| Show i I I I READ OR OF KEEP OUT OUTI I I THAT IS WHAT UNCLE SAM IS LIKELY SOON TO SAY TO IMMIGRANTS i I BILL NOW IS IN CONFERENCE I President Taft Probably Will Sign Measure That Is Designed to Exclude Exclude Ex Ex- clude dude People From Some Parts of Southern Europe By GEORGE CLINTON Washington Recently Recently the senate of the tho United States passed an Immigration Immigration I gration restriction bill and sent it over to tho the house for approval The representatives changed the form of the bill passed it and sent It to con con- ference It is believed that an agreement agree agree- ment meat upon the provisions of the measure measure measure meas meas- ure will be reached by the two houses and arid that soon congress will pass It and send it to the president for his signature or his veto It Is understood that Mr Taft does not entirely agree w with th the provIsions provisions provi provI- alone of the measure in the form In which it seems certain it finally will willbe willbe be approved by congress congress The law lawwill lawwill will contain a n provision shutting out from America all Immigrants above the age of sixteen years who are un un- ible ble to read unless It can be proved that the aliens are fleeing from religious reli reU- I persecution While the president is said not to tobe tobe tobe be entirely sympathetic with the bill billIt billit billit it Is believed that In the near future Immigrants will be subjected to the reading test before they can admitted to this country The test will be inthe In Inthe Inthe the language which the immigrants speak When the measure passed the senate there was a five to one vote in favor of a provision which would have subjected immigrants to both reading and writing tests The house knocked knock knock- knocked ed out the writing provision and sent the bill to conference Taft Will Sign It It lt Is the opinion of congressmen who have made inquiry into th the matter that the change of the form of the il illiteracy n- n literacy test will not make much dir dif ference It Is held that about 99 out of every persons who know hoYto how hoY to read also know kno how bow to write It seems finally to be assured that a restrIctive restrictive restrictive re re- re- re immigration measure will find a place on the statute books inthe Inthe in inthe the immediate future for while PresIdent President President dent Taft Is known to have some doubts in the matter the gener general l belief belief belief be be- lief lief Is that he will sign the bill There Is no use to try to gloss over the real reason why congress was willing willing will will- I ing to put the reading te test t into the new Immigration law The desire Is Isto Isto to tu keep out immigrants whom experience experience ex ex- ex- ex it Is said has proved to be undesirable as a class and this means the exclusion of certain of the south Italians certain of the Jews certain of the Poles and men and women women of other races among whom the percentage percentage percentage per per- of illiteracy Is high The steamship companies always have been against Immigration anti laws The reason for their opposition opposition opposition tion needs no explanation Under the proposed law rejected aliens will be besent besent besent sent back to their native l lands at the expense of the steamship companies which bring them over The supposition supposition tion Is that the companies will on their own behalf see to it that no one Is allowed on board boarI who cannot go through a paragraph of his school reader For years attempts have been made madeIa In Ia congress to get through an Immigration immigration ham ham- gration bill with an Illiteracy test clause as one of Its provisions In In i 1 I 1897 when Grover Cleveland was president a bill very much present one or like the form in which it has been sanctioned by the house was passed by congress Mr Cleveland I vetoed it and it has b been en said that afterward afterward aft aft- erward he regretted his act net There i always has been strong opposition to the passage of a measure which would exclude immigrants because of inability ina lna to read and write Question Really of Geography If congress could have done it it It would have exempted from fron the illiteracy illiteracy illiteracy test Immigrants from the northern northern north north- em ern European countries but buC of course it could not do this The Issue so so far as geographical restriction Is concerned always has been avoided but bu when a thing Is perfectly plain de denials and evasion are of no service Certain kinds of at Immigrants are not wanted and It Is supposed that the Il Illiteracy n- n literacy clause claus will keep them out The opposition to the Illiteracy test has come during the years not only from naturalized Americans who do not like to see their homeland kindred debarred from admission but from men and women of prominence In the work of the world and who are descended from Immigrants who came to this country in the seventeen seventeenth seven sevenS teen h and eighteenth centuries The provision of the bill which allows allows allows al al- al- al lows illiterate immigrants to enter the tho country If they are trying to get getaway getaway getaway away from religious persecution opens I up the tho question of proof In certain countries the Jews are persecuted off and on Will an Immigrant be allowed to enter because ho he is In fn fear of at persecution persecution persecution per per- a fear based on past performance per per- In other words must the persecution be open and active and must a man be actually fleeing from It ItIn itIn In order to bo bc admitted to this country I without being asked to read his way into it Wilson Silent on Cabinet Never within the tho mem memory ry of the j i of congress oldest In service service ice has a president elect been ep o self seU constrained as Is Woodrow Wilson Vilson on the subject of prospective cabinet I appointments appointments and other appointment I Ito I Ito to high g government offices Today there Is not nota a Democratic leader in i i congress apparently who can say that he lie knows one man who is certain to tobe tobe tobo be bo appointed to high office by the Incoming In in- coming