The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-05-20
NO MORE ALIENS.
Four Bills Before Congress to
Shut Out
Undesirable Immigrants From
Foreign Countries.
ONE Bill is STRICT.
VIII Admit No One to Our
Shores
Who Can Not Read and Write
English.

Washington May 20.-The house has
entered upon a two days debate of the
immigration bills reported from the
Immigration committee. Mr.. William
Stone of Pennsylvania and Mr.. Trace
well of Indiana argued for a restrie-
tive measure.
Mr.. Corliss Of Michigan for his bill,
designed to put an end to Canadian
competition with American labor; Mr.
Morse of Massachusetts, and Mr.. Barth-
oldt of Missouri for the educational
test bill The feature of the debate
was the plea of Mr. Buck of Louisiana
against any sort of restrictive 1egisla-
ton beyond that now on the statute
books. which excluded paupers and
criminals
The immigration bills were four in
number One known variously as the
Bartholdt Mccall, or Lodge bill pro
vided an educational test. 1T excluded
all male persons between 16 and so
years of age. who could not read and
write English or some other language.
Another the Stone bill, provided for
the inspection of immi grants by our
consular officers and their CertificatiOn
that the immigrants do not belong to
any OF the classes of immigrants ex-
Guided by existing contract labor or
other imni grat ton laws.
This bin was offered as an amend
ment to the BarthOldt-A1cCau bill.
The COrIss bill offered as q substi-
tute applied wholly to the Canadian
border and made it unlawful for any
alien to enter the United States lex
cept to teach new arts or industries)
and to engage in any mercantile trade
or manual labor The provision of the
bill does not to apply to sailors on the
great lakes. The Mahaney bill. also
offered as a substitute makes all CON
tracts by aliens to perform labor in the
United States Illegal 1t also makes it
misdemeanOr for any person to per
form labor in the United States who
has become a citizen Of the United
states and returned to a. foreign c0un-
try to make that his home. Mr.. Ma
point of order. Mr. Johnson (Rep
Cal) then offered a sweeping measure
to absolutely exclude all foreign
porn laDOFerS. skelleQ or unskilled. and
to make captains and masters of yes
sells responsible for the character of
their passengers. This was also ruled
out
Mr.. Bartholdt said that there was no
question 50 much talked about and so
little understood as the problem of inn
migration There was, he thought. too
much passion and prejudice in the de-
mand from certain quarters in favor of
the exclusion of foreigners Good inn
migration, he urged was desirable His
Dill was a moderate measure for the
exclusion Of the illiterate. An educa-
tlonal test he pointed out would not
materially affect immigration from
Germany and other countries of north
eln Europe he warned his Republi-
can associates that as the advocates Of
the educational test for Immigration
they could go to the country but con
suiar inspection that would cut off all
lnInl grafton save Of the undesira BILE
sort from Germany and Scandinavia
could never be successfully defended
MI IraceWel (Rep., Ind.) who fol-
lowed BarthOldt, prefaced his remarks
by stating that he was not an A p A.
and declared himself in favor of all the
bills reported by the committee. Thev
We're not Inconsistent he argued and
could all be passed with benefit to the
country.
Mr. w. "A. Stone CRep. Pa.) the au-
thor oI the stone bill explained its
provisions and advocated it's passage.
Inc country he argued, had long sllf-
fered from unrestricted immigration
The immigration for the last ten
years had exceeded the natural in
crease MI BarthOldt challenged this
statement cOntendfng that the natural
increase was one million a year while
the Immigration had averaged only
ABOUT a quarter of q million last year.
Mr. stone said that during the hard
times OF the past three years innigra-
loh had Iallen on, but with the return
OF prosperity and high wages it would
increase 70 startling proportions
Mr. Corliss CRep AIich) submitted an
argument in favor of his bill for the
exclusion Of foreigners who crossed our
frontiers each year to cODDera wifi,
American labor. He quoted the +esti
mOny of inspection agents and OTHERS
along the Canadian border as to the
evil effects Of the annual influx of the
Canadian birds of pasa &c"
NJ. morse 4Fep- Mass.) favored the
McCau pill lie SAID that there was a
strong demand in the country for rad
ical legislation to restrict immigration
and that congress could not afford to
disregard 1T.
MI suck tDem- Lao naturaIzed
German opposed restriction Of imrnigra,-
ton in eloquent language.
An educational test, he insisted was
valueless as measure Of a mans ca
pacity-