The farmer and mechanic., 1906-06-12


lcal Mtth the amendment unloa Il
nave offered. ] VIII read the aueu1-
ment thus specifically recommended
and indorSed by President Roosevelt.
IL ~ iu these words.
That ia addition To the persons cN-
clrocG under ti:c foregoing section
admission into the United states shall
u" denied To all persons over - YEAR
"i age and ply A~icalI> capable II read
hl@ Who can not read tie English IAN
2ua@t or some other language
The bill With this amendment in
oorporated passed the House of Rep
reSehia4NeS "a the , 9TH da. Of May
Ife2 bnt on account If the failure
ia the Senate did not become il law.
thls amendment thus specifically ap-
proved by President Roosevelt goes
further than my amendment in that III
requires that every immigrant over l5
Years Of age shan be required as "a
condition To entrance. TO be able to
-e.ld and write. That, OF course. would
susject women and children Of Lotn
1eNeS TO the test prescribed. Ms amend
ment Is not 50 drastic. 1t merely cN-
Guides adult males who can not read
or write. exempting the wife and chill
dren Of the alien from the test.
again. Mr.. President tine Commis-
@loner Genera! Of immigration has re
peatedly recommended this legislation
as the only adequate means of eff
Gently restricting immigration and
keeping out the undesirable elements
Of European and Asiatic immigration
which is today flooding the country.
VIII read what the Commissioner Gen
eraI said III his report of June 80.
1905:
As means OF preventing Il further
increase OF alien immigration. il viii
be necessary. if such IL policy iS deemed
cNpedient. either to enlarge the pro
hibited Glasses b" adding thereto those
Hho are iliiterate; those whom age or
lceDleueSS renders incapable of self
support if 1T all. but temporarily and
under the most faNOrabic conditions:
those WHO have not brought Il SIiifi-
cient sum OF money to enable them TO
maintain themselves for Il reasonable
time III The event Of sickness or tenn
porary lack of employment: or else To
adopt adequate means. enforced by
sufficient penalties to compel steam
ship companies engaged i'll the paSSen-
9Sr business tC observe in IoOd faith
Fhe Jaw which forbids them To en-
courage or solicit immigration to the
united States.
The alternative Of the Commission
erS proposition our experience, /
think, proves to be an Illusion No
prohibition or Fanatics against a steam
ship company engaged in bringing inn
migrants to mis- country has or viii
prove effective to exclude these un-
desirable classes. SO the recommen-
dation Of the Commissioner General
would be SO far as practical results
are concerned, reduced to his first
proposition. to-Wit. Il law excluding
illiterateS.
Mr. President. there has been a very
marked cnange in the character Of
the immigration to this country dur
ing the last thirty years.
In 1869, 1913 per cent. and as late
rs 1880 64,5 per cent. of the entire
immigration to this country came from
northern and western Europe. They
came chiefly from England, Scotland
Ireland Germany, Norway. Sweden
and Denmark
They were an intelligent, sturdy, in
and thrifty people. The rate
Of liiiteracy among them was less than
that which today obtains in this coun-
try. They represented the best and
the hardest element of the national
tiles from which they came. They
were not adventurerS, but men VINO
sought better conditions and higher
opportunities under more liberal in
stitutions and laws. They We're in
large part descendants Of the people
who originally settled this country,
and who, since the close of the Civil
War. have conquered the wilderness
of the great West and Northwest ana
made that section Of our country so
great and powerful and rich.
The governments under which they
had been reared. while monarchical in
form. We're in substance in the main
representative.
BY hereditv and training they un-
derstood the principles Of freedom and
of government by the people. They
We're fitted to become good citizens Of
the Republic Those Of them who did
not speak our language quickly learneu
to speak it. They came with the
purpose of finding and making a per
manent home for themselves and their
children They readily adjusted them
selves to our habits and customs, threw
off and dismissed forever all thought
of their old allegiance. came under our
flag fell in love with our institutions,
mingled and ihtermarried with on"
people. and We're rapidly aSsimilated
and AmericaniZed.
In 1869. of the entire immigration TO
his country only nine-tenthS Of / per
cent came from southern and eastern
Europe. In the year 1850 only 50
per cent of the entire immigration 10
this country came from southern ana
eastern Europe.
The Few Who came during this
period from southern and eastern Eu- /
rope We're representatives OF the best
element of their nationalities. They
came as bona fide citizens, with the t
purpose of becoming permanent CIT |
zens Of the Republic and soon be- /
came Americanized in habits and Gus
oms thought. and aspirations
Mr.. President. this situation has |
and the change has brought i
is face to face with a danger which /
we can not afford longer TO ignore, /
ana which calls for prompt and eff |
eient attention on the part of con- I
5ress Let us compare the present I
immigration situation with that which |
have just discussed.
In 1901 only 22.5 per cent and in |
1900 only 25.3 per cent of all the I'M /
migrants landed upon our shores came |
rom northern or western Europe i
while in 1901 Csc per cent and in l9U0 !
;6.7 per cent of this migration came