Norwich bulletin., 1920-01-13
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS
Especial to The Bulletin.

tive Albert Johnson of Washington | chairman of the house committee onsI immigration and naturalization is l zealous in urging immediate deporta- l ton of all aliens who plot revolution with bomb, torch and bullet" and urges Imprisonment for citizens who undertake to overthrow the govern ment. In an interview today Con gressman Johnson said: Liberty and freedom, or revolution and anarchy. The issue is defined and the govern ment is now showing that it means business. There is plenty of evidence against most of those who have been arrested that they have been plotting
 revolution by force against the gov ernment of the United States. Aliens among those arrested last week are due to be deported. Each may have 8 hearing, at which he may show, if he can, why he should not be deport- ed. He will not be deported because he has committed a crime, but be- cause he has violated the laws under which he was admitted. He gets off easily at that. There is a difference between a citizen of the United States and a person domiciled in the United States, and those of the latter desig- nation should know that it is not up to them either to attempt to run tho government or attempt to overthrow !. it. The way has been, and is now, easy for those domiciled in the United States to become citizens. But these alien reyolutionists have wanted shorter, quicker method. and now
 they can't have either citizenship or domicile. From their standpoint they 1 are better off, so why should their 1 friends complain? No one wants to deport an idea. much less imprison one, but we can and must deport those | from abroad who plot to put ideas of
 revolution into effect with bomb, torch i and bullet. and we must convict and lsimprison those citizens who have the
 notion that they can overthrow or
 destroy this government"
 The capture of hundreds of "reds" 1 in New England has reused the con- gressionaI delegation from that sec 1 ton to urge immediate actions In de- porting those who are aliens and 1 summary punishment for citizens who
 may be found guilty of plotting against l the government. They have been in receipt of many letters from men or organizations urging support of Ber- ger, but i'll every instance have replied such step would be impossible and
 stating with great positiyeness that l they have no sympathy with men of his views. The department of justice is still urging a higher bail be placed on men and women arrested on l charges of conspiring against the gov 1 ernment, etc. so the propaganda may
 not be further spread by such per
 sons while waiting trial. It also urges i speedy trials and deportation. The de- pertinent of justice hunts down the
 suspects and puts them under rest, but is deyolves on the department of
 labor, through it's officer, the commis- I sioner of immigration.s to fix the amount of bail, etc. The matter of | deportation then goes before, the sec retary of labor and the orders for such action are issued by him.. Thus is it IoSsible except there is strong cooperation between the two depart l ments, needless delay may ensue and
 in the meantime dangerous aliens are running at. will around the country |. although tie department of justice
 tries to keep an eye out and prevent
 further outbreaks from the original
 source, and from jumping their bail Vet the responsibility of meting out justice, after arrest. is with the de- partment of labor. Turning back for a moment to the Berger case. it is inter l esting to note the very general mis- 1 understanding which seems to exist ir
 the public mind as to the constitu tional rights of Berger to be seated It .Tnay surprise a number of people ts , know that he really has no constitu- II tAOtAAt tlSl1l lO d SSEl. Il d I1d 1OTlLY Ol the house decide otherwise, no matter ! ee what ground they refuse to receive him to membership. The constitution reads: Each house shall be the iIdgt . of the elections, returns and qualified. ] tions of its own members So tht s | question of whether or not Berger i. . qualified to sit as a member rests or
 the vote of the members of the pres
 ent house. and on no one else. Al though the DallingeF resolution get, 8 forth that MT. Berger has been gt1iltl g of giving aid to the enemy, a speeih, = statement was not necessary to keel
 him from . seat. shhuld the. house |, o it's judgment decide he was mt ouali !. fled to become a member. There ar, ! instances on record where the natur,
 of the disqualification has never heel t made public. yet where the rejection s 1 of the member or his unsea ting wa. e overwhelmingly upheld by the hous n vote.
 I The decision of Chairman DalIinqe 2 that he would admit no undue delay il
 taking up the Berger case brough . about very general approval in Wash . ington. The Berger credentials hay z ing been filed it was possible for tn Il committee on elections to bring 1t = decision before the house without wait 0 ing for the personal presence of Der s ] ger, should it decide that such actiol
 was necessary for the well being o
 the country or the house of repre-
 sentatives. Knowledge that such ae
 ton would follow undoubtedly induce t I Berger to appear in person Saturday II The scene when thA vote was take
 was intensely drama tic PracticalI
 every one of the 435 members wer
 present. Berger sat in the middle Q
 the house, on the republisa1 side H e nodded his head in approval whe t one of the speakers said that Berge
 had expressed reorat that he coul
 not have made still n9ore forcefr t statements than those for which h .r was condemned: a. sharp hiss greete Mir. Mann when he alluded sarcastical V ly to certain objections that had bee
 made. When motion was nut b 1 Chairman Dallinger asking that Per 1T ger he allowed ten minutes-in whic l. to speak. loud cries of 'fNoi No! n csme from all parts of the ehanbe-
 when a socialist member referred i
 eulogistic terms to Berger ''as man ,sii hoos, ieers and cries of nrotest eehoe = through the big room. Through it a 'i Berger sat apparently unnoved an tbe sentiment that he should he re
 fused further bearing was heycr
 question. Loyalty and faeiit!- to tn ,- government of the United States. wa 1t the keynote of all speeches-and ( l. the. vote.
 The Wilson Bryan break as evi
 denced at the Jackson day dinner lei " democrats stunned. They had nc .tI fully recovered political cousciousnes .f when President Lowell of Harvar 'A dealt a powerful blow which struc
 the administration standnatters amid
 ships, and now they are floating airr