The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-26
BILL PASSED.
HOtSE ADOPTs uS SUBsTITUTG
ron SENATE HILL-

stslan isg on iatesgiaaslSn N ne s'sis
" iset " immlagallga ~ . tSatW'ssias'
WASHINGTON, Suns S-Dmalo meas
ufss wea adopsei ny ths Hotss lendeFs
to-day IN nt through tho immigration bti
IN tho way they wanted n p@c~d on tbs
statute bouha Tho main obisc'ion ~ the
leaders wps ~ the features NJ tho nteasuFe
Increasing tho had tat N immigrants from
o. ~ o. and providing an educational test
a. y requisite Tor tho sdmlsaIon N Allsns 70
thia oointfy,
/, was realized that n q record vote wefe
forced On the latter proposition NJ least "
Sould he adopted. and In order Ia prevent
this the Committee on Rules, ~ which
Speaker Cannon In chairman, brought IN q
rula which prevented an yea and nay vote
This course SECURED the attainment Of tho
end desired. The educational ties, and the
Increased head tax provisions, both ~
which had been recommended by the Com
mittee on fmmi grafton, were rejected, III
bill wss then passed.
Votes on these propositions we're taken
by ~tellers, and when the count was In prog
ress, the Republican leaders, including
Speaker Cannon, went among their asso-
GATES on the floor to persuade them to
vote with the House organization. These
two subjects we're the only ones which the
special rule for the confederation Of the bill
permitted the House to discuss for amend
mont.
Mr.. Gardner Of Massachusetts, h has
BEEN insistent in season and out OF
season urging the House leaders to give
him a rule, denounced it as a gold brick"
By it's operations as Mr.. Williams Of Misis-
sippi, the Democratic leader, pointed out
to Mr.. Gardner, members who did not want
to 60 on record were protected from a yea
and nay vote on the question Of imposing the
educational test.
The provision to increase the head tax
went out by a vote Of o. to 81. and the pro-
vision to provide an educational test for
immigrants was rejected by 1913 to 11e.
Amotion to insert a new section directing
the appointment Of a committee to in
vestigate the whole subject Of immig grafton
was rejected also by 1913 to 100, but later
On, under the influence OF the per suasion
which the lea ders exercised, the vote was
reversed.
The rule was adopted, 151 to 80.
The first amendment was by Mr.. Steiner
son OF Minnesota, reducing the head tax
from IS to 81, as under the present law.
This was adopted, "a to 81.
Advocating the amendment, Mr.. Bennett
Of New York gave some figures OF immi gra-
ton that put a new phase upon 1t. One
million and twenty-six thousand immi-
grants passed through Ellis Island In the
year 19O4-o5. or these, however, 175 900
had been in the country before and in the
same period approximately $50, 600 aliens re-
turned to Europe, so that the net increase
of population from the years imn1i grafton
was about half a million. The head tax of 81
had paid all the expenses Of supervision of
immigration and built the Ellis Island sta
ton and out OF the surplus, which amounted
to 81, 400, 600 on December 81, 1905, $5OO,oO0
had been voted to enforce the Chinese ex-
olusion act. To increase the tax to IS,
Mr.. Bennett said, was wholly unnecessary.
It's only results would be to bar out desir-
able immigrants to add to the revenues OF a
Government (which the Lord knows is
rich enough, to raise its taxes in some
other and more reputable way tApplause.l
Mr.. Lttauer Of New York offered the fol-
lowing amendment:
An immigrant who proves that he is seek
ing admission to this country solely to avoid
persecution or punishment on religious or
~political grounds, for an offence of a political
character or persecution involving danger
Of Imprisonment or danger to life or limb
nm account OF religious belief shall not be
deported because of want OF means or the
probability Of his being unable TO earn a
livelihood.
The amendment was agreed to, 90 toi69
To section 80, imposing an educational
test. Mr.. DENLY of Michigan offered an
amendment providing that in the case Of
an alien described in the Littauer amend
ment, such immigrant may be admitted.
although unable to satisfy the educational
test at the discretion of the Secretary of
Commerce and Labor or under such regu-
lations as he may from time to time
prescribe
division.
section and substitute for it a provision for
an investigation of the whole subject OF inn
migration by a Congressional committee.
Mr.. Keliher Of Massachusetts, opposed the
bill generally. 1t did not come here, he said,
In response to any demand created by the
industrial or social conditions, but under
the pressure Of influence exerted by an
organization sectarian in character but
masouerading as a labor organization. III
enacted into law it would shut the door
AGAINST the ADMISSION Oh lIIilulB dutb "uOlh
me North had the intelligence to know it
needs, and whom the South, in the very near
future, would come to know that it needs.
Mr.. Burleson Of Texas also opposed the
bill, especially section SO, for the reason that
his own State needed 200 900 laborers to do
it's work.
A short speech by Mr.. Michalek, the new
member from Chicago. against whom
charges we're made that he was not a citizen,
not having beer naturalized, was the in.
cident Of the debate. To Use the words Of
his biography in the Congressional Di-
yectory, Mr.. Michalek is the first bohemian
to hold a seat in Congress. He said:
an my opinion the belief in and the
advocacy Of the policy Of further restrict
ing immigration is based or the theory,
or rather the prophecy, of a resultant future
evil conjured up by the magic OF imagina-
ton, the overstudy Of sta tistics and their
misleading application to a condition with
the purpose of exaggerating 1t into a
problem. There never has been, nor ls
there now, any white immigration problem,
and to assert the contrary is to prostitute
the tea chings Of our history and disregard
the logic OF the unexampled progr ess Of
the United States. / am opposed to the
bill in its entirety, because its operation
would enmesh the productive power OF
our country in all Of its elemental phases
and because it is unnecessary, unjust and
in american" Applause. :,
Mr.. Cochran of New York said that II