The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-30

ton. l rejoice that the society mas 1 proven one of the promoting agencies { to bring about this conference. which ! I am sure will be governed by a spirit 1 of harmony, with an eye single to the welfare of Alabama. I trust that the result of our deliberations will be tri- umphantly carried into expression upon the statute books of our state. "If we are successful in this, we may felicitate ourselves upon having been participants in a movement that will rebound so much to the general good.
 | T now declare the conference open 1t"
 Mir. Forbes Chairman. | A. G. Forbes, president of the Ala bama Commercial and Ind Istrial Asso- ciation, was selected as chairman of the | conference, and l.. l.. Gilbert, secre- tary of the Commercial Club of Mont gomery, was elected secretary. The following names were then enrolled J. T. Slater of Selma; J. R. McMullen of Gadsden; W. J. Nesbitt of Decatur II. D. Boyd. Jr., of Elba; s. P. Rainer of Union Springs; J. r. Duggar, of Auburn; F. J. Thompson, of Hunts vile: w.. T. Brown, of Ragland; J. . IA. Edwards and J. M. Thornton, oi Talladega; F. M. Jackson, Joseph B Babb, Ross c. Smith, F. Y. Anderson E. Lesser, F. H. Lathrop, E. H. Hold CT. F. V. Evans, c. l.. St.ckney. Frank Deedmyer, of Birmingham; and A. c. Forbes, l.. L. Gilbert, Emil Meertief F. P. Glass, N. L. Anderson, George W. Jones. F. S. Ball, F. P. Chaf- fee, E. B. Joseph, ". B. Davidson W. A. Davis, John T. Walker and J S. Parrish, of 4dontgomery, and w. l.. Henderson, of Atlanta, land and indus trial agent of the Southern Railway ana of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Com pany.
 After the bill prepared by Mir. | Thompson and his associates had been read by the Secretary MT. Thompson | stated to the conference that a copy of it had been mailed to every member oi the Legislature. He had received near ly eighty replies and each of them had been encouraging. He said that the people of the State favored the estab- | lishment of the Department of Immi- grafton and that if a good bill was adopted by the conference it would be enacted by the Legislature The South Carolina act, he explained. was the pa- sis of the bill proposed, which was of course subject to amendment by the | conference.
 The bill prepared by Mir. Thompson has been published by The Advertiser
 
 parliamentary methods and it was moved that the Chairman appoint a committee of five to whom would be submitted a consideration of the bill as amended by the conference. MT, Forbes appointed F. J. Thompson, H. D. Boyd, Jr., E. Lesser F. Y. Ander- son and J. R. McMullen.
 Debate on the Bill.
 Immediately upon the submission Of Mir. Thompson's bill to consideration l by the conference Mir Babb objected to the Bureau of Immigration being also department of labor. MT. Babb's objection was sustained by the con | ference.
 MT. Deedmyer. who spoke at some | length, displayed an admirable intel | liEence of the subject. Speaking upon the legal aspects of the bill he saro that the law must specify the adver- | tisement of the States resources in | other language than English. Review | ing the recent immigration case in Charleston he sad that 1t must also be definitely provided that the Commas sioner of Immigration or his agents should have authority from the State | of Alabama to enter foreign countries and induce immigration to Alabama 1 MT. Glass objected that Section Of the proposed law practically annihilat- | ed the duties of the Commissioner oI Agriculture inasmuch in accordance with It's requirements the Commission CT of Immigration would perform the work of the Commissioner of Agricui. ture.
 Mir. Chaffee objected to Section be. cause it created an onense without specification of its subsequent penalty
 Power to Exclude
 Mir. Evans then offered a resolution embodied as Section of the bill final lY reported and adopted, to empowel the Commissioner of Immigration |, prevent the introduction into Alabam; of persons rendered undesirable D, reason of mental or physical disorder. or by anarchistic or immoral charac ters.
 Immediately MT. McMullen rose il opposition to the resolution. Thii power to exclude, he said, was already in the Federal statutes, and it's incor poration into the laws of Alabama would work disadvantage to the State he said. He declared that it was al absurdity to bring men together for 6 discussion of immigration and then tt build a. OIIlu the State a Chinese wal of exclusion. He said he would favo the adoption of the resolution when the State had thrown beyond it's borders it's already resident citizens of the sort and kinds mentioned. The passage O the resolution, he stated, would be ; nulliication of all that had been don, for the cause of immigration in the last two years.
 MT. Evans. defending his resolution quoted a statement by MT. Glass as cor rect. It was true, he said, that tn Federal laws eliminate the classe named in the resolution from tn United States. but it was possible, ant probable, that Alabama would recelv immigrants from other States as wei as from foreign countries. The resolu tion would not have a tendency to re strict immigration; it was merely pur posed to invite and obtain immigration of the right kind.
 --. Protection of Unions. -= :.~..:
 Mir. Thompson expressed the belle that Section II of the proposed bill wa sufficient to regulate the classes of tn immigrants. He said that the peopl of Alabama were opposed to the selhs interests of the labor organizations O the State. He was not opposed to labo unions. as such, but he thought the . already had sufficient protection. T him. he said. MT Evans's resolutio seemed to have the earmarks of