The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-22
RESTRICT IMMIGRATION.

| Senator Lodge. chairman of the senate
! committee on immigration, in an inter
| view, declares in favor of an educat ional
| test for aliens who seek admission to the
| United States. He has prepared a bill
| which excludes all persons between II and
| 90 years of age who cannot read and write
| the English language or some other Ian
| guage. Asked how he would put such a
| test into operation, the senator said I'VE
| would not have to worry about that. The
| government would require the amship
| companies TO take back free of charge
| every person unable to comply with the
| law. You would find that the companies
themselves would test the immigrants be-
fore they sold them transportation. The
| government would not be put to much cN-
pense in the matter. When 1t became
generally known abroad that such a regu-
| lation was being strictly enforced the for
eigners desiring to immisrate to this
| country would prepare themselves
| Senator Lodge presented statistics
| showing that in 1880 the foreign-born ele-
ment constituted one-seventh of this
| countrys population and One-third of its
paupers This was shown by the census
returns of that year The census of 1890
I showed that people of foreign birth made
| up 80 per cent of the total white popula-
| ton This One-third of the population
| furnished one half of the criminals, two
thirds of the inmates of reformatories ana
| two thirds of the paupers in almhouses.
| Later statistics show that in evry leo
| foreigners over 16 years of age who came
| to the United States between March and
November, 1892, the illiterates We're divii-
ed as follows: Italy, GG:sPoland So: Hum
gary, 2s: Russia, proper 20; England, TO-;
| Ireland, s; Wales, 6: Germany, 2; Scandi-
navian countries anp Denmark. less than
| !. OF the 440. 193 foreigners who came 10
| this country in the year ended June 30.
| 1893. 51.Sg7 over Ii years of age could not
| read, 49, $50 could not write. and 5l,03s 60 ild
| do neither. Senator Lodge pointed 10
| these figures to show that If an educa ton
| al test had been applied during that year,
| the large number of the least desira BILE
foreigners would have been excluded from
the country.
i Going back rapidly over the history OF
immigrat tion, Senator Lodge said that
before 1929 no record was kept. but that
.probabi $4,000 immigrants came TO the
United States between the close of the
revolution and that time. From 1920 TO
| 1890, inclusive, the number OF immigrants
! reached 1C 49,, ,O9,; The majority of these
1scame from Great Britain. Ireland. Ger
many and the Scandinavian countries.
| The quality of immigrants was high un
| til the last few years. In the fiscal year
ended June 30, 1899. i5j,302 immigrants
| came to the United States: in the next
fiscal year. 560,3l9: in the next. 519GG3. ana
| in the fiscal year ended in 1895 the num-
ber was i4O1S3. There was decrease
| i'm the latter year because quarantine
| regulations durin" the winter of 1851
| pra actically stopped immigration The ma
tority of the undesirable immigrants wer"
divided for the four years III natlOnaiities
| as follows: ,o
1890 1891. 1892. 1888
| Austria Hungary 80 1879 1l.0i2 1G.Sj1 I1.iZo
| Russia and Poland 46G7l 7i9s3 1?!.oE !1s"st
| Italy ................"z.oo 'o'Vo' i''''' '-''
| The financial troubles in the United
| States i'm 1893 and 1894 had Il marked eftett
| on immigration. Many foreigners h'tc
we're unable to send money home to pay
| tbe massage of their relatives. Besia"s
| tho news got abroad that there was no
worl, in the United States, ana That kept
many back During the year ended Juhe
| I 1sei however, the food came on at;d'h'
| aud .SS. .02O landed on American soil--an
| average of nearly $50 per day.
-.
The law now in fOrce>which Senator
Lodge seeks to amend was approved
| March g. 1891 1t debars from landing III
idiots. insane persons. paupers. persohS
likely to become a public charge. per
cons afflicted with loathsOme or coh'a-
pious disease. persons guilty of felony or
turpitude, polygamists. and any person
whose ticket was paid for by another
for hire. This law privides that an allen