The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-19
United States Laws Against Anarchy

In Leslie's Weekly of October 12s 1901, Hon. David B. Hill states his view of the reasons which in 1894 prevented the pas sage of the bill against anarchists which was adopted at that time by the Senate but failed in conference between the two 1 houses. He says
 "The word anarchist is sufficiently de- fined by every dictionary in the land. It | means person who is opposed to any government whatsoever. Mere opposi- tion by person to monarchical govern ment or some particular form of govern , ment does not render that person an every form of government. It Is an ele- mentary principle pertaining to the Judicial construction of statutes that words not defined in a statute itself must be construed according to their usual and ordinary signifcation; and here mo- body's rights could be injured by an omission to define what was meant by the word anarchist.
 Tt was urged in the debate in Con- gress that the measure vas too drastic. As it was aimed against persons who justify murder, assassination, riot and bloodshed, its provisions must neces- sarily be drastic in order to be effectual.
 Extraordinary crimes demand extraor- | dinary remedies. It Is a self-evident proposition that society has an inherent right to adequately protect itself. I assert that the provisions of the Senate bill were safe and conservative. as well | as essential to the safety of the Ameri-
 
 the mere belief in anarchy, unaccom- | panied by over acts, crime. It was proposed to prevent believers in anarchy from hereafter coming here, and to re- wisely admitted. The bill was aimed only against alien anarchists. and the right of this government to determine for itself what aliens may enter our | shores and what aliens may remain here, | is hcyCnd question.
 "The prevention of an alien anarchist from landing, or the deportation of an
 alien anarchist to the country from l punishment of a crime, but it Is the | enforcement of governmental policy
 which any government has an nndoubted
 right to adopt. Hence the ordinary
 rules provided by our Constitution and
 laws for the protection of persons ac- | cused of crime have no application
 whatever to such case. The preroga-
 tive of an alien to come to this country | or to remain here unnaturaliZed is not | an absolute or constitutional right, bat
 1t is mere privilege extended by the | courtesy of our laws and may be revoked
 at any time. We are under no special | obligation to any class of people who | propose to come to us or to remain with
 us but who refuse to become citizens and
 who profess no allegiance to our govern
 ment They become menace to our free | institutionS; they cannot be compelled to fight for us Tn time of war; they contrib | ute nothing directly toward the expenses
 
 | pay no local taxes whatever; they are | with us but not of us: they are here to | tear down the pillars of society and can- not build up anything except their own crude and offensive theories. The failure of this government heretofore to specially
 l, gsle te against them is almost :nLo. o.r- | hensible.
 "The proposed legislation in 1894 was in | the right direction. ' The truth is tt at ttose who saw dangers in the futuce
 and sought to prevent them were not cordially seconded in their efforts by an aroused public sentiment, and this is not | to be wondered at-because while anarchy had on several occasions raised it's bloody hands in the creation of public disturb | ances, 1t had never yet struck at any high official of the government. The eff forts of 1894 should have been renewed | in subsequent Congresses, but 1t seems | instead thereof public attention was un- | wisely diverted from the immediate neces- | sity of anti -anarchistic legislation to the l consideration of the propriety of provid- ing an educational test on the admission | of certain classes of Immigrants; and consequently the subject of the exclusion
 or removal of anarchists from the coun-
 try was sde-tra cked
 '"The recent assassination of the Presi- | dent having now produced a demand l amounting almost to a clamor for some | sweeping and DOW erful statute for the | prevention of anarchistic beliefs and prac- tices. the danger lies in the nasty enact | ment of crude. imperfect and arbitrary
 legislation of doubtful constitutionality. invading the personal liberty of the citi- l zen and infringing upon the freedom of
 speech and the liberty of the press. The | mistake in the non-enactment of the safe
 cannot be cured by extreme and danger
 ous legislation in the present exciting cri- sis. It is pre-eminently 6 time for wise
 counsels and cool heads