The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-28
The Proceedings.

day, after the reading OF the journal,
entered upon the consideration of the
/ immigration bill, as agreed upon by
the conferees of the house and senate.
Mr.. Barthold (Rep., Mo-, chairman
of the house committee on immigration,
refused to sign the report. 1t was
/ agreed that the debate should con-
tinue until Ais o'clock today, and that
members should have the right TO
print.
Mr. Danford (Rep., o. opposed the
debate in the presence of a large num-
Der of members, but an unusually small
attendance in the galleries. He eX-
planned the changes made in conference
and answered objections made to the
separation of an illiterate husband and
his wife. He admitted that this bill
was drawn for the purpose of excluding
undesirable immigrants, and the edu-
cational test was inserted in order to
carry out that purpose. The time had
come, he said, when something should
be done to restrict immigration. Time
and again the conventions of the two
great parties had promised the country
relief on this score, but this was the
first real effort to make good these
promises. He read from statistical re-
turns of the superintendent of immi-
grafton to show The large proportion of
illiterates coming to the United States
; L
of Europe, asserting that the immigra-
ton from the western and northern ma
tionS of Europe would be but little af-
fected by the proposed legislation. a
significant statement had been made in
the newspapers recently to the effect
that if every individual wheel in the
country was started and the mills
fully manned, there would be two Or
three hundred thousand men still I'M
employed. He did not speak for the
Weary Watkins" who did not want
work at any time, but for those who
did want to labor and who were plead
ing for legislation for their protection
The provisions of the bill known as the
Corliss amendments, and intended to
deal with that class known as birds
of passage. Mr.. Danford said, would
doubtless be found difficult to enforce,
more difficult probably than was i'm
aglned; but that something should be
done to prevent the forays of these
people who come in the summer and
flee in the winter, was generally con-
coded.
Mr.. Dolliver, (Rep.. la, asked what
was the purpose of departing from the
educational test fixed by the house and
senate bill and providing that the i'm
migrant should read and write the con-
stitution of the United States in the
language of their native or resident
country.
Mr.. Danforth replied that it was to
reach the Russian Jews, who, being
driven from their homes, and having
drained the charity of western Europe,
were being thrown upon our shores in
great numbers. For the first time in
their history the Hebrew Associated
Charities of New York were compelled
to appeal for aid to the people outside
their own race for the relief of their
people in that city. He concluded with
an earnest plea for the passage of the
BILL. which would, in some small de-
gree, relieve the country from the
menace to which it is exposed under
present laws. He did not ask that
hardship be worked to anyone but
that the interests of the residents of
the country might be conserved
In opening the debate in opposition
to the adoption of the report, Mr. Bart
hold said he had refused to sign it for
two reasons, first, that by its provisions
families, husbands and wives mothers
and children would be separated, and
second, that it forbade the entrance
of immigrants who could not read the
language of their native or adopted
country These drastic provisions he
said, were not contained in either the
house or senate bill, and their appear
ance indicated bis expressed fear
some weeks ago, that if the bill went
to conference il would return in
shape which could not be justified to
the constituents. and many reports
would offend the sense of justice and
right in the in the country. The bill
Mr.. Barthold asserted, would defeat
the purpose nominally urged by it's ad-
vocates, of establishing an educational
test. 1t would shut out, for instance,
a class OF Germans who had for 300
years made their homes in Russia. the
language of which they did not speak;
also manV residents of Alsace-Lor-
raine who had not yet acquired the
German language.
To Mr.. Hit, (Rep. H. }, who inquired
as to the status of the Swiss who had
no distinctive national language, as to
whether they would be shut out ac-
cording to the gentleman's construc-
ton of the law, Mr. Barthold said
three languages had official recognition
in Switzerland, and the immigrant
from that country could choose among
them.
Many members interrogated Mr.. Bar
thold with a view to demonstrate that
the language clause would not work
such disadvantage as he imagined, and
to all of them he said his object was
to perfect the measure so as not to
expose desirable immigrants to the
jeopardy involved in the present form
of the bill.
Several suggestions were made as
to the best manner in which to secure
this end, but friends of the bill found
none of them acceptable. Referring
to the statement that the bill was in