The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-05-06
TO PREVENT SPIES
~ UNITED STATES
Government to Exercise Supervision of
Travel of American Citizens, If Bill
Goes Through Congress.

Washington, d. c., May Supper
vision of travel of American citizens S
as to guard the country against opera
tions OF spies and other enemy agents i
TO be provided under the broad power
conferred by a bill pending in the House
with the administration and the foreign
affairs committee as its sponsors. 1t il
intended to give necessary supplemental
authority to the government TO watcl
its borders and act quickly where present
laws are inadequate and to follow. il
principle, at least The precautions taker
by the warning governments of Europe
Need of the legislation is considered
pressing. Recently there have been nu
merous suspicious departures for Cuba
which il was impossible for this govern
ment to prevent Other individual cases
of entry and departure at various points
! have excited the greatest anxiety. This
! is particularly true, according TO the gov
| eminent in respect of the Mexican Dor.
! der. passage across which cannot legally
\ be restricted for many types of persons
reasonably suspected of aiding Ger
manvs purposes The bill will be urged
| in both houses az an emergency war
measure. It< ia intended to stop what
~ hartman r iptu VI IiH flpust ipitlEii al
fairs committee, calls IAN important gap
in the war legislation of the United
States"
As soon as this country entered the
war the president provided by proclama
ton, that German alien enemies might
not enter or leave the United States
without securing permission. When war
was declared against Austria Hungary
similar regulations We're promulgated
concerning Austro- Hungarian alien en-
emies
This measure of limitation of foreign
travel was far from sufficient" the
House foreign affairs committee reports.
THE trading with the enemy act leaves
American citizens and neutrals perfectly
free to come and go. No argument is
necessary to indicate the probability
that Germany will, wherever possible,
employ renegade Americans or neutrals
as her agents instead of employing Ger
mans about whom suspicion would easily
be excited The danger of the trans
ference of important military informa
tion causes the government great anx
iety, particularly as the attorney general
has ruled that neither the president nor
the executive departments have power to
curb the general departure and entry of
travellers.
New legislation is the only remedy
In his address to Congress on Dec 4,
1917, the president emphasized the ne
cessity of creating a very definite and
particular control over the entrance and
departure of all persons into and from
the United States The department of
Justice drafted the bill now under dis |
1t was introduced in Congress
on Feb %. 1918"
Citizens need not secure such permits
as are required of aliens, but must bear
valid passport. Passports will continue |
to be issued as at present by the depart |
ment of state, and there is no reason to
believe, according to the trainers of the
bill that any American citizen will be
unduly Inconvenience by these restric- |
lions
While the power vested in the presi-
lent is broad and comprehensive, the bill
lefnes all the infringements of its terms
which may be criminal. The bill places
l maximum limit beyond which its penal
provisions may not be carried and re-
,ures that all rules. regulations, and or
lers shall be reasonable.
NO one" saws Mr.. Flood, can fore
zee the different means which may be
Idopted by hostile nations TO secure mill
AIRY information or spread propaganda
md discomfort IL is obviously imprac-
icable TO appeal to Congress for further
egislation in each new emergency. Swift
xecutive action is the only effective
ounter stroke"