The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-05-16

An exceptionally fine entertainment
was given under the auspices Of the Lite
rary Society, last Thursday evening, In
the Assembly rooms of the Association,
before a very large audience. The first
thing on the programme was banjo duet
by the Misses Shaw, after which Miss
Essie Ireland gave recitation. This was
followed by humorous triae called ''The
Phrenologist and the Mind Reader" by
Prof. Parsons and Miss Ireland.
Then followed lively debate on the
question: Resolved. That immigration
should be restricted to those who can
read and speak English ordinarily well
and who can also bring certificate OF
good moral character and industrious
habits from the United States Consul near
their home" Affirmative, Prof. Roes;
negative, J. w. Lundy. The Rev. Mr..
Clifford, Or. Vanderveer, ]. S. Baugh, E.
J. Buckley, George Rendell and Joshua
Matlack, Jr., took part upon the floor.
The president, Prof. Parsons, was in the
chair, and decided the weight of argu-
ment in favor of the negative, on the
ground that the affirmative had failed to
sustain the burden resting upon them to
show that the language test was neces-
sary and proper in the shape presented
nv the question. 1t was admitted on all
sides that some restriction of immigra-
ton was necessary. and it was also practi-
cally admitted that the character and
good habit test was vital one. The aftir-
NATIVE proved their case in respect to this
restriction, but the language test was more
difficult. The negative strongly urged
that recurring a man in France, Germany,
italy. etc, to learn English over there
before sailing for America, would in effect
exclude all but the rich.
The negative also read from the decla'
ration of independence that all men are
endowed with certain inalienable rights
among which are life, liberty and the
, pursuit OF happiness, and remarked tha
not only American institutions-ths
, brotherhood of man and the COLDER
/ rule-were dead against the exclusion 0
/ men from the home of liberty and pros
/ perity, merely because they happened t.
' be born where English was not spoken.
a In answer to this the affirmative spok
+ of the evils of having masses of ignorant
slavish, destitute foreigners come in upoI
= us. building up little Scandinavias,. Italie
and Germanies, keeping their own Ian
euage religion and institutions, and be
/. canning a serious menace to the publ
!. schools and republican government. Thi
line of argument is unanswerable to th
II point that some form of restriction is M
n cessary. but is not sufficient TO prove tbs
v, an anti-sailing study of English is the pre-
+. per remedy. The affirmative admitted tht
a this would exclude many who ought
% come as well as many who ought not.
~ IL a rule of argument that when certai
:, method of accomplishing stated purpos
- ia contrary to great established principle
and is manifestly imperfect. does nj
"a draw the true line, then the burden is VI
NJ ON him who asks us to adopt that metho
.. to show that it is the best thing that ca
Va be done under the circumstances; th'
there is no other method that will dra
nj the line more truly and give better r
IN suits. If there is better method Il
st one in question should not be adopte
he The affirmative did not do this-did n
even touch upon the point, and 80 om
ue ted one essential element ~ their proo