The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-03-03
RETURNS IT WITH HIS VETO
Continued from First Paga)

l opinion 1t is infinitely more safe to ad init a hundred thousand immigrants who, though unable to read and write | seek among us only home and oppor- tunity to work, than to admit one of l those unruly agitators and enemies of government control who can not only read and write but delights in arousing by intiammatory speech the illiterate and peacefully inclined to content and tumult
 Violence and disorder do not origin ate with illiterate laborers. They are rather the victims of the educated agi- tator. The ability to read and write as required in this bill in and of itself, affords, in my opinion, misleading 1 test of contented industry and supplies unsatisfactory evidence of desirable cit izenship or a proper appreciation of the benefits of our institutions. If any ele- ment of our illiterate immigration is to be feared for other causes than Hitter acy these causes should be dealt with directly instead of making illiterarcy the preteXt for exclusion to the detri- ment of other illiterate immigrants against whom the real cause of com plaint cannot be alleged. .
 The provision intended to rid that part of the proposed legislation already referred to from obvious hardships ap- pears to me to be indefinite and inade- | quate.
 A parent, grandparent, wife or minor child of a qualified immigrant, though unable to read and write, may accom- pany the immigrant or be sent for to join his family provided the immigrant is capable of supporting such relative. | These exceptions to the general rule of exclusion contained in the bill were made to prevent the separation of fami- lies and yet neither brothers nor sis ters are provided for. Tn order that relatives who are provided for may be reunited though in foreign lands must reunited though in foreign lands must De sent for to join the immigrant here. What formality is necessary to consti- tute this prerequisite and how are the facts of relationship and that the rela- tive is sent for to be established? Are the illiterate relatives of immigrants who have come here under prior laws entitled to the advantage of these ex- captions? A husband who can read and write and who determines to abandon his illiterate wife abroad will find her under this law an abso- lutely safe retreat. The illiterate rela- tives mentioned must not only be sent for, but such immigrant must be capa- ble of supporting when they arrive. This requirement. proceeds from the as- sumption that the foreign relatives coming here are in every case by reason of poverty liable to become public charge unless the immigrant is capable of their support. The contrary is very often true. And yet if unable to read and write though quite able and willing to support themselves and relatives, they could not be admitted under the provisions of this bill if the immigrant was impoverished, though the aid of his fortunate, but illiterate relative might be the means of saving him from paul persm. The fourth section of this bill provides that "it shall be unlawful for | any male alien who has not in good faith made his declaration before the proper court of his intention to become citizen of the United States to be employed on any public works of the United States or to come regularly or habitually into the United States by land or water for the purpose of en- gazing in any mechanical trade or manual labor for wages or salary, re- turning from time to time to a foreign country"
 The fifth section provides that it shall be unlawful for any person, part nership, company or corporation know ingly to employ any alien coming into the United States in violation of the next preceding section of this act"
 The prohibition against the employ ment of aliens upon any public works of the United States is In line with other legislation of a like character. It | is quite a different thing, however, to l declare it a, crime for an alien to come | regularly and habitually into the Unit ed States for the purpose of obtaining work from private parties, if such alien returns from time to time to a foreign country, and to constitute any employ ment of such alien a criminal offence.
 When we consider these provisions of the bill in connection with our long northern frontier and the boundaries of several of our states and territories, often but an imaginary line separating them from the British dominions, and | recall Lnp lEle1uly llIGICOuISS DSlWe6D the people who are neighbors on either side, the provisions of this bill affect ing them must be regarded as illiberal l narrow and un-American. The resi- dents of these states and territories have separate and especial interests which in many cases make an inter- change of labor between their people | and their alien neighbors most import ant, frequently with the advantage largely in favoN of our citizens. This suggests the ineXpediency of federal in- terference with these conditions when not necessary to the correction of a substantial evil affecting the general welfare. Such unfriendly legislation as is proposed could hardly fail to provoke retaliatory measures to the injury of many of our citizens who now find em- ployment on adjoining foreign soil.
 The uncertainty of construction to which the language of the provisions is subject Is Q serious objection in a stat ute which describes a crime. An i'm portant element in the offence sought to be created by these sections is the coming regularly or habitually into the United States" These words are impossible of definite and certain con- struction. The same may be said of the equally important words return ing from time to time to A forpipn oOun-