The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-12

of the pensions committee on the bin
| to pension General Meades two daugh-
| tiers. No action was taken and after
| Wolcott announced a speech on the
| money question for next Monday, Fair
banks addressed the senate on imm-
| grafton.
Mr. Fairbanks began by referring TO
| the importance of guarding and pre-
| serving the high standard of the coun-
try's population and citizenship. The
pending bill, he said, by imposing a
moderate and reasonable educational
test upon all immigrants over 16 years
of age, put an additional safeguard
around our population and citizenship.
Prior to 1876, he continued, there were
no restrictive laws except prohibiting
coolie trade. I'm my opinion, more
drastic measures We're adopted to re-
press this reprehensible traffic. and
convicts and women imported for inn
moral purposes We're excluded
Far more restrictive acts were passed
aiming to restrict the inflow of the NOR
ally and physically diseased. The pres
ence of these restrictive acts upon the
statute books has been beneficial, though
the number who presented themselves
at our ports and were excluded is COM
paratively small But doubtless many
were deferred from starting by a knowl-
edge of the laws In force.
Beginning with the last decade a
change occurred In both the nationality
and quality of our immigration Those
who were chiefly Of the SIayonic coun-
tries began TO come in great and in
creasing numbers. Among them We're
many very desirable acquisitions; many
from the better portions Of Italy, Aus
tria Hungary and other eastern and
southern countries were educated and
enterrrising. but the larger per cent.
was ill-fitted to become part of our
population or to assume the privileges
and responsibilities Of American citi-
zens They possessed a low order of in
telligence and a degraded standard of
life. and had no adequate conception
of the marvellous significance of our in
stitutions.
"A rise in the rate of immigration
from Eastern and Southern Europe from
s.5 to SIT per cent. in II years, and a
fall in the rate from western and
northern countries from CAS- to 36.7 per
cent. in the same period may well lead
us TO pause and inquire whether the
change is in the national interest.
THE decrease in immigration has been
from countries which hitherto sent us
but n small per cent Of illiterates and
the increase is from countries where the
ignorance is greatest Thirtynne and
nine-tenths per cent. Of those above IA
years Of age, coming from Austria Hun
gary, Italy, Poland and Russia last
>
only 3.6 per cent. of those from the
United Kingdom, France. Germany and
Scandinavia We're lliterate. When we
witness this increase In the illiterate ac-
cessions 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 country's
foreign population to the number of in
mates of aims houses, penitentiaries, in
sane asylums and reformatory institu-
tons. He insisted that the educational
test. as applied TO immigrants would
have a very direct effect in reducing the
number of contributions To the forego-
ing Objectionable classes. The grayita-
ton of undesirable immigrants into the
large cities and their reinforcement of
the slum districts was another of the
evils to be in a measure overcome.
In this connection. the speaker de-
clared that a patriotic regard for those
10 whose interest we owe first allegiance
requires us to see that the persons who
present themselves for competition in
the industrial field shall not be the de-
graded pauper lahorers from abroad.
A low wage scale, he added. is not in
consistent with the most wholesome de-
velopment of the country and its people.
After this speech the Hawaiian treaty
was taken M in executive session.
Mr.. Allen introduced resolution call
ing upon the president for information
in his possession relative to the bound
AIRY line between Venezuela and British |
Guiana and To inform the senate wheth-
err the United States now has any clerks
or other employees at work on the Nene-
zuelan boundary and also what part of
the 100000 appropriated for the Nene-
zuelan commission had been expended.
AT 3. 30 p. m the senate adjourned.