The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-16
LODGES SPEECH
Review of the Danger Of
\. immigration.
Desirable and Undesirable Ad-
ditiOnS to Population.
Merits OfParticular Form OfRestric-
tiOn and General Policy.

the usual full attendance today.
MIR. Elkins, (Rep, w. Va made early
reference to the Cuban question by offer
ing a resolution directing the committee
on foreign relations before the vote was
taken on the Cuban resolutions to make
q report TO the Senate of all material acts
on the subject ;stating specifically whether
state of war now existed in Cuba, how
long IL had been in existence, how many
men are engaged on the respective sides; /;
whether the insurgents have adopted a
constitution and organized government
and at what place the seat Of government
is carried on; what places and ports are
occupied by the insurgents; what right
the pending resolution would confer on
the insurgents and to what extent they
would affect our relations with Spain.
MIR. Sherman asked that the resolution
go over under the rule until tomorrow
and Mr.. Elkins assented.
Mr.. Cali (Dem. Fla. y secured the adop-
iton OF a resolution calling on the Secre-
tary of the Treasury for information TO
the detention of vessels supposed 10 be
carrying arms to Cuba and the legal au-
thority for such a course. Mr.. Palmer
Dem, ILL.,, offered resolution which
went over declaring that the unlimited
coinage OF silver by the United States
would subvert the existing legal and
commercial values.
Mr.. Cannon, the Senator from Utah,
made his frs, speech, sharply criticising
Secretary Hoke smith for the latter's re-
cent response TO SENATE resolution as to
the Indian lands.
At o'clock MIR. Lodge (6ep., Mass.
was recognized for a speech on immigra-
tion and in support of the resolution for
additional immigration laws. He spoke
as follows:
Mr.. President-This bin is intended to
amend the existing law so as to restrict
still further immigration 10 the United
States. Paupers, diseased persons, con-
victs and contract-laborers are now ex-
cluded. by this bill 1t is proposed to
make q new class of excluded immigrants
and add TO those which have just been
named, the totally ignorant. The bill is
of the simplest kind. The first section
excludes from the country all immigrants
who cannot read and write either their
own or some other language. The sec
ond section merely provides simple test
for determining whether the immigrant
can read or write and Is added TO the bill
so as to define the duties of the iinmi-
grant inspectors, ano TO assure TO all inn
migrants alike perfect justice and a fair
test of their knowledge.
Two questions arise i'm connection with
tn bill. The first is as to the merits of
the particular form of restriction; the
second as TO the general policy OF re-
stricting immigration at ALL | desire to
discuss briefly these two questions IN
the order in which 1 have stated them.
The smaller question as TO the merits ut
this particular comes first. The excluding
laws of the United States now exclude,
as 1 have said, certain classes of immi-
grants who, 1t Is universally agreed,
would be most undesirable additions TO
our population. These restrictions
have been enforced and the results have
been beneficial, but the excluded classes
are extremely limited and do not by any
means cover all or even any considerable
part of the immigrants whose presence
here Is undesirable or injurious, nor do
they have any adequate effect in properly
reducing the great body of immigration
TO this country. There can te no dou bt
that there is very earnest desire on the
part of the American people to restrict
further and much more extensively than
has yet teen done foreign immigration
of the United States. The question be-
fore the committee was how this could
best he done; that is, by what methods
the largest number of undesirable i'm
migrants and the smallest possible num-
ber of desirable immigrants could be shut
out. Three methods of obtain ng this
further restriction hav been widely dis
cussed of late years, and In various forms
have been Brought to the bttention Of
Congress.
The first was the imposition Of a capita
tion tax on all immigrants. The second
scheme was to restrict immigration by re-
quiring consular certifcation of immi-
grafton. The third method was to ex-
clude all immigrants who could neither
read nor write, and this was the plan
which was adopted by the committee and
which IL embodied In this bill. It Is
found that the illiteracy test will bear
most heavily upon the Italians, Russians,
Poles, Rungarians, Greeks and Asiatics,
and very lightly or not at all, upon the
English speaking immigrants or Ger
mans, Scandinavians and French.
On the other hand, immigrants from
the United Kingdom and OF those races
which are most closely related TO the En-
glish-speaking PEOPLE, and who, with
the English-speaking people themselves,
founded the American colonies and built
up the United States, are affected but
little by the proposed test.
The statistics prepared by the commit
tee show further that the Immigrants ex-
cluded by the illiteracy test are those
who remain for the most part in con-
gested masses in our great cities. They
furnish, az other tables show, a large
proportion OF the population of the slums.
IL also appears from investigations
which have teen mace that the immi-
grants who would be shut out by the
illiteTacy test are those who bring less
money TO the country and come most
quickly upon private or public charity
for support. II is also proved that the
classes now excluded by law, the crimi-
nails, the deceased. the paupers, and
the contract-laborers, are furnished chiefly
by the same races az those most affected
by the test Of illiteracy The effect OF
this bill would be fair In its operation
and highly beneficial in its result.
The second and larger question, ms TO
the advisability OF restricting immigra-
tion az all, has two sides, the economical
few words are necessary. There is no one
thing which does 30 much TO bring about
reduction of wages and to in5ure the
American wagc-carner as the limited In
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