The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-12-11
Measure That Requires All Foreign-
ers Over Fourteen Years Old to
De Able 10 Read and Write.
TWO BILLS PASSED BY HOUSE
ONE PROTECTS AUTHORS OF ORA
MATIC AND OPERaTIC WORKS,
And the other Forbids Sale of Infoxf-
cants I'm the Cnpitol-Defeat of Bill
Permitting Aliens to own Land.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 1O-The Senate got
into the regular channel OF business to-day.
taking up the immigration bin and partly
perfecting IL, and also hearing the first OF
the speeches on Cuba, those OF Mr.. Cullom
and Mr.. Call. given elsewhere. The dispo.
sition TO put through the immigration bill
was shown by the defeat of a motion by
Mr.. Gibson. of Maryland. TO postpone the
measure until after the holidays. Only
thirteen votes. ali Democratic. were given
in favor of the postponement. The proposi-
ton served TO involve Messrs. Chandler
Lodge and Gibson in several spirited per-
sonal colloquies. The merits OF the immi-
grafton question were discussed in a gen.
eral way on several proposed amendments
Mr.. Vest and Mr.. Palmer suggested that
limits should be placed on the restrictions
while Mr.. Lodge and Mr.. Chandler urged
that the restrictions be sweeping in char
acter. The bill was not passed on at the
time OF adjournment, but the Senate agreed
TO what is generally known as the Lodge
bill as a substitute to the House meas
ure. The substitute requires that all immi-
grants over the age OF fourteen years shall
be able to read and write their native Ian.
guage and shall be required TO read and
write in the presence of United States
official at least five lines of the United
States Constitution.
At the opening of the Senate a motion by
M. Aldrfch was adopted that when the
Senate adjourns to-day il will be until Mon-
day next
The popular interest various subjects
Of legislation was shown by the armful of
petitions received by the petition clerk The
main subjects of petition were fer the
passage of the Dingley bill. the indepen-
dence of Cuba and the restriction of inlmi-
grafton.
The coming Inauguration of Mr.. McKin-
ley was foreshadowed i'm resolution Of
fered by Mr.. Sherman, and agreed TO, pro-
viding for committee Of three Sens tors,
to be named by the presiding officer, TO
make necessary arrangements for the in
auguration or the President-elect.
The immigration bill then came up as the
unfinished business. Mr.. Gibson suggested
that the measure go over until after the
holidays. Mr.. Lodge, in charge Of the bin,
protested that there should be no further
delay Mr.. Gibson responded that his op-
position was due TO the fact that no de-
mand came for ii from the States
There were several sharp passages be-
tween Mr.. Gibson and Mr.. Chandler. The
latter characterized MIR. Gibson's PROPOSE
ton for delay as ''jocose." He occasioned n
laugh on suggesting that the Senate ought
not TO wait while Mr.. Gibson read re-
port. The Maryland senator replied that
he was not jocose, and proceeded TO read
features of the immigration report. point
ing out where IL differed essentially from
Mr.. Gibson changed his motion to
postpone the bill until the first Monday in
ing: Ayes. 1S; nays. g. The vote for post
ponement was: Bacon. Bate. Blackburn.
Caffery. Gibson, Mills. Mitchell of Wiscon-
sin. Murphy. Pasco. Pugh. Turpie. Vest.
Walthall all Democrats.
The measure brought out extended de-
bate. Mr. Vest pointed out that the pro-
visions should be restricted to male immi-
grants. showing that the female domestics
coming from foreign countries did not have
standards of citizenship.
Mr. Lodge opposed the amendment. say
ing the time had come TO make the restr1c-
tions ample to keep out foreign labor and
foreign competition. The people gathered
I'm our cities see streams of immigrants
pouring into their midst: Our own uncm-
,sloyed were being faced by the unemployed
Of other lands.
Mr. Chandler called attention to the fact
tt at in the recent elections women voted in
many States and that the distinction urged
by Mr.. Vest was fast disappearing. Mr..
Chandler said IL was essential that the
mothers and girls coming from abroad
reared the children who were TO swell our
coming generations. Mr.. Chandler caused
| York who temporarily occupied the chair
| He said the restriction OF immigration had
been approved by the several national plat
forms. IF / am wrong the senator in the
chair (1ilD will correct me- and he Is famil-
| lar with all platforms" Mr.. Chandler said
the Republican national platform and at
| Bryan stood had declared for restricted Inn
| migration. and he facetiously suggested
| that Mr.. Vest ought not to be the first to
| violate party pledges
Mr.. Palmer offered an amendment maxi
! ing the restriction apply TO all persons over
| twenty-one years of age, instead of four
| teen years. as proposed by the bill. He
| urged that twenty-one years was the usual
| time of reaching majority.
| The Vest and Palmer amendments were
| pending when the bill was laid aside. An
| amendment by Mr.. Sewall was agreed TO
| excepting the minor children and wives or
| admissible immigrants from the operations
| of the bill. At 3:45 the immigration bill
went over and the Senate held brief ex-
ecutive session, after which u adjourned
t;lN