Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-05-15
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Gated the Spirit 81 the department by
| the following paragraph:
There is one thing which has been
impressed upon each member OF the
board and which the two assistant
secretaries very consistently observe.
nd that is that he spirit of the immi-
era ton laws is not TO modest or dis
tiirh the rights acquired by peace
able and law-abidinS resident alien.
We realize that there is spirit AS
well as a letter to the law. and that
we are passing upon the rights Of hu
man beings. and not a consignment OF
merchandise This country is TO he
protected from the alien Sunman. alien
| criminal. alien SmuSgler. alien ped
oilers of narcotics, and alien ira tfickerS
! in women and children. but the alien
| who merely technically and uninten-
tionally runs counter to the law. with
out in any way violating it's spirit is
entitled to the exercise of The discre-
ton which Congress has seen tit to
write into the law for the Secretary of
| Labor in certain eases.
4; y
There has been tragedy in the Sepa
ration OF families under the immiera-
| ton restriction laws, and appeals
| have been made TO consider unbroken
| -.
! of the ia mily were admitted. the wife
| and children should also come in. TO
what extent this would increase the
| immigratiou if relationship could nnl
| lily restriction. may be Judged by the
| statistics which show that. even under
| present laws. no Less than pa .424
persons out Of total immigration of
| 294.St4 i'm 1925 came in TO join rela
| tiNes.'
| The only determined opposition to
immigra ton restriction and to the de
| port ton of criminal or deDenden nj
! aliens and all who enter illegally Is
said TO come from the class repre-
| scented by the so-caled America n
Civil Liberties Union. A Philadelphia
lawyer. who testified in their behalf
before the committee, stated that he
opposed all interference with free
speech, even when it sought overthrow
of the Government. He ella lined that
aliens had as much right to denounce
our Government and to incite strikes
| as have citizens. though he denied
| that he was a n anarchist He opposed
deportation under any circumstances.
| From the same organization was
| filed with the committee written
statement of it's principles. Among
these announcements may be noted:
There should be no control what.
ever in advance over what any per-
son may say--nO censorship of the
mails by the post Office or any other
agency at any time or in any way
no interference with meetings nor
with picketing. There should he no
| interference with strikes by police nor
by martial law.
| enumeration. DepOrtatjon and
, Passports.-No person should he re.
| fused admission to the United States
! on the ground of holding objection.
able opinions. The present restric.
| ton against radicals of various be-
liefs Is wholly opposed to our tradi-
ton Of political asylum.
mo alien should be deported mere.
! w for the expression of opinion or
! for membership in a radical or revo.
! lutionary organization. This is as un-
| American a practice as the prosecu.
ton of citizens for expression of opin.
ion.
| 1.-The attempt to revoke naturaliza-
| ton papers in order to declare an
alien subject to deportation is a per-
version of a law which was intended
to cover only cases of fraud
citizenship papers should not be
refused to any alien because of the
| expression of radical views, or activi.
! ties in the cause Of labor.
Race Equality.--Every attempt TO
discriminate between races In the an.
| plication OF all principles of civil lib
, erty here set forth should he oppos-
ed"
| This DECLARATION of doctrine of the
chief opponents of deportation of ''un-
hesira BILE" criminal aliens is signed by
| Eugene v. Debs. Clarence barrow.
! Jane Adams. William H. Foster. DR..
i David Starr Jordan and more than
| 40 others. more or less known
tropyright. 1890 nv Paul v. ColIiNs.i