The herald., 1898-01-12
IN CONGRESS
immigration Question Up
in the Senate
C0NGRESSMEN GROW TIRED
OF AIMLESS DEBATE ON THE
CIVIL SERVICE
Belief Expressed That McKenna's
Nomination Will Be Confirmed in
Due Course of Time
ASSOCIATED Press Special Wire

daughters at $l0O month each, Chalr
man Gallinger saying the committee di
not wish to enter on the pensioning o
daughters Of veterans. Allen, of Ne
braska, thought that General Meade
services justified such liberality. NJ
action was taken and after Wolcott, O
Colorado, announced a speech on tn
money question for next Monday, Sena
tor Fairbanks addressed the Senate OF
immigration.
Mr.. Fairbanks began by referring t
the Importance of guarding and pre-
serving the high standard of the coun
trys population and citizenship. TIL,
pending BILL he said, by imposing a mod
crate and reasonable educational tes
upon all immigrants over 16 years of ag'
throws an additional safeguard arount
our population and citizenship.
Prior to 1875, he continued, there were
no restrictive laws except those prohib
iting coolie trade. In that year more
drastic measures were enacted to sup
press this reprehensible traffic and con.
vfcts and women imported for immora
purposes were excluded.
Subsequently further restrictive acts
were passed, aiming to reduce the inflow
of the morally and physically diseased
The presence of these restrictive acts
upon the statute books had been ben
eficial though the number who presented
themselves at our ports and were exclud-
ed is comparatively small. But doubtless
many were deferred from starting by a
knowledge of the laws in force. Begin
ming with the last decade, change oc-
CURED in both the nationality and quail
ity Of our immigration. Those who were
chiefly of the Slavonic countries began
to come In great and increasing num-
bers. Among them were many very de-
sirable acquisitions; many from the bet
ter portions of Italy Austro- Hungary
and other eastern and southern coun-
tries were educated, enterprising and
brave, but the larger portion were ILL
fitted to become part of our population
or to assume the privileges and respon-
sibilities of American citizens. They
possessed a low order of intelligence and
a degraded standard of life and had nc
adequate conception of the marvellous
significance of our institutions.
A rise in the ratio of immigration
from Eastern and Southern Europe from
So to 51.7 per cent in seventeen years
and a fall in the ratio from the western
and northern countries from CAS- to 36. {
per cent in the same period may we'll
lead us to pause and inquire whether the
change is in the national interest. The
decrease in immigration has been from
countries which have hitherto sent us
but small per cent Of illiterates and
the increase Is from countries where the
ignorance is greatest. Thirty-nine and
nine-tenths per cent of those above II
years of age coming from Austro- Hun
gary. Italy. Poland and Russia last
year could neither read nor write, while
only 3.6 per cent of those from the United
Kingdom, France. Germany and Scan
dinavia were illiterate. When we wit
ness this increased illiterate accession
to our population we may well recall
the warning of George William Curtis:
LET us beware how we water our life
blood"
In conclusion Mr.. Fairbanks quoted at
length statistics tending to show the
excessive contribution of the countrys
foreign population to the number of in
mates of almshouses, penitentiares, in
sane asylums and reformatory institu-
tions. He insisted that the educational
test, as applied to immigrants, would
have very direct effect in reducing the
number Of contributions to the foregoing
unfortunate Objectionable classes. The
gravitation of undesirable emigrants
into the large cities and their reinforce
ment of the slum districts was another
of the evils to be in a measure over
come. In this connection the speaker
declared that a patriotic regard for
those to whose interests we owe first
allegiance requires us to see that the
persons who present themselves for COM
petition in the industrial field shall not
be the degraded pauper laborers from
abroad. A low wage scale, he added, Is
lot consistent with the most wholesome
development of the country and its peo-
pie.
Allen introduced and secured the
adoption of resolution calling upon
the president for information in his pos
session relative to the boundary line be-
tween Venezuela and British Guiana
and to inform the senate whether the
United States has any clerks or other
employees at work on the Venezuelan
boundary question, and also what part
" $50 ~-""'"oV "ppi opNidlSu IOT the VEN
ezuelan commission has been expended.
At S:S5 the senate adjourned.
IN EXECUTIVE SESSION
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE senate
devoted almost an hour Of the first part
or the executive session to a wranrle
over the recommittal of the nomina-
tions or one or two minor officials. con-
f1rmed yesterday, and did not take IN
the Hawaiian treaty until about 4
o'clock. Senator Davis took the floor at
that hour and proceeded to deliver n
speech in support of the treaty. He rem
resented the majority of the committee
on foreign relations and his speech uo q
accepted as practically the committee,s
report upon the treaty.
NOMINATIONS
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE Pres,.
dent today sent these nominations to The
Senate:
.Treasury-John p. Lands. Pennsy,-
vania, Coiner of the Mint, at Pbilade,.
phia.
To be Consuls-W. Maxwell of Rhode
Island, at Bermuda; Joshua WILDER.
Rhode Island. at Dublin. Ireland; Henry