St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-12-25
IN~EREsTING LEGISLATION
A History Of Sen. Dllingham's high
To Regulate Immigration


To Regulate Immigration
There is a bit of very interesting
history of a piece of National regis
lation now pending in Washington
that is of more than passing inter
est to Vermonters generally. For
many years the queoitsnA. f..
many years the question of placing
greater restrictions on foreign i'm
migration has engaged the atten-
| ton of thoughtful students of public
matters everywhere. Bill after bill
has been presented to Congress with
restrictive measures of various kinds
but one after another have failed az
the powerful influence of the steam
ship companies and great foreign so
cieties together with the great in
dustrial corporations, who are moro
concerned with dividends than they
are with the future citizenship OF
the country, has been brought to
bear on the members of congress
Millions of dollars have been freely
contributed to defeat any bill that
would materially cut down the com.
| ing to this country any persons who
could raise money enough to buy 1
steamship ticket or who would work
/ for less wage than the native DorI
| American. OF late this condition
has become so alarming that the
great patriotic organizations of tho
country have made an organized
fight for better conditions.
Four years ago Congress needed
the growing public demand anc
created the great commission to &c
about the country and abroad and
| thoroughly study the entire ques-
Il Of
| investigation they reported to con-
| gress their findings and so great was
| the question and so careful their
work, that it required AZ great
| bound volumes to contain the vas
amount of material that they deemed
it wise to submit to congress. This
| great commission was under the
| Craftsmanship of our senior senator.
Hon. William P. Dillingham;, who di.
! rected the work of the commission
| with great skill and with a tireles'
energy that has easily made him a
| high place in the hearts of those who
| believe that there is no single ques.
ton of greater Importance to the
American people.
The report was submitted to
congress and with it, The Dillingham;
| Bill, which contained the best
| thought of the majority of the Com
mission. 1t was referred to the
senate immigration committee head
ed by Senator Lodge of Massachu-
sets, while in the committee it was
attacked by every influence possible
| for, either its adverse report or for
the best features to be killed in
committee ana when it should come
out of the committee should be as
harmless and innocent as a new born
babe. The commission had, with a
single dissenting vote recommended
that the one most feasible single
measure would be literacy test, a
requirement that those desiring to
come to this country should demon
strate that they could read and
write in some language. Senator
Dillingham; incorporated this most
excellent provision into his bill, but
when it came to the senate, from the
committee, it was stricken out and in
a general way the bill was of little
value.
Then the great organizations of
the country got busy and demanded
that the literacy test be restored
Legislative agents went to Washing
ton, and under the lead of the coun
try's greatest patriotic fraternity
and Junior Order of United Ameri-
can Mechanics, a conference of the
heads of the order in various states
was called to meet in Washington
last February. They met and each
saw his senators, and impressed up
on them the necessity for the restor-
alton of the literacy test to the Dill
bingham bill Naturally both Senators
Dillingham; and Page pledged their
hearty support and in few days
Senator Simmons, of North Caro-
lima, a member of the order, secured
the adoption of an amendment Ie-
storing the literacy test and in April
the bill passed the senate with but
nine opposing votes. 1t was sent tc
the House of representatives, and
this body being of the opposing party
it was seen that the Dillingham; bill
in its entirety, could not be passed
Chairman Burnett (also a member
of the JunioTs) moved, in commit
tee, to strike out of the Dillingham;
Bin all after the enacting clause and
substitute the Burnett bill, which
was a simple, clear and ringing pro
vision for the literacy test. After
weeks of hearings and the bringing
of every possible influence for its
IL
favorably, back to the house. But !
it was in the closing days of the ses-
sion, the national elections were
close at hand and the political in
f1uence of the steamship companies |
and the foreign vote was feared in |
many close congressional districts. |
Friends of the measure believed it |
best to let the whole question lay
over until this month, The Rules |
Committee had promised special rule
granting a consideration of the bill |
early in December.
That there might be no question
in the minds of congress as to how
Vermont felt on the pending ques-
ton, William H. Jeffrey of East
Burke, prepared a joint resolution |
and had it introduced into the Gen
eraI Assembly by Representative /
Cook, of Lyndon 1t passed both |
houses and received the signature of |
Governor Fletcher, and when the
great debate of December IA took |