The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-14
Mr.. Powderly and the Anarchists.

A Washington dispatch says: Ter
ence V. Powderly, the new commits
sioner of immigration, will signalize
the opening of his administration by
seeing that the United States is not
made an asylum for the red-handed
anarchists, now being driven from
France, Spain and Italy by concentrat-
ed action of the great continental pow
ers. Mr.. Powderly says he will adopt
every remedy under the law to exclude
Planas, the leader of the Spanish an
archists, who has been conducted to
Harve by French officials and shipped
to New York. The immigration office
will notify their officers at New York
and all large seaboard ports to be on
the lookout for anarchists headed this
way. 1t is expected also that the
United States consul at Harve will
give specific information as to the ship
on which Planas and his compatriots
sail" The dispatch further says:
Europe should keep her own criminals
and her own paupers," said Mr.. Pow
derly, with emphasis. With a copy of
the exclusion law in his hand, Mr. Pow
dery pointed out the steps to be taken,
and also showed the need of strengthen
ing the law, so as to deal with the anar-
chist class. The law permits the exclu-
sion of persons who have been con-
victed of a felony or other infamous
crimes or misdemeanors involving moral
turpitude." 1t also excludes persons like
ly to become a public charge" These
are the only provisions which, even in
directly, can be applied to anarchists, and
I'M will hp % lp1 IN n
them in emergencies like the present.
After the Barcelona anarchist agita-
tion, the French government sent to our
state department a list of anarchists eX-
PEELED from the country and expected to
come to the United States. The list was
sent to our immigration officers at New
York, Philadelphia, Boston and other
ports, with instructions to apply the two
provisions quoted against the anarchists
named on the list. None of them We're
apprehended, however, as they either did
not come or We're smuggled in by way
of the steorage. Mr.. Powderly will again
invoke these two sections of the law
against this new tide of anarchists, and
he is hopeful that it will exclude them
outright or discourage them from turn
ing this way.
The commissioner was asked if he fa-
vored strengthening the law, so as to
specifically exclude anarchists and those
upholding the propaganda of assassina-
ton. Il most assuredly would favor
law excluding from the United States
every criminal, inCendiary and anar-
chist,' answered Mr.. Powderly There
is no trouble in fixing the status of the
man who has been convicted of a crime,
but the term anarchist has not been
clearly defined, so that it is extremely
difficult to ascertain who the anarchist
is" Mr. Powderly went on to show the
difficulties In the way of defining IAN
archist" The latter claims to be a phil
osopher, seeking an ideal state of So
ciety. To this end he advocates the aboli-
ton of all law and the substitution of
individual effort Mr.. Powderly points
out that it is only when the anarchist
carries his philosophy to an advocacy of
assassination or incendiarism, that the
law can deal with him.. 1t cannot deal
with him as an abstract philosopher
1t is possible to reach most anarchists
in two ways; first, as Mr.. Powderly
says, by making it crime to advocate
incendiarism and assassination, and
secondly, by a strict exclusion of pau
pers and those unable to show that
they are unlikely to become a public
charge. 1t is believed that nine out of
every ten professional anarchists would
stumble over one or the other of these
rules. Freedom of opinion and free
dom of utterance are priceless posses
sions, to be safeguarded with diligent
care. But it is not freedom in any true
sense which incites to murder, riot or
destruction of property and the law
even of America, freest of all the free
nations of the world, may we'll lay the
hand of repression on that maluse of
American freedom which boldly avows
a purpose to destroy government and
reduce society to chaos.
If Mr.. Powderly shall pursue with
vigor the purpose outlined by him, un-
til either the end is gained of keeping
these human vipers out of this country
or the inadequacy of the present laws
upon the subject is so clearly shown
as to cause them to be amended, he
will perform a service for law and Or
der that will entitle him to be held in
additional esteepo