Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-03-03
THE IMMIGRArIoN BILL.

IIctluent CieVelnnu haa vetoed tue
immigration bill, for the reason that
nc considers it's provisions un.Amesi.
can and inefficient. BY its provisions
aliens over sixteen years OF age aud
unable to read and write are excluded
from the United States, except In cor.
tain specified cases; II also makes 1t
crime to give employment on public
works to aliens who regularly cross the
border for the purpose OF engaging in
trade or manual labor.
The bill was framed Ostensibly for
the purpofo q excluding from our
shores the iliItorato element OF ioruigu.
ers from whose ranbs, it has been aa.
serted, the criminal army mostly Ia
recruited. That this opinion, how.
over, 10 erroneous 10 row ASSERT
cd by those vino have more
closely aiudled the subject. Josiah
Biyntt In The Forum for the last
mouth sets forth the result of his
observations. lie has lived on in.
timlate terms with tho vagab0nds In
the great elites on both eides OF the
Atlantic and he finds that neither
poverty nor ignorance Is the chief
cause Of crime. The criminal, he says,
wants the luzu,ies OF life. He Reeks
gold and the most ex eusive pleasurel
gold can buy, and hence preys upon
those who have 1t. The pauper class,
he saye, has been In that state 81
long that they seldom make any etlor,
to get out OF their condition. They
even pity the rich ami woult not ex-
change with them, IL the change in.
vOIved the duties and manners OF the
wealthy people. Tine criminal, there.
lore, when from the pauper ciass, 10 not
the scum OF his environments. He Is
rather above than below his assoclr les.
He says;
In this same class, however. there are
| come who are born with ambitions aud
who have energy enough to try TO fulfill !
them. These break away from class
conditions; hut, unfortunately, tho
ladder OF respectable business has no
ioothold in their environment. No one OF
their acquaintance has gone springing up |
its rounds in tempting promotions; and, |
| although the city missionary tells them
that there are those who have thus sue
coedod, they will not believe him--or
| rather, they prefer 10 believe the, TO
them, far more probable stories OF sue
cess which they read IN the Police Gazette
and the criminal calendar.
He further maintains that the Crim!.
nails In this country are not in the
main foreigners, but natives, aud
II may DO added that foreign criminals
are not generally coming from the
rural dlstricts where illiteracy ana
mure OF less primitive conditions Pre-.
vail. They often come from schools
and universities, terribly equipped for
career dangerous 10 society. An
educational teat is the worst conoelv.
able, II the purpose is to guard the |
state against moral contamination. |
II admits the Mos,s bat nigh, exclude
the honest iiller OF the ground.
With respect to the countries mostly |
affected by the educational test, some
statistics are published by the New |
York Sun. 1t appearR from these that i, |
Is chiefly Catholic countries that wouli
suffer. o; 575l5 persons over II years
OF age, coming from Italy during the
list fiscal year, 81, 374 could neither
read nor write. or 81, O53 from Austria
Hungary the illitorstes were % 778,
and OF 95,l9S from Russia, I2,SI6.
Out OF 2.067 from Portugal no fewer
than 1853 could neither read nor
write; cut of 5l7 from Poland, go;
cut OF $40 from European Turkey, "A
On the other hand, out OF %, 1874 II, m
Germany all but $50 could read aud
write; out OF 1878 from Norway, all
but 90; out OF 1854 from Sweden, all
but 2l9; out OF 81 496 from Ireland, all
but GIG; OF 10 622 from England, oil
nut $50; OF 2,022 from Switzerland, all
tut l6, and OF 2,729 from Denmark, al
but 20.
The various natioualities affected are
perhaps better seen in the following
statement OF percentage OF illiterates
among the imm grants;
Last year tho bill would have ox-
cluded from Switzerland and from Dom
mark not one person in a hundred, over
II years old, those counties Loading Tho
education record among immigrants
with percentages OF only - AMI 90 or
illlioracy. sweden and Norway follow
close upon them with only l,l6 and lis.
Tho next group is headed by Germany,
with 2J0, u good showing for au immi-
grnuonsO grDa;, although, as has blenscon,
decidedly beaten by Scandinavia, on y
still larger immigration. The figures OF
the Ne horlauua are 4. l6; OF France, SIS;
OF England, 6.4l; ct scotland, $50.
Above 10 por cont we lind Fin
land, us; Wales, 1854; Bel
gium, 1910; Spain, l5.Sl. Ron
MANN raiaos the ratio to p. O3, aud Greece
to 26.4l, while Turkey in Europe follows
the latter with 3l,l3. Continuing among
nations Of tho greatest iilltefaey, we have
Russia proper, with Ala, and Poland,