Speech #680116512

Seamen can not now le held on board ship even long enough to give them the medical examination neessary for the protection of the United States. We correct tia situation. It is charged that section 19 places the alien seamen under the immigration laws. and that to come ashore these seamen will have to comply with all the provisions of the immigration laws and be eligible to citizenship. There is nothing to that charge. The provision excluding froni admission aliens ineligible to citizenship by its own terms does not apply to any alien who is not an immigrant as defined in section 3. By the terms of section 3 bona fide seamen are expressly declared not to be immigrants. Therefore seamen are not prevented from landing under the Japaneseexclusion provision. Next it ischarged in a )amphlet signed by Andrew Furuseth on behalf of the seamen. thatSection 21 provides that the master of a vessel must hold the seaman on hoard. first. until examined. second. until deported either by himself in the same ship. or by order of the Secretary of Labor in somne oner ship. unless the seaman shall be permitted to land. Having no Immigration vtsd. of course. he can not land in the United States under the immigration laws. as they will he amended if these two sections are adopted. The failure of the master to hold tile seaman to the vessel carries with it a penalty of $1.000. This is absolutely without foundation. The only person required to have an immigration vis6 is an immigrant. Section 3 expressly declares bona fide seamen not to be immigrants. In conclusion. Mr.