Show TEST VETOED in vetoing the immigration bill because of tile the literacy test which that measure imposed the president said such test is not a test of character of 0 quality or of 0 personal fitness hut but in most cases would operate merely I 1 as a penalty for lack of opportunity lit in tile the country from which the alien seeking admission came the president is right no man should pay a penalty for lack of opportunity this is the second time the pres president has vetoed the immigration bill for the same specific reason and lie he has done so notwithstanding the vote for the measure in both house and senate the first bill passed tho the house by a vote of to 87 and the senate 6 ca 4 to 7 it has again passed both branches by votes almost as decisive it is claimed that there is a clear two thirds majority in both houses tor for passing the bill over the presidents veto but this is not likely to be done however desirable restriction of immigration the necessity of the situation does not compoi injustice to any one throughout the country at the present time schools school sare arc conducted for the benefit of foreign born citizens who have had little or no opportunity tor for education to penalize other aliens seeking admission for lack of opportunity port unity would in a way render present educational efforts somewhat inconsistent instead of educating for eign born citizens consistency would require them being excluded bioni the country if the literacy test were in the future applied at ports of entry congress has overridden a veto by president wilson for the first time and enacted into law tile the I 1 tion bill with its long fought literacy test provision the senate voted 02 to 19 to pass the measure notwithstanding the veto and lit in spite of eleventh hour information that japan again had protested against the language ail of tho the asiatic e exclusion cl section the house overturned the veto last week by a vote of to so the s senates action ends the contest of twenty years standing in which three presidents have repudiated similar bills passed by congress the international situation was brought into the closing debate in the senate senator reed calling attention to the japanese objection and pleading that nothing be done at this time to disturb or impair the one coun arys relations with a friendly nation senator smith of south carolina chairman of the immigration committee answered with a declaration that the present stats state of international affairs fa I 1 rs emphasized the necessity for a pure homogeneous american people such as the bill was intended to protect resident president P cleveland vetoed the first immigration measure with a literacy test provision president tatt taft disapproved tho the second bill and in 1915 president wilson rejected tile the third president wilson wrote ills his second veto message a few weeks ago |