Democratic president Ever since sinco Mr Wilson camo came back backI from r m Bermuda the D Democratic leaders i I have been conferring with him The trains between Washington and Trenton have been heavy laden with passengers of national prominence going going go go- goI going I ing to the source of knowledge to I come back bacle again with very little i knowledge about the things of greatest greatest great great- I est eat personal Interest Mr Wilson the rc returning Democratic lead leaders rs admit I I i is not not of a mind to commit himself Inan in an any way definitely upon the subject of the composition of his cabinet until ho he Is certain that he has weighed all the recommendations and all the objectIons objections ob oh- I I and has found out to the ninety nicety of a fraction all that he wanta wants to know about the men whom ho he would like to invite to membership in his official family It must not be understood from this that Mr Wilson has declined to talk freely treely with the Democratic lead lead- ers He Ho has had and Is having cod cori- lasting for several hours with the men of at greater prominence in his party It is known definitely In Washington however that nine nine- tenths of the time consumed at the tho conference is given over to the discussion discussion discussion dis dis- dis- dis of ot policies rather than men Mr Wilson Is anxious to learn from tho men of his party of at long experience experience experience ence in congress just what chance legIslation legIslation legislation leg leg- which he may propose has baa ot being ein enacted into law I Expects Antagonism In Senate Senat The president elect has a kee keen appreciation appreciation appreciation ap ap- of the fact that the De Democratic Dent Dem membership In the senate Is Isan isan an uncertain quantity in certain matters matters mat mat- of ot party policy He knows that there are ultra-conservative ultra Democrate Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- crate in the senate whom their more progressive or radical If It you will brethren go so far as to ca call l Republicans Republicans with a little veneer of at racy It Is known from what the leaders leaders lead lead- I ers say that Mr Wilson fears that some of his policies upon which he will make strongly progressive recommendations recommendations recent recent- are not xo o the liking in their outlined form of some of the Democrats in the senate So it is that Mr Wilson is anxious to learn In advance from the members of at his party Just how much antagonism he may expect In the senate and what if anything he must concede in order t t V. Insure united Democratic support of such legislation as he ho may pro pro- pose There Is some fear it is known on Mr Wilsons Wilson's part that the Democrats in the senate will decline to sanction tariff revision In the form of some of the provisions which will be put Into iato the bill by the house of representatives tives which under the constitution must Initiate all tariff legislation Must Travel Old Road Representative Oscar W W. Underwood Under Under- Underwood wood chairman and his fellow members mem memo bers of the ways and means means committee com corn com are about to begin the hearings hearings hear hear- hearings ings which always come as a prelude pre pro lude to the passage of new tariff legis legis- lation The road which stretches before before before be be- fore the chairman and his fellows is 13 isa isa a much traveled one The Republic Republic- controlled an-controlled ways and means com corn committee went over it at the extra session session ses sese sion slon called by Mr Taft TaCt in 1909 A Democratic-controlled Democratic ways and means committee went over It In part when reciprocity was under consideration con then the same committee went over it again at atthe the last session of at congress and now the ways and means members stand at the tape ready for the signal to begin tha the march once more I Cynical laymen In Washington say that If Jf the committee hears anything new on the tariff question during the coming weeks of patient or Impatient impatient tient attention to the arguments of ot importers and manufacturers It willbe will willbe willbe be one of the miracles of chance The printed public reports of the tarIff tariff tar tar- iff hearings during tho the last four years make many volumes Every subject from to zinc has been exploited for all that was in It to bolster up the cause of either or downward revision Cuts May Not Be Very Deep It seems to be the belief of at most students of legislation and of the political trend as it will affect legislation legis lation that the tariff bills bitis which will willbe willbe be passed by a congress congress controlled by the Democrats and signed by a n Democratic president will not represent represent represent sent a cut to the bone policy It seems likely that the measures which finally will come out of congress congress con gress will wUl be considerably above a n afree afree free basis Democratic leaders have said that they do not want to do anything any anything thing which will upset business or as an ansome some of them put it which will give business a chance to upset Itself The ways and means mean committee will report downward revision tariff bills bUls but Just how deep the cuts will go must depend entirely upon the tho results results' of the conference between lead i ithe the different schools of thought on tariff matters 1 A A new ways and means committee will be appointed as soon as the n ne navy congress congress congress' gets together r. r but nearly a all l the Democrats In the present commit commit- teo tee are certain of reappointment Because of the Increased Democratic membership In the tho next house one or two additional members of the party will be put on the ways and means committee but U cre is not even the remotest possibility that thai any chango change of the committee from one Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- I cratic school of thought t to another can occur The Influence of or the present pres ent committee therefore will extend pres-I pres into iato tho the next congress and In a largo measure ita Ito personnel will be the j same sarno |
