Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-13
PARTY LINES TO FALL
Measure Requires Educational Test!
for All Aliens.
DEBATE SET FOR TOMORROW
Commission After Four Years Study
Has Held That Some Re-
striction Is Necessary.

Sharp and merry will be the row upor
the floor Of the House Of Representative:
tomorrow when the Burnett immigration
bill comes up for four hours debate
under a special rule adopted by the
House committee on rules. 1t will be z
factional. sectional. political and busine,s:
row. combatted on all sides by republi
cans and democrats alike. ana befriecdec
In the main by the men from agricultural
districts where the foreign vote is moi
much Of a political element. 1t is the
measure which has been made a part
of the democratic legislative program
for this session, and has had lie hep OF
Representative Henry, chairman of the
rules committee.
The bill will be bitterly opposed by
every democratic member of the New
York delegation and possibly by the re-
publican members.
Politics and party lines will play little
part in the scrap tomorrow. from all In.
dications. and the fact that the debate
will be limited to four hours gives prom
Use of a condensed warfare I'm which every
trick OF the parliamentary experts will
be called into play.
Purpose of the Measure.
The main purpose Of the bill is to ex-
clude from the United States alien immi-
grants over sixteen years Of age who are
unable to read their own language or dia.
lect. In order that there might be no
doubt about Hebrew and Yiddish being
considered as either language or a dia-
lect. they are both named in the bill.
Several exceptions are made in the bill.
One Of them allows aliens to enter with
out the iiliteracy test if it is proven they
are fleeing from religious persecution. An
other exception allows families which
have been separated by immigration to
settle in America.
A bill similar to this exclusion PROPOSE
tiOn was brought I'D in the House five
years ago and was turned down. because
1t was thought careful study OF the
facts should be made. A commission was
appointed and a four-year study resulted
in a report which contained this state
ment:
THE commission as a whole recon-
mends restriction as demanded by eco
nomic, moral and social considerations -
Test Thought Best.
Eight Of the nine members of the COM
mission favored the reading and writing
test as the most feas:ble single method
Of restricting undesirable immigration.
President Cleveland vetoed a restriction
bill of this general character in 1891 but
Representative. Burnett Of Alabama, who
framed the present bill. is of the opinion
that his measure Is a more liberal docu-
ment -
At any rate, there is going to be fight
in the House tomorrow when the four
hours of debate gets under way.
The strength Of the bills advocates is
shown somewhat in the following, which
is an extract from Mr.. Burnett's report:
within the past few years resolutions
have been passed by the American Fed
ton Of Labor, the Farmers Union, the
National Grange the Farmers National
Mechanics and many other industrial
and patriotic organizations at every one
of their great annual meetings favor!ne
the very remedy that this bill provides
and their petitions have come up to Con-
gress.
Argument Answered.
''It is urged that the illiteracy test will
not keep out the Black Hand leaders
This is admitted. but we already have
laws to reach this class. Besides, most OF
the illiterates from the country of the
criminal, and dare not reveal his crimes
or his presence when they know them
For this reason, even where they are no,
criminals at heart, they often become
plant tools in the hands OF the Black
HAND leader. and act at his bidding, and
furnish hiding places for the leader him.
self and for the fruits of his crime.
I'VE believe the standards Of wages and
living of the workingmen of our country.
as well as other economic considerations
demand prompt action by Congress