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Show IMMIGRATION JIWjIj VKTOE!) 11V TllltKi: PHHSIDPATS III-:- COMUS A liAMV A number of our readers hnvo nsk-ed nsk-ed us -to explain tho grounds upon which President Wilson vetoed tho recent important immigration bill, which was later passod over his head Tho cause of tho veto was tho 'literacy 'lit-eracy tost which means that all foreigners for-eigners within certain nges shall bo excluded from our shores. On this bill tho lear.nod Cardinal Gibbons recently wroto: It is disappointing to many thoughtful cltlzons that tho Immigration Im-migration bill has passed both Houses of Congress. Uy this mensuro illiterates will, In tho future, bo oxcluded from ontra-nco ontra-nco Into this country. It Is to bo hoped that Mr. WIl3on will act with tho same good Judgment as ho has dono on n former like occasion and veto the bill. SI- . mllar bills havo been votood by preceding Presidents, who havo beon cognizant of tho harmful effect this test ot literacy would havo upon desirable Immigration. Immigra-tion. -Illiteracy Not Ignorance. Illiteracy should not bo confounded con-founded with Ignorance. Thero Is an old axiom which reads that "intellectual attainments aro not tho test of virtue." Many of tho most dangerous members of the community aro men of keen and trained Intellect, Intel-lect, but of depraved morals. Tho normal, sturdy Illiterate has a rocoptlvo mind, capublo of early development. Had tho United States refused such Illiterates Illi-terates from tho beginning of our Government, our country would havo lost tho benefit of their virtue, thrift, Industry and enterprising spirit. And tho descendants of such forbears nro an honor to tholr fathers nnd a credit and an asset to our country, for they havo boon rapidly rap-idly Incorporated and ldontl-. ldontl-. fled with tho natlvo population by tho assimilating process of education and tho common uso of tho English tongue. In consequence con-sequence of this, It would bo hard to differentiate the children child-ren of forolgn Immigrants from thoso of natlvo American par-onts. par-onts. Immigration bills havo beon vetoed ve-toed four times on this test. Tho bill of 1897 excluded from admission to tho United States tho following: "All persons physically cap-ablo cap-ablo and over 1G yeaH of ago who can not read and wrlto tho English language or somo other oth-er language ," President Clevoland In his veto message said: Horotoforo wo havo welcomed welcom-ed all who came to us from other oth-er lands except thoso who moral mor-al or physical condition or history his-tory threatened danger to our national welfaro nnd safety. A century's stupendous growth, gro-wth, largely due to tho nsalmll-ation nsalmll-ation and thrift of millions ot sturdy and patriotic adopted citizens, attests tho success ot this genorous nnd freo-handod policy which, whllo guarding tho people's Interests, exacts from our immigrants only physical phy-sical and moral soundness nnd a wllllngnoss and ability to work. It Is said, however, that tho quality ot recent Immigration Is undesirable Tho tlmo la qulto within rocont memory when tho samo thing waa said of Immigrants who, with tholr descendants, aro now numberod among our best cltlzons. In 1913 Prusldont Taft vetoed n bill ot tho samo kind using these words: I can not mako up my mind to sign a bill which in Its chief provision violates tho principle that ought, In my opinion, to bo upheld In dealing with our immigration. im-migration. I rofor to tho literacy liter-acy tost. President Wilson has for tho sec-' ond tlmo vetoed an immigration bill on account of tho "literacy tost' Tho presldont says: i In most of tho provisions of the bill I should bo vory glad to concur, but I enn not rid myself of tho conviction that tho literacy liter-acy test constitutes a radical change In tho policy ot tho nation na-tion which Is not justlfleld In principle. It Is not a test ot character, of quality, or of personal per-sonal fltnoss,, but would operate oper-ate in most cases merely as a penalty forMack of opportunity' in tho country from which tho nlion seeking admission camo. Tho opportunity to gain an education edu-cation Is In many cases ono of tho chief opportunities sought Uy tho immigrant In coming to tho United Stntcs, nnd our ox-pcrlonco ox-pcrlonco in tho past has not been that tho lllltomlo Immigrant Immi-grant is ns uuch an undesirable immigrant. Vf) |