Evening star., 1924-12-03

There are Indications that the pres
ent session of Congress may take
hold of the question of control of
aliens within this country with ex-
traordinary vigor Two measures
upon this subject, were introduced in
the House on opening day. Repre-
sentative watkins of Washington re-
introduced his bill from the former
session which provided for the de-
portation OF aliens who commit GER
tain crimes against the Federal or
State Governments. In the new Dill
this provision is modified so that de-
portation will take place only upon a
second offense.
Chairman Johnson of the House
immigration committee has also in
troduced a bill, II. r. 9803. The prin-
cipal feature of this measure Is that
it amplif1es the powers of deportation
by removing the time limit. Hereto
fore, if the reason for deportation
should not arise within three years
in certain cases, or five years IN
others, the Government was barred
from acting. This bar will now be
removed. so that an alien can be sent
back al any time, when he becomes a
public charge, commits a crime, de-
veIops a contagious disease, or II 1t
is discovered that he has entered this
or conspires to smuggle in other
aliens.
X x I: X
The special crimes which will be
penalized with deportation include
violation of the liquor prohibition
laws. the narcotic laws and the So
called social laws.
The cost of deportation, except in
cases where the cause has arisen
after entry, is to be assessed against
the transportation company or the
contractor or procurer by whom such
alien was unlawfuliy induced to en-
ter the United States, except when
such deportation occurs more than
five years after entry.
X X x \
It Is understood that this measure
largely originates in the Departm ent
of Labor and is the result of the
seven years experience in enforcing
the 1917 law, of which basic law it is
practically in the nature of amend
ment.
There are several conditions which
must be faced in the control of unde-
sirable citizens of alien birth. One of
these conditions is that our power to
dispose of aliens rests partly upon
the willingness of their country of
have been absent some years. We
cannot dispose of aliens in mid
ocean: they must be taken to coun-
try willing to accept them, and with
which we are on friendly relations.
For example, Russian anarchists, III
they once get in America, cannot be
returned compulsorily to Russia, for
we do not recognize the Russian gov
ernment All such reds" are immune
from deportation, though it is exactly
that class at which deportation fs
chiefly aimed. When such countries
are willing to accept the returning
alien, the problem is simple-as in
the case OF the deportation a few
years ago of Emma Goldman and her
anarchist associates, sent back to
Russia But we. cannot force any
country to take back its citizens,
against the laws of that country, and
there are several countries which
have laws forfeiting all citizenship
rights and status of natives who vol
unfairly absent themselves 10 years.
This law of limitations on the re-
tanning of the rights of citizenship
by an absentee native brings peculiar
complications with the other laws re-
quiring military duty of ALI its ma
tive men. II a native Of any Euro
pean country evades his military re-
quirements and escapes from his ma
tive land, he may acquire full citizen
ship in the United States, and if he