Evening journal., 1895-03-04
RsstrIetIon q ImmIgratlon.


The following Ia draft Of bill
submitted by the Executive Committee
Of the Immigration Restriction League
and is Intended to remedy some Of the
worst evils connected with immigration
Section l. That the headmoney coll
1ected from alien passengers under the
act Of August 3, 1882. to regulate immi-
grafton. shall be $40 instead Of 81 as
provided in said act as amended by the
act Of August 1S 1894 making appropria-
tions for sundry civil expenses and
sush headmoney shall be covered into
the Treasury as provided In said last
mentioned act
Section 2 That section OF the act of
March z. 1891, In amendment Of the
Immigration aud Contract Labor acts, be
and hereby Is amended by adding to the
classes OF aliens thereby excluded from
admission to the United States the
following
All persons between IA and go years Of
age who cannot both read and write the
English language or some other language
Section The provisions of the act of
March 3, 1898, TO facilitate the enforce
ment OF the Immigration and Contract
Labor Laws shall apply to the persons
mentioned In section 2 OF this act
Section This act shall take effect
three months after its passage.
The bill embodies only two OF the
many possible remedies, namely, an
increase OF the head-tsx and a reading
and writing qualification. After an ex-
haustive study OF the various immigra.
tion bills introduced In the Fifty FIRST,
Flfty-second and Fifty-third Cong
it has seemed wise to select one or two
simple tests which csn be certainly and
easily applied under exlsting.laws, rather
than to advocate more complicated
measures. simple bill, such as the one
proposed stands much better chance
OF speedy passage through Congress,
Ia regard TO the amount Of the head
money, II is wise to start with moderate
increase Of the tax The present head
money lone dollail Is In practice collected
from the steamship companies, wh'
reimburse themselves by increasing thi
steerage rates The head-tax here
proposed is not in any true sense
property qualification but is designed I,
secure for us better class Of immigrants
by making the expense Of coming her'
greater.
The extremely low rates OF steerag'
passage from Europe to the Unite,
States ffl2-$ls on the average) makes /
possible for almost any discontenteI
pauper to come TO this country, while th
fares to Australia. South Africa ant
South America (f65 OH the averagsl ar
sufficiently high to exclude most OF sucl
undesirable persons from those countries
The quality Of immi grafton, when highe
passage rates prevailed, was decided
superior to that which has come TO u
during the past few years.
The reading and writing qualldcatio
would have excluded 10 per cent. OF tn
sumigration during the year ending Jun
30, 1894 This is regarded IS the mos
important test that can be adopted, bot
asa necessary preparation for cltizsnshi
and universal suffrage. and also as
means Of assimilation. This test hs
the great merit that It can bs easily an
surely applied. The precise wordn
adopted permits persons over 60 years (
age who may be unable to road and writ
to join their relatives in this country
and also allows the immigration OF a
children still OF school age.
While the proposed legislation ms
not seem sufficiently radical to son
persons. il is believed that not only wi
better success attend a moderate 81,
Ike The present one, but also that
Eneh an important question the wise
e.urss is 70 proceed gradually and to
governed In any future action by Il
1ss1lts 81 .he changes now propose
Tie BILL as it stands has the hear
s-1orssmsnt of the president and vic
prs2csnts of The league. and Of eve
member cf the Executive Committee.