The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-04-16

oI the opportunity to stir up more trouble
lie told of the policy which his depart
ment had pursued in investigating aliens
and bringing the cases to the attention of
the department of labor for deportation. j
A rather pointed colloquy occurred on
the subject of the law involved in de- |
portatlons and President Wilson asked
many questions. When the attorney gen
eral had concluded, the President turne,
to Secretary William b. Wilson and asked
Tor the viewpoint of the department of
lahor which is charged entirely with the
enforcement of the deportation laws There
had been during the session a plain in
tImatlon that the department of Justice
was not OF the same opinion as the de
partment of labor in handling deportation
cases. This fundamental difference has
long been known and involves really an
attitude of mind The department Of JUS
,tlce views the Radicals as persons of
whom short shrift should be made 1t
contends that the procedure with refer
ehce to deportation is purely administra-
tive and not criminal and that all the |
department of labor needs to do is to be |
satisfied by the department of justices |
investigation that a man comes within the |
meaning Of the deportation laws and he |
should be dcported
On the other hand the department. of
labor insists that while the procedure
may be administrative, it is as serious as
criminal matter for it deprives a man of
his home and contact with his family
and possessions and drives him out of the
country Such an action should not be
| taken in the view of the department Of
labor without being absolutely sure of the
| facts. Therefore this department urges
chat every defendant be given an oppor-
tunlty to be represented by counsel and
witnesses who can refute the testimony
| 81 the government agents who make the
complaint
The debate in the cabinet moreover de-
veloped another vital point. Thousands
| OF so-called Communists were originally
members of the Socialist party and never
eonscientiously participated in any cam
paign to preach the overthrow Of the
government by violence However, many
Socialist organizations and unions Of for
eign born workers have been transferred
to membership in the Communist party
Oitentimes the action occurred at a con-
vention where the simple passage of res
olution by oral vote constituted the trans
fer Of membership Does that make an
/
to the Socialist party member" of the
Communist partyz The law reads mem
bership' in the Communist party. 1t
isn't even necessary to prove that the in
divdual himself believes in violence The
law is drastic and rigid and the department
of labor officials claim that only two per
cent of all the individuals arrested for de-
portation expressed a personal belief in
x-iolo In he 1+h l.
ment is deporting men and women in ac-
cordance with the law and when it is sat
slied that an individual is a bona fide
member IF the Communist party The
hitch comes in establishing the fact OF
membership which is a contractual re-
lationship. Many individuals had knowl-
edge of its revolutionary manifests but
did not construe its meaning to be
inimica to the countrys interest This
defense has not been accepted by the de
partment of labor. But an individual
it is insisted, must be given a chance "a
show that he did not sanction the en-
rolment of his name in a Communist
party or that he was unaware of the kind
q, OF doctrines being preached by the party
| with which he was consciously or uncon
sciously enrolled 1t is a question really
! of fact and the cabinet closed its dis
cussion of the subject when Secretary VII
: son expressed the belief that he and As
: sistant Secretary Louis f. Post, of the
department of labor and Attorney Gen
: cral Palmer could unqucstionably come K
a harmonious agreement when they sa
| down to thresh the matter out Mr.. Pos
| has been handling the question during tn,
| unavoidable absence of Secretary Wilson
II The entire session of the cabinet didn'
last more than an hour and a half TIL,
President took lively part in the de
/ bate and one of the older members of tn,
cabinet told the writer that with the ex
ception of drawn look on his face ant
his white hair-the President seemed viz
orous as he ever had been. On the who'll
Mr.. Wilson quite himself. He tool
occasion to interject bit of humor nov
and then. Several times the President
remarks drew hearty laugh Som
members of the cabinet, for instance
mentioned the speech of certain senator
II oh he has a habit Of speaking withou
the facts interrupted the President
very convenient arrangement by the way
III just which senator was mentioned, til
| writer was not informed but from tn
II White House viewnoint it might apply t
any of considerable number.
The President said the customary GOO
bye to the cabinet as they filed by hi
desk and shook hands. He said he ha
been refreshed by the meeting and didn'
feel bit of strain-in fact liked the con
tact very much He said nothing abon
future meetings but doubtless they vii
| he held more often hereafter The cabine
members who have known Mr.. Wilson 70
many years were authority for the nos
tive settlement that the President Will
| physically worn out is nevertheless on tn
lob and while he may look like conva