The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-05-23
DEBATE OF IMMIGRATION BILLS
The House Has n Number Under Con-
sideratiOn.


Washington, May 19-The house today
entered upon a two days debate of the
immigration bills reported from the i'm
migration committee. William Stone OF
Pennsylvania and Mr.. Tracewell of In
diana argued for a restrictive measure'
Mr.. Cowliss of Michigan, for his bill, de-
signed to put an end to Canadian compe-
titiOn with American labor Mr.. Morse OF
Massachusetts, and Mr.. BarthOldt of Mis-
souri, for the educational test bill The
feature of the debate today was the plea
of Mr. Buck of Louisiana against any
sort of restrictive legislation beyond that
now on the statute books. which exclud-
ed paupers and criminals. Before the
debate began a resolution was adopted in
structing the sergeant at arms to sum-
mon the clerks of the counties in the
Sixteenth district of Illinois for the pur-
pose of recountng the ballots in the
Rinaker-Do contest.
The title of Mr.. owens of Kentucky 20
his scat was confirmed, and Mir. Steele Of
Indiana, Mr.. Cousins of Iowa and Mr..
McClelland of New York were appointed
on the board of visitors to West Point.
At 1880 the debate on the immigration
bills was opened by Mr.. Bartholdt of
Missouri, chairman of the immigration
committee. The bills were four in num-
Der. One known variously as the Bar
tholdt, Mccall or Lodge bill provided an
educational test 1t excluded all male
persons between 16 and 60 years of age
who could not read and write English or
some other language. Another, the Tone
bill provided for the inspection of immi-
grants by our consular officers and their
certihcation of immigrants who do not
belong to any class of immigrants eXclud-
ed by existing contract labor or other i'm
migration laws. The bill was offered as
an amendment to the Bartholdt-McCall
bill.
The Corliss bill. offered as a substitute,
fnA rlA11 "a hn 4 har llT
and made 1t unlawful for any alien TO en-
ter the United States Except to teach new
arts or industries) and engage in any me-
chanical trade or manual labor The
provisions of the bill do not apply to
sailors on the great lakes
The Mahaney bill. also offered as a
substitute, makes all contracts by aliens
TO perform labor in the United States il
legal. 1t also makes it a misdemeanor
for any person to perform labor duty in
the states who has become a citizen OF
the United States and returned to a for
eign country to make that his home.
Mahaney's substitute was ruled out on
q point of order.
Mr.. johnson of California then offered
a sweeping motion to absolutely exclude
all foreign born" laborers, skilled or In
skilled, and to make captains and masters
of vessels responsible for the character
OF their passengers.
This was also ruled out
Mr.. Bartholdt says that there was no
question so much talked about and 50 lit
tie understood as the problem of immi-
grafton. There was, he thought, too
much passion and prejudice in the de-
mand from certain quarters in favor of
the exclusion of foreigners. Good immi-
grafton. he urged. was desirable. Ills hill
was moderate measure for the exclusion
of illiterates
An educational test. he pointed cut
would not materially affect immigr ltiOn
from Germany and other countries OF
northern Europe. He warned his repub-
lican associates that as the advocates OF
an educational test for immigration they
could go to the country, but cons Ilai
inspection that would cut off all immiSra-
ton save of the most undesirable from
Germany and Scandinavia could never b,
successfully defended.
Mr.. Tracewell of Indiana, who followed
Mr. Bartholdt prefaced his remarks by
stating that he was not an A. F. a. enC
declared himself in favor of all the bill:
reported by the immigration committee
They were not Inconsistent, he 'rsned
and could all be passed with benefit 10 the
country.
w. A. Stone, the author of the Ston,
bill, explained its provisions and advocat
ed it's passage. The country, he argued
had long suffered from unreasonable i'm
migration. The immigration for the las
10 years had exceeded the natural in
crease.
Mr.. Bartholdt challenged this statement
contending that the natural increase was
100000 a year, while the immigration haC
averaged only about 100000 a year.
Mr.. Stone said that during the hare
times of the last three years immigration
had fallen off, but with the prospect of re
turning prosperity and high wages i
would increase to startling proportions.
AIR. Corlss of Michigan submitted AZ
argument in favor of his bill for the ex