Speech #780028236

Mr. Speaker. I wish to commend the Committee on Immigration and Naturalization for reporting out this bill and for the close attention they have given to the important matters that are involved in it. There is no more important piece of legislation that has been or can come before this Congress than this bill. If I were permitted the time I might trace this problem of deportation of alien seamen back to the early days of shipping legislation when the La Follette Seamens Act was passed and provisions that are being amended now were enacted for the correction of conditions existing formerly. As I recall. the law permitted that seamen leaving alien ships should have about 60 days in which to reship and to leave the country. but if they remained beyond that time. they might be deported to the country from which they came. For some time last year an attempt was made to send these deserters to the countries from which they sailed or to the countries where the government was governmentally located. as. for instance. Norway in Great Britain or Greece in Great Britain. There was considerable benefit from that interpretation and that procedure. desertions fell off very considerably. However. last fall certain courts decidedthree. I thinkthat. as the gentleman from Indiana has said. these deportations could only be made to the government territorially of the country from which they came and not the government governmentally. The result was that if the Government of Greeceand I am using Greece only by way of illustrationwas established governmentally in Great Britain. yet that there could be no deportation to Great Britain for the reason that the existing laws mean the country geographically. It follows that the law providing deportation is unenforceable. as there is no country geographically to which these men could be deported. Let me call your attention to the fact that within the last 24 hours the necessity for this legislation has been emphasized. Within the last 24 hours it has been necessary to supply a ship which is carrying 6.000 American troops with 227 men from the Army to make up the shortage by reason of these desertions.