Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-13
CANNOT KEEP THEM OUT
No Means to Prevent Anarchists From Com
ing to This Country.
II European Nations Deport Them
They VIII Find Our Hospitnble
shores Unprotected.

immigration Commissioner Powderly says
he has been Incorrectly quoted in the state
ment that he proposes to make special eff
forts to keep out deported anarchists who
are supposed to be heading this way from
European countries. The statement is that
Spain, Italy, France and other countries are
trying to rid themselves of the anarchists
by deporting them.
Mr.. Powderly would be only too glad to
prevent some of these customers landing
If it could be done under the law, but he
knows no provision of the law especially
aimed at them. Then, Mr.. Powderly in
looking over the law, found that a special
clause is inserted in the immigration laws
as to persons convicted of political offenses,
and the European anarchists are thought to
come under this head.
The Law Quoted.
The immigration laws applying to all
persons seeking admission to this country
are as follows:
THAT the following classes of aliens shall
be excluded from admission into the United
States, in accordance with the existing acts
regulating immigration, other than those
concerning Chinese laborers: All idiots, in
sane persons, paupers or persons likely to
become public charge, persons suffering
from a loathsome dangerous contagious
disease, persons who have been convicted
of a felony or other Infamous crime or mis-
demeanor involving moral turpitude, polyg-
amists and also any person whose ticket or
passage is paid for with the money of an
other or who Is assisted by others to come,
unless it is affirmatively and satisfactorily
shown on special inquiry that such person
does not belong to one of the foregoing
excluded classes, or to the class of contract
laborers excluded by the act of February
26, 1885, but this section shall not be held
to exclude persons living in the United
States from sending for a relative or a
friend who is not of the excluded classes
under such regulations as the Secretary of
the Treasury may prescribe. Provided,
That nothing in this act shall be construed
to apply to or exclude persons. convicted of
political offense, notwithstanding said
political offense may be designated a
felony, crime, Infamous crime or misde-
meanor, involving moral turpitude,' by the
laws of the land whence he came or by the
court convicting.
Mr.. Powderly's Opinion.
Mr.. Powderly says that unless the an
archists belong in the class prohibited from
landing here, they cannot be kept out.
More objection will have to be found to
them than the fact that they hold certain
political opinions or have committed po-
litical acts.
Mr.. Powderly has received no official
Information that Planas. the leader of the
italian anarchists, is on his way here from
Havre and If he is there is nothing TO
keep him out unless he comes under the
head of persons excluded.
Mr. Powderly said it would be hard to
define an anarchist. The latter claims to
be a philosopher seeking an ideal state of
society To this end he advocates the
abolition of all law and the substitution of
individual effort. r.7;