Speech #630424072

Section 3 denies admission to various persons. includingpersons * * * who advocate or teach the unlawful destruction of property. persons who are members of or affiliated with any organization entertaining and teaching disbelief in or opposition to organized government. or who advocate or teach the duty. necessity. or propriety of -the unlawful assaulting or killing of any officer or officers. either of specific individuals or of officers generally. of the Government of the United States or of any other organized Government. because of his or their official character. or who advocate or teach the unlawful destruction of property. Mr. Speaker. that clause. with the exception of the words "who advocate or teach the unlawful destruction of property." Is current law. (See. 38. act of 1907.) Asylum for political refugees is clearly established in the words of the first proviso of section 3 of the present bill. as follows: Provided. That nothing in this act shall exclude. if otherwise admissible. persons convicted of or legally charged with an offense purely political. not involving moral turpitude. Now. then. a word as to section 19 of the Burnett bill. This section reads as follows: That at any time within five years after entry any alien who at the time of entry was a member of one or more of the classes excluded by law. any alien who within five years after entry shall be found advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property. or advocating or teaching anarchy. or the overthrow by force or violence of the Government of the United States or of all forms of law or the assassination of public officials * * * shall be deported. Objection is made to this clause. although most of it is now current law. the new part being: Any alien who within five years shall be found advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property. Mr. Speaker. these clauses. in my opinion. make the whole bill worth while and more than overcome any sentimental reasons or " onfirstthought" objections to the socalled literacy test. " Shall we abolish asylum to those who seek political freedom? " shout those who want still more nostrums of the Old World taught to those who have come here as workers and toilers and who hope to rise through individual effort. And we answer. " Shall we have no redress against those who are flocking to this country to teach sabotage qnd to inflane and incite those who are here in the hope of bettering their conditions? " I invite your attention while I read a few paragraphs from an article recently published in the International Socialist Review. This publication can be found. by the way. in nearly all of our public libraries.