Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1906-05-09
IMMIGRANTS FOR THE SOUTH.
The Right Of the South to Insist Upon Hav'
Ing None Save the Best.

9SAooDAAiS
migration has had more genera
support than the illiteracy test
This requires that adult immi
grants with exceptions in favor
Of wives, minor children and
parents, shall be able to read few
lines in their own language. This
test has had the united support OF
the great majority of students OF
the immigration problem, not be.
cause illiteracy necessarily means
that all immigrant will be a bad
citizen, but because the measure
WILDE practical inkeeping out some
of those aliens who are generally
undesirable because of ignorance,
lack of occupation and of resources,
tendency to crowd into slums and
the like. AS Commissioner-Gen-
eral Sargent has said:
"This requirements, whatever
arguments or illustrations may be
used to establish the contrary posi-
ton will furnish alien residents
of character less likely to be-
come burdens Oh public or private
charity. Otherwise it must follow
that rudimentary education is a
handicap in the struggle for exis-
tence."
An illiteracy test is in harmony
with American ideas of education
and citizenship. 1t is objected
that such test would not keep
out anarchists and criminals, but
it must be remembered that an
archists and criminals are already
excluded by law, and this test is
not to replace existing grounds f or
exclusion; it is all addition to
them. A criminal would be de-
barred under the present law, even
if he could pass the illiteracy test.
No one has ever claimed that the
ability to read is test Of moral
character, but such test would
certainly lessen the burden upon
our schools, aud upon our charit-
able institutions. Every nation
should care for it's own insane and
it's own paupers. We have declar-
ed against the admission of the
insane, and the criminals and
the paupers of other countries.
1t is time for us to stop shoulder
ing the burden of European and
Asiatic illiteracy. Our own nat
ional burden of white and negro
illiteracy is heavy enough. We
are daily adding to it by the ad-
mission of thousands of alien IL
literates. Nothing that the
United States can do for universal
common school education would
be so effective as the adoption of
an illiteracy test for immigrants,
Thus a recent writer who is well
informed regarding the conditions
of Italian immigration says: ''An
educational test for immigrants
might be an effective means ap-
plying a stimulus to popular edu-
cation IN Italy. and might really
assist the government materially
in it's effects to get children to the
common schools" The United
States industrial commission said ::
"If compulsory education is de-
sirable as a preparation for Amer
ican citizenship and as a protec-
tion to the citizens themselves, it
is equally desirable for immi-
grants who are prospective citi-
zens." Our immigration laws
should have for leading object
the protection Of American clti.
zenship. 1t is absurdly lncon-
sistent to spend vast sums of
money in the education Of Amerl-
cvn children, and then open our
gates freely to thousands of aliens
who have not been required to OBJ
tain similar education.
There is no danger that the ex.
clusion of illiterates would cause
a scarcity of labor in this country.
If there is a demand, the supply
will be forthcoming from Europe.
If the steamship companies can