Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1908-02-19
JONI N. Oracle
INVITES Immigrants

.-aAtA "
in an interview given out yesterda!
before his departure for Dallas, Texas
where he will attend the annual meet
ing Of the Southern Cotton Associa
ton, John NJ Oracle, the well known
Jefferson county planter. gave out the
following interview on the various
measures now pending in Congress
restricting foreign immigration In
view of the fact that Mr.. Oracle en-
ploys no few foreign laborers and
farm hands on his big plantation in
this county, his discussion Of the I'M
migration subject is OF more than or
binary significance. He said:
."They are, he says, called the Lati'
mer bin, the Burnett bill and the
Gardner bill; and are, at least in pur-
pose, all alike, inasmuch as each pro-
yides certain tests which would result
In the practical exclusion from this
country Of foreign immigrants.
would preface my objections by say
ing that like any good American
citizen, I believe in excluding from our
country tho diseased and criminal
classes Of foreigners. and I believe
that an actual residence for ten years
should be required for application to
become citizen; and further that
any immigrant convicted Of a crime or
Fua Of
his arrival in this country should be
deported.
''The Latimer bill ! understand re-
qlires an educational test. An educa-
tional test, in my opinion, can be Of
no practical benefit to an immigrant.
The mere fact that a man can read
and write his own language is no cri-
terion of his becoming a good citizen.
We know from our experience with
the negro what poor test of char
acter and citizenship the knowledge
of reading and writing is. 1t is an
un-American and undemocratic test,
and is put forth by those who wish
to reduce immigration at all hazards,
and who are willing to make use OF
any means to that end. Another OBJ
lection to an educational test is that
in many cases it will prevent some OF
the members of families from coming
into this country, while allowing 9TH
ers to enter. This is especially true
where the parents are somewhat ad- |
vanced in life Their admission WQult |
make for the good and good behavior
of the rest Of the family, giving to the
family parental care, control and |
advice, but often the parents can not
read and write, whereas their chill
dren can. This is not because the |
children are better than the parents, !
Or would make better citizens, but 1t
is due to the fact that during the last
the public schools of Eu-
rope have been greatly improved and
extended. giving to the children ad-
vantages not enjoyed by their parents.
I do not think that an educational
Test is a good criterion of future cit
Izenship, because the learned are not
necessarily Industrious. The ability Of
he immigrant to read and write his
own language tends to strengthen the !
influence of Old World customs and
but does not make him
better American citizen.
'tAs each Of the bills provides an
test, my objections above
roted apply to all of them.
'The Latimer bill provides, among
,ther things, for the limitation OF the
lumber of immigrants from any one
ountry to $4,000 and within any pc
iod of - months. This limitation |
n itself would practically exclude t
nv immigration from nearly every a
oreign country after two or three $
lonths have elapsed, and inasmuch as
provides a penalty upon the trans !
ortation company for failure to COM !
" with it, the companies, not being
, position to know when the
uota of immigrants from any partlc-
lar country udu UCCA CAhouosSos 80 -
n one or two months would not be !
filing to accept any immigrant for {
and it would be :
reat hardship for immigrants living !
way from the ports of Europe to be
,mpelled to so to the expense OF
ayeling to this country, and, upon
leiy arrival, to be compelled to re-
I'm home again, because the number
immigrants from their country had (
,ceeded the limitation.
additional feature of this bill /
ost Objectionable is the provision ex-
uding immigrants assisted by friends.
MS provision would exclude from
is country a class of immigrants /
no would be provided for ON arrival
re as to material things and who !
mid certainly not be charge upon