The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1924-03-21
WHAT CONGRESS
WANTS TO DO WITH
ALIEN WORKERS

CThis is the fourth of a series OF
articles Which the Daily Worker Is
publishing on the laws which are now
pending before Congress, directed
against fOreign-born workers VINO
wish to come to this country ana
| those who are in this country)
BY c. E. Ruthenberg
SerfdOm to Be Revived By Congress
As Status of FOreign-BOrn
Workers
Probably he most far-reaching bill
directed against foreign-bOrn work
els coming to this country and those
already IN this country has been IN
trcduced by Representative Lineberg-
er Of California His bill is House
Bill No. 4089.
1t proposes that the foreign-bOrn
workers coming to this country in
| the future and those already shall be
attached to certain industries as The
| serts were attached to the land IN
feudal times.
During the period Of feudalism
each serf had his little tract ct land
assigned to him on the estate of some
feudal lord. He was unable to leave
this land; he lived and died there
and the children who came after him
were attached 10 that same tract Of
land and compelled to labor there for
the benefit of the feudal lord.
The Linebarger bill provides that
each immigrant coming to the United
States and all fQreign-bQn workers
already here shall "be notified as to
what location in the jurisdiction OF
the United States they Will be per
mitted to go to, to remain, until the
! provisions of this act and ether regu-
lations as to aliens and citizenship
are complied with" Further along,
this law provides that "each imml-
grant shall remain in a respective
district until such a time as he shall
become a citizen or is deported unless
he can satisfy the Department OF
Justice at any time that it is to the
; advantage Of both himself and the
/ country to be allowed to locate or go
elsewhere"
These two provisions taken to-
; &c her mean that every foreign born
! worker here or who may come here
! in the future will for a period OF
seven years, be under the absolute
! control Of the Department of Justice
, These fOreign-bOrn workers will be
assigned to certain industries anC
cannot leave those industries without
} the consent of the Department Of
: Justice. No scheme Of industrial
) slavery could be devised which would
2 more effectively serve the interests
2 of the employing class of this couh
try. No more effective strike-break
ing agency could be set up than tina
which is set up under the Lineberge
bill.
The bill goes even further in it
: provision directed against all foreign
2 born workers. Those now here an
3 those coming to this country in tn
future must Immediately declar
their intention to become citizen!
They must take out their first citizen
ship papers within three years G
they will be deporjed. They mus
satisfy a committee of the Depart
ment of Justice that they can spea
English. If at the end of a sever
year period lhey have not complete
their naturalization they are to b
deported.
The Lineberger law also provide
the machinery to enable the Depart
ment Of Justice to keep track of a
the foreign-born workers in tn
country. In writing this provision
Representative Eneberger evidentl
intended to give the foreign-bol
workers something to be thankful 70
for, in a cynical way, he has PROVE
ed that during Thanksgiving week
each year the foreign-born worke.
must report to the Department
Justice and register.
Those who know Of the attitude
the Department of Justice tOwal
fcreign-bOrn workers as shown in Il
3 1920 raids in which THOUSAND
upon thousands of foreign-born wor
ers We're herded into prison, starvt
and mistreated by the agents Of Il
Department of Justice, will reali
what it means to The foreign-bo,
workers to be made the wards of t
Department eff Justice for the peril
Of time until thev become citizens
the United States.
One exception is made in the Lin
berger law to the rule that foreig
born workers who do not becor
citizens within seven years shall
deported. Representative Lineberg
provides that a fOreign-born work
who is over 65 years af age may I
main In this country even if he do
not learn English well and become
citizen, with the promise, howevt
that he may remain only $50 lol
as his actions are acceptable to t
department cf justice"
The section of the law which c
tends the new rules to apply to il
migrants to all foreign-born worke
already in this country, reads
follows: "All aliens in the jurisd
ton Of the United States at the lii
this act becomes effective shall col
ply with the provisions of this {
and all other laws and regulatio
governing aliens and prescribi
/ methods for - 4