The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-03-04
Sends the immigration Bill
Back Accompanied by a
Veto Message.
inauguration of Such a Policy,
He Asserts, Is Radically
Un-AmeriCan.
Country'S StupendouS Growth
Cited in Defense of the
Present Law.

WASHINGTON, March 3.-The presi-
dent has sent to the house of represen.
tatives message vetoing the immigra-
tion bill. The first part of the docu-
ment eulogizes the millions of patriotic
adopted citizens, and the country's
stupendous growth is asserted to be
largely due to the free handed policy
in force of exacting from every imml-
grant only physical and moral sound
ness and willingness to work. The
president then dwells on the claim
made that the influx of foreign labor
ers deprives of the opportunity to work
those who are better entitled than they
to the privilege and continues:
Result of Business Depression.
can unfortunate condition is GER
family presented when any one who is
willing to labor is unemployed. But
SO far as this condition now exists
among our peogre it must be conceded
to be a result OF phenomenal business
depression and the stagnation of all
enterprises in which labor is factor.
With the advent of settled and whole
some financial and economic govern
mental policies and a consequent en-
couragement to the activity of capital,
the misfortune of unemployed labor
should, to great extent at least, be
remedied.
cit is proposed by the bill under con-
sideration to meet the alleged difficult
ties of the situation by establishing an
educational test by which the right OF
q foreigner to make his home with US
shall be determined, but I cannot be-
f1ieve that we would be
Protected Against These Evils
by limiting immigration to those who
can read and write in any language %
words of our constitution. In my opin-
ion, it is infinitely more safe to adj
NIT 100 emigrants, though unable to
read and write, seeking among us only
home and opportunity to work, than
to admit one of those unruly agitators
and enemies of governmental control
who cannot only read and write, but
delight in arousing by infammatory
speech the illiterate and peacefully in
clined to discomfort and tumult Vio-
lenoe and disorder do not originate
with illiterate laborers they are rather
the victims of the educated laborers.
If any particular element of our litter
ate immigration is to be feared for
other causes than illiteracy these
causes should BE dealt with directly in
stead of making illiteracy the pretext
for exclusion to the detriment of other
illiterate immigrants against whom the
real cause Of complaint cannot be al.
legged.
The Alien Labor Clause.
''The prohibition against the EN-.
ployment of any aliens on any public
works of the United States is in line
with other legislation of a like charac-
ter. 1t is quite different thing, how
ever, to declare it a crime for an alien
to come regularly and habitually into
the United 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 employment of such alien Grim
inal offense.
"When we consider these provisions
of the bill in connection with our long
northern frontier and the boundaries
of several of our states, often but an
imaginary line separating them from
the Dominion. and recall the friendly
intercourse between the people who
are neighbors on either side, the pro-
visions of this bill affecting them must
be regarded as illiberal. narrow and
un.American"
The house postponed action on the
veto until morning.