Letter from Attorney Alfred Ely to the Commissioner of Immigration
10/15/1913
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In this letter to the Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island in New York, Alfred Ely lists reasons why Emmeline Pankhurst should not be allowed in America, including her conviction in England showing moral turpitude, her encouragement of attacks on the persons and property of England, and her record of breaking the law.
Ely appealed to the commitment of civilized governments to uphold the law and claimed his view is held by everyone he knew and many others. It comes from an appeal of English suffragette Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst for admittance.
Ely appealed to the commitment of civilized governments to uphold the law and claimed his view is held by everyone he knew and many others. It comes from an appeal of English suffragette Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst for admittance.
Transcript
TELEPHONE 677 CORTLANDTAgar, Ely & Fulton,
Attorneys & Counselors at Law,
John G. Agar.
Alfred Ely.
Louis M. Fulton.
Bank of Commerce Building 31 Nassau St.
New York
Oct. 15, 1913.
Copy.
To the Commissioner of Immigration,
Ellis Island, New York.
Dear Sir:
The daily papers inform the public that a woman by the name of Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst notorious in England for her criminal acts intends to come to the United States (is now on the ocean) for the purpose of soliciting money to enable her to continue her wrong doings in England. Such a woman ought not to be permitted entrance into the United States, but should be excluded for many reasons, among others the following:
FIRST: Mrs. Pankhurst has been convicted in England of felony and is now fugitive from justice. No convicted felon is legally admissible into this country. Any felony involves moral turpitude, and it is a misuse of language for her friends to assert that because she claims to have committed the felony in aid of some pretended political purpose, therefore moral turpitude is not involved. Crime is crime: felony is felony, and every felony necessarily involves moral turpitude. The two are inseparable. It is moreover inconceivable that any woman could be convicted by a jury of felony and sentenced in England without the criminal having been guilty equally of moral turpitude.
SECOND: This Mrs. Pankhurst has been notoriously engaged in assaults on both persons and property within the territory of England, a nation friendly to the United States. This woman has also been notoriously engaged in inciting criminal attacks within the territory of a friendly nation upon both persons and property and particularly upon the persons of government officials. She has been engaged in inciting to arson and assault; she has been duly indicted, tried and convicted by a jury, and sentenced for felony and under such conviction is now a fugitive from the justice of a friendly country. Such a woman is and must necessarily be an undesirable alien.
To admit such a woman to the United States is an unfriendly act to a friendly government and must be so considered.
C.of I. -2- 10/15/13.
THIRD: This Mrs. Pankhurst is an open, notorious and long continued and persistent law breaker and criminal, to say that a person so conducting herself against the laws of a friendly nation like England has not been guilty of moral turpitude and is not an undesirable alien to the United States, is absurd and childish.
The first obligation of every civilized government is impartially to enforce the law and to impartially punish the law breaker. In fact, civilized government has no other function. Here comes this Pankhurst woman, a notorious law breaker and convicted felon seeking entrance into the United States for the avowed purpose to collect money here with which further to indulge her criminal practices and those of her followers against the government and laws and people of Great Britain which is a friendly power. Such a woman upon any impartial enforcement of our laws must be excluded as a criminal and therefore undesirable alien. The alleged cause in aid of which this Pankhurst woman claims to have done her criminal acts is of no consequence and cannot be considered. No cause justifies arson or malicious mischief or assaults on persons or property within the jurisdiction of a civilized government with which the United States has friendly relations.
I want to protest most emphatically against the admission of Mrs. Pankhurst or any other similar person in the United States and to request that she be excluded as an undesirable alien. In making this protest I know I am expressing the sentiments of a great number of persons and beg to say that in my own circle of acquaintance I know of no one who is not of the same opinion.
Very respectfully yours,
(Sgd) Alfred Ely
This primary source comes from the Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
National Archives Identifier: 18503922
Full Citation: Letter from Attorney Alfred Ely to the Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island in New York; 10/15/1913; 51728/017; Appeal of Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst for admittance for visit, English Suffragette; Subject and Policy Files, 1893 - 1957; Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, Record Group 85; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/alfred-ely-to-commissioner-of-immigration, September 7, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
