The financial and military measures which must be adopted will
suggest themselves as the war and its undertakings develop, but I
will take the liberty of proposing to you certain other acts of
legislation which seem to me to be needed for the support of the war
and for the release of our whole force and energy.
It will be necessary to extend in certain particulars the legislation
of the last session with regard to alien enemies; and also necessary,
I believe, to create a very definite and particular control over the
entrance and departure of all persons into and from the United
States.
Legislation should be enacted defining as a criminal offense every
wilful violation of the Presidential proclamations relating to enemy
aliens promulgated under Section 4067 of the Revised Statutes and
providing appropriate punishment; and women as well as men should be
included under the terms of the acts placing restraints upon alien
enemies. It is likely that as time goes on many alien enemies will be
willing to be fed and housed at the expense of the Government in the
detention camps, and it would be the purpose of the legislation I
have suggested to confine offenders among them in penitentiaries and
other similar institutions, where they could be made to work as other
criminals do.