Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-12-10
TESTING THE IMMIGRANT

| nASSAGE Of Legislation prescribing
a literacy test for prospective
immigrants into the United
States is predicted for the present ses.
sion Of congress by Representative
Burnett Of Alabama. Such a measure
should meet with little opposition from
those who have the good Of the work.
ingman at heard
The high protective tariff has been
In force against manufacturers foI
many years Under it the manufactur,
ing industries Of America have grown
to a size undreamed Of by the men wh0
framed the first tariff bill. Great for.
tunes have been made and gigantic in.
dustrles have been fostered under the
tariff schedules and today the man.
ufacturers are able to cope with those
Of any nation upon the globe.
The interests Of the American work
ingman have been neglected by the
tariff trainers. While the cheap goods
Of Europe were kept out by the high
tariff wall, the cheap labor Of Europe
has been permitted to sweep into
America unchecked The manufac-
urers have reaped the benefit at once
Of securing high prices for their goods
and Of securing cheap labor to manu-
facture them, American laborers have
suffered as a result Of the tide Of Eu-
ropean peasantry sweeping into this
country.
The ignorant are able to live more
cheaply than the educated. Their
standards Of life are nearer those Of
the animal and they have but few
wants drter they have been provided
with a warm place to sleep and plen-
ty of food to eat. The uneducated
peasants have herded together in
sQualid rooms