Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-01-28
THE IMMIGRATION BILL
House Passes the Conference Re-
port by q Vote Of l3ltoll8.
TIE CANAL BILL IN TIE SENATE

senator sherman Speaks on Friendly Re-
lations Between the United states and
England THE Dupont Case Again Be-
fore the Senate Today.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27.-The debate on
the Nicaragua canal bill in the senate yes
terday brought out an energetic statement
from Senator Sherman, in which he fore
shadows new treaty by which the United
States could build the canal without the
INTERPRETATION of private concession.
The senator declared that this govern
mental execution Of the project was the
Only feasible one and that all private ef-
forts in that direction had proved failures.
sThe senate Of the United States, said
Mr.. Sherman, does not fear England or
any other power, and the president of the
United States does not fear England. We
have had two wars with England, and /
hope that war with England will never
occur again The two nations ought never
to fight each other. They ought always
to be friendly. Great Britain is more and
more following the example of the Amer
lean people of having governments for
the people, Of the people, by the people,
and believe the time is not far distant
when Great Britain will bo as free as we
are'
The committee on privileges and cleo
tions is called to meet today to consider
the Dupont petition. 1t is Mr.. Kenney's
intention to appear in the senate later in
the day, present his credentials and ask to
be seated as senator from Delaware. His
friends say that If a vote is forced there
will be at least ten majority in his favor.
The military academy appropriation
bill, carrying approximately $4,000, was
passed, after the defeat of the amend
ment for participation of the West Point
cadets in the Inauguration ceremonies
The amendment led to sharp contro-
versy between Mr.. Allen, of Nebraska,
and Mr.. Gray, of Delaware.
The house yesterday adopted the con-
ference report on the immigration bill by
vote of 131 to 11S. The principal criti-
cism of the measure agreed on by the con-
ferrees in debate was based upon the ex-
tension of the educational test to female
as well as male immigrants on the ground
that it might divide families and to the
Limitation of the ability Of an immigrant
to read and write the English language
or the language of their native country Or
residence"
Mr.. Danford, of Ohio, made the OPEN
ing argument in support of the report. AS
| it passed the house, he said, the bill applied
the educational test only to males. This
test was now extended to females. 1t was
this extension of the educational test, he
said, which caused the principal antag-
onism to the adoption of the conference
report on the ground that it would separ-
ate families Husbands might be 6dmis-
sable and wives excluded, or vice versa.
| If the bill became law, he said, its pro-
visions would be we'll understood by pros
pective immigrants, and very few families
would apply at our shores for admission
who were not eligible.
Mr.. w. A. Stone, of Pennsylvania, said
the house was confronted with the altern-
alive of accepting the agreement of the
conferrees or having no immigration bill
passed at this session. He quoted some
| statistics to show that last year but 146
| immigrants of the class of which we are
proud would have been excluded by this
bill 1t was the Importation of those from
Italy, Hungary and other countries of
southern Europe, large percentage of
whom would be excluded by this bill,
| which was causing the glu6 in the COM
mon labor market Two hundred and
twenty thousand of the 100000 immi-
grants who came in last year, he said, re-
manned in the three states of Massachu-
sets, New York and Pennsylvania
Mr.. Dolliver, of Iowa, said he had voted
for the house bill, he would have sup
ported the bill as it passed the senate, but
he felt absolyed from voting for the con-
ference report. He would vote for nc bill
which admitted the husband and ex-
cluded the wife, because he believed it
vastly more important that man should
enjoy the society of his wife than that of
his grandfather.