The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-23


 gently In Washington delivered before the house committee on immigration an eloquent plea against excluding Creeks and Syrians from America be- cause they failed to measure up to d certain educational test. pr. Elkourie maintained that this was not fait test because while they have all the qualifications for becoming educated they have simply not had the opportu- uity in their native lands to become educa ted and that to escape from these conditions was their prime motive in coming to America. Dr. Elukourie said:
 To the Honorable Committee of Inn
 migration, Washington, D. C.:
 l appear before you today in be- half of the Greeks and Syrians, to protest against the educational test proposed by you gentlemen, which to my mind is a selectiye test, based upon no logical argument, and seems to be unsupported by the facts revealed in ycur preliminary report. The Italian, he Pole, the Romanian, the Russian, the Jew, and the Servian can take care of themselves. Of those I know noth- ing and would not undertake to de- fend tn em, because of my incompe- tency to pass upon their habits or de- sirabilities. Regarding the Greek and the Syrian, however, 1 am thoroughly farnillar, so familiar that l believe ] can be considered an authority with out boasting of attributing to myself any Knowledge that l do not possess. 1 am not an advocate of unrestricted as some reports seem to indicate. On the contrary, l believe in every restriction which will protect our republic and her people from aliens who will by their conduct add to the criminal statistics of our country.
 Recommendations embodied in the preliminary report of your committee in so far as they relate to the pro lection of the United States more eff fectively against the immigration of criminals, and to further provide for the exclusion of persons who become public charges after their admittance, meet my hearty approval, and thereto wish to add that legislation upon these points cannot be too strict.
 Legislation compelling immigrants to produce certificates showing conclYsively that they had not been guilty in their native lands of an excludable crime will do more towards the proper protection than any other single legislative act The protection of the immigrants against ex- ploitations and their encouragement to reside in this country and become naturaliZed and the seeking of better distribution of alien immigrants through the country is a wise and neces- sary legislation. Provisions to deport those aliens who are engaged in a busi ness which receives it's income from keep ing immigrants from assimilation and is the greatest protection that can be afforded an immigrant, and will do more to increase proper assimila tion and raise the standard of citizen ship than any that can be done along that line because a great deal of deficient as can be traced to this source.
 Briefly I might state that the report of the committee as whole meets with my approval, with the exception of the test, which sto my mind is aimed at those who have not the oppor- tunity of becoming educated in their and who would be deprived from receiving education by the enact- ment of the educational test. The Greeks and Syrians have all the fundamental principles of making ideal citizens. They are thrifty as a whole, they are honest, they furnish less criminals, less paupers, less insane and seekers of charity than any other nationality without exception, and it occurs to me that in making dis
 
 we ought to be guided by those principles in which are involved the most material and necessary things to our progress and protection Besides, if my understanding of American principles do not deceive me, I have always understood America to be a developer and a protector. Those who have the intrinsic qualities of manhood which are primarily honesty and obedi- ence to the law should have our support and protection. Deficiency such as mod ern appearance. slow assimilations are secondary matters that can be aided In various ways, and that can be accom- p,ished during the residence of the immi- grants in this country. It is not wise for this republic to legislate in favor of one class as against the other, because it so happens that that one class is not closely related to us by blood or customs.
 The report of the immigration commit tee having shown that the new immi- grants furnish less criminals and paupers, insane and seekers of charity than their is of itself a proof that the test is unjust discrimination against the Greek and the Syrians who have not heretofore had the opportuni- ties of receiving any sort of an educa- tion. One other fact in connection with this matter is that the criminals as a whole and anarch1StS, agltatorS and those who have extreme socialistic ideas, are able to read and write, and in most in stances thoroughly educated. Therefore, the educational test would accomplish nothing so far as our protection from the diseased and pauper in concern ed. Furthermore, under the new reforms that have recently been introduced in the country of Greece and Turkey, 1t is but a few years until education will be- come as universal in these countries as 1t is here, and 1t will be rare to find anyone who is not able to read or write.
 The greatest obstacle and the most seri- ous charge that can be laid at the door of the Greek and the Syrians, is the slow assimilation as compared with western Europeans, and this slow assimilation has been and is now responsible for a great deal of this agitation and discrimina- ton. It is well to bear in mind, how ever. that of the southern European races the two herein mentioned assimilate more quickly, and to those who have ob- served conditions as I have, and have been thoroughly familiar with every move. development and progressive act in connection with these two races, can readily see that the assimilation from now on will be quickened and will be made easy as compared with the past. It was hard to assmilate in the past, be- cause the immigrants of those two races were new, they had no one here to help them, they knew not of the ad- va ptapag that tba coupfry offoraJ i,, tho