Evening star., 1902-02-07
Report on the Bill to Protect the
President,
AMPLE POWER VESTED IN CONGRESS-
Provisions for the Punishment of
conspiracies.
PLOTS AGAINST POTENTATEs

the suppression Of crime against the gov
ernment. The report contents that Congress
has ample authority under the Constitution
to make stringent laws on this subject In
addition to this. it has embodied in the bill
provision for the protection Of ambassa-
dors and ministers of foreign states or
countries accredited to and residing in this
country.
The report on the bill, which was made
public today, was prepared by Chairman
Ray OF the Judiciary committee.
What the Bill Provides.
The bill provides for the punishment:
j. or those who unlawfully, purposely and
knowingly kill or attempt to kill the Presi-
dent or the Vice President or any officer of
the United States entitled by law to sue
ceed to the presidency, or any ambassador
or minister of foreign government ac-
credited to the United States and being
therein or who assaults either of these
ofncers, except such foreign ambassadors
ana ministers, with intent to inflict great
bodily harm, when he is engaged in the
performance Of his official duties, or be-
cause of his official character, or because
or an official act or omission, when such
crime Is committed within any state or
other place subject to the Jurisdiction Of
the united States. Secs 1-5.)
VI accessories to such crimes before
ana after the fact, and those who openly,
diiS anu uellDeTaCely JUSTLY SUCH
killing or assaulting Of either Of such Off
GERS With intent to cause a repetition Of
the commission or the commission of either
of such crimes. (Secs. 6-S.)
5. OF those who advocate advise or teach,
generally or specifically, the duty, necessity
or propriety OF killing or assaulting one or
more OF the officers Of the governments Of
the United States or Of the government of
any ciV1llzed nation because of his or their
omc1al character, or who conspire within
the United States, or request, advise or en-
courage another to assault or kill any,
where the chief ruler of any civilized ma
tlon having an organized government, be-
cause of his official character. Gecs. g. 81
Inc Dill then provides that all persons
VINO dlsbel1eve, in or are opposed to all Or
ganfzed government, or who belong to any
organization entertaining and teaching such
doctrines, or who advocate or teach the
duty, necessity or propriety of committing
any OF the crimes mentioned, or who have
committed any of them, shall be denied ad-
mission into the United States, or refused
naturalization IL already here. (Secs. II,
12)
The bill Furnishes those who aid such per-
sons to enter or to secure naturalization, or
who commit perjury in naturalization pro-
ceedings, and provides for the making and
recording Of an affidavit by the applicant
for naturalization, reciting and affirming
the truth Of every fact requisite for nat
uraliZation.
The field is broad, and the committee has
considered the whole subject in all its bear
has limited the legislation proposed as indi-
Gated. Some would go much further, some
not quite so far. The report says:
I'VE do not seek to invoke the federal
authority when not in our Judgment essen
tial to the preservation of the peace and
good order of the nation and the perpetua-
ton OF our system of government. We have
studiously avoided interference with the
freedom Of speech and of the press"
Purposes Of the Bill.
to INT
poses:
First, prevent resistance to and protect
the President and the Vice President of the
United States and those by law in the line
of succession to that high office; second,
protect the ministers and ambassadors of
foreign governments accredited to and
within the United States; third, prevent the
open and deliberate approval Of certain
crimes and also certain unlawful teachings,
which, if permitted, are calculated and in
tended to breed lawlessness and crime
against and culmnate in the destruction of
the government; fourth, prevent the coming
to or naturalization in this country Of those
who teach or entertain such pernicious doc
trines, and fifth, prevent conspiracies in
the United States to murder the rulers of
other civilized nations; sixth, provide ade-
quate and uniform punishments for these
offenSes wherever committed. All are Of
fenses against government and intended to
impair or overthrow the government Of the
United States.
Necessity for the Law.
The report says: THAT there is a practi-
cal necessity for such a law and wise
popular demand for it all well-informed
persons must admit. The constitutional
power Of Congress to enact the law pro-
posed cannot be seriously questioned.
Within the memory of most Of the members
of this House three of our Presidents have
been murdered. Lincoln, in 1865, was killed
while attending theater, because of off,
cial acts performed by him. Garfield, in
1881, was assassinated on his way to a
railway train because he as President, had
refused to grant certain requests, and pos
sibly because the assassin desired the exer-
else of the executive functions to be In
other hands, which he thought would the
more readily serve his interests. McKin-
ley was basely murdered at Buffalo in 1901
while greeting his countrymen, merely be-
cause he was Presdent-because of his off,
cial character-and because of the teaching
and growth of the doctrine that all govern
ment is wrong and should be overthrown,
and that all rulers or chief magistrates
ought to be killed Lincoln and Garfield
were murdered because of official acts or
omissions, Mckinley because he repre-
sented organized government.
Congregational Power Upheld.
"The Congress of the United States has
been slow to use its constitutional power
in enacting laws for the prevention Of re-
sistance to and for the protection Of the
officers Of the general government. 1t has
acted as necessity demanded and not 9TH
erwise ,-seaef. , s-.5-
"It has enacted laws TO prevent resist
ance to and assaults on srnarshals, deputy
marshals, postal. customs revenue and
enrolling officers and the like because nee
essary for the preservation and mainte-
nance of the general government and it's
authority. These laws have all been sus-
tanned, and the existence Of this power in
Congress is recognized by elementary
writer's. il
1.-The committee, after full and careful
consideration and research, asserts that
the federal Constitution and power derived
therefrom is I'M itself and entirely inde-
pendent of the state, broad and compre-
hensive enough to protect. maintain and
preserve the federal government, and RS
a direct and necessary incident of such
power Congress; may, make laws to pro-
tect and preserve the lives and persons of
those of its Officers who are clothed with
and represent IN any degree the sover-
eighty of the people of the nation. We
have not travelled outside the principles es-
tablished and enunciated by the adjudged
cases or the express provisions of the Con-
stitution. An attack on or an injury to
an officer of the government, when he is
engaged in the performance of an official