Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-14
IMMIGRATION BILL CHANGED
Foreigners Who Come to United States to
Work May Be Barred.
PRESIDENT GIVEN DISCRETIONARY POWER
Committee Amends Measure 20 Permit
Exclusion of Aliens whose Pres
ence would Disturb Labor
Conditions.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13-Exclusion of
foreigners who use their passports to
secure admission to the United StateB
States to the detriment Of labor conditions
IN this country is provided for by an
amendment to the immigration bill, agreed
upon by conferees OF the senate and house
today and reported to congress The
amendment is the result of the demand
from the Pacific coast states for the ex-
ciusion of japanese coolies and 1t is under
stood that It viii aid In securing an under
standing between the administration and
the San Francisco delegation now In Wash
ington comforting with President Roosevelt.
The provision agreed upon is as follows;
THAT whenever the president shall be
satisfied that passports issued by any
foreign government to itg citizens to go to
any country other than the United. States
or to any insular possession Of the United
States or to the canal zone are being used
to enable the holders 10 come to the con-
tinental territory Of the United States to
the detriment OF the labor conditions therein
the president may refuse to permit such
citizens of the country Issuing such pass
ports 60 enter the continental territory of
the United States from other countries or
from such other possessions or from the
canal zone"
The bill has been in conference since the
last session of congress and there has been
grave doubts as to whether an agreement
could be reached at all. The principal
points of difference were in relation to the
proposed educational test for immigrants
and the provision that persons coming to
this country solely to avoid persecution
or punishment on religious or political
grounds shall not be deported because Of
want of means. or the probability of being
unable to earn a livelihood Both OF the
provisions were eliminated.
1t is believed that IL it had not been for
the necessity of some legislation looking
to the exclusion of foreigners deemed a
menace to labor there could have been no
agreement on the propositions The immi-
grafton bill having passed both houses last
session. offered the best opportunity for
legislation looking to exclusion OF unde-
sirable classes, In thai the adoption of the
conference report on the immigration bill
10 all that 1t required to make the pro-
vision effective.
Head Tax Higher.
Under the agreement the head tax on
aliens was fixed at 81, compromise be-
tween the house provision of 50 and the
senate provision of IS. The senate pro-
vision exempting from payment of head
tax persons who have resided in Canada,
Newfoundland, Cuba or Mexico for one
year was retained. The conferees retained
also the house provision exempting from
the payment Of the head tax persons ar
irving In Guam. Porto Rico or the Hawaiian
islands. but this does not permit such per-
sons later to migrate to the United States
and avoid paying the head tax. The senate
had included the Philippines In this pro-
vision, but the conferees made an excep-
ton OF those islands. There were few other