as well as in
a portion of the newspaper press. Com
| missioner Powderly is said to be indus
| triously ransacking the. statutes at large
TO find some preteXt for keeping this
dangerous agitator from our shores
| When Louise Michel made trip 10 Bel
GUM the other day to advocate anarchy
the police OF Brussels led her over the
border as a person dangerous 10 the
public peace. The question is whether
such a summary process is at the COM
mand of our immigration authorities
should the "petroleuse" Of Paris make
US professional visit.
The right to prevent the landing OF
migrating anarchists who have been
arrested and imprisoned for crimes at
home is tolerably clear under our stat
utes. Such persons as have been eX-
PEELED by the police of Europe as dan
cerous characters can be refused, as
assisted aliens" admission to our shores
But Louis Michel has never been con-
victed Of crime, neither does she come
here as an assisted alien. Nor can
she be sent back on the legal ground
that she is incapable of earning live
lihood and is likely To become public
burden. She would doubtless be able
and willing to give ample security
against any such contingency.
There are decisions of the courts how
ever, that the immigration authorities
have power 10 determine whether any
person not a citizen or an inhabitant Of
the United States shall be prohibited
from landing. Under these decisions an
order of the commissioner of immigra-
ton forbidding Louise Michel from
landing could be reversed only by the
secretary of the treasury. Congress, it
is held. has given the immigration au-
thorities plenary power to determine
whether a newcomer, immigrant or cas-
ual visitor, is likely to prove a burden
or an instigator of mischief, and this is
an end Of the matter.
But the question is whether Louise
Michel Is so dangerous TO the peace
and well being of this country that its
immigration laws should be strained
and its liberal principles violated in or
der to exclude her. The law may seize
her body and prevent her from landing;
but so long as the press is free the
propagation of her doctrines cannot be
prevented II there be place on earth
in which she should be supposed to be
the streets of Paris unmOlested- When
she can find an audience she breaches
anarchy without interruption by the po-
lice save in cases of disturbance of the
peace The people Of Paris listen with
amused incredulity or with Indifference
to her predictions of the good time COM
ing when all property shall be held in
common, and when governments shall
cease TO exist among men. Paris has
become used to her, and she is no longer
an object of even idle curiosity. She
could be made interesting only by police
persecution; and our authorities should
take care that she shall not be given
this advantage for herself or for the
evil doctrines which she endeavors to
propagate.
The institutions of this country are
not SO frail that they can be shaken
by the breath of this agitator Of anar-
chy. If they were so brittle as all that
ii would not be necessary for her and
her fellow anarchists to come here TO
disseminate their principles in person.
If these principles were as captivating
Of the multitude as it is SO much feared
by those who distrust the people there
are far more effective means Of propa-
eating them than by this woman's
speech. BY preventing her from landing
there would be just one anarchist the
less in this country; but whether this
act would not in the end make more an
archists through sympathy with a sup
posed object Of oppression is another
question. The important matter is that
the liberal principles of this govern
ment shall not he infringed in petty fear
Of a termagants tongue. The govern
ment of France does not tolerate Louise
Michel out of any friendlineSs to her
abhorrent doctrines, but on the enlight-
ened policy that nothing makes those
doctrines so harmless as their exposure
10 the light OF free discussion.
The people who claim that Andree is dead
are going TO have trouble to produce the
corpus delictu themselves.
France is all excited because the car
kissed their president. Perhaps the pres:-
dent had a red ear OF corn in view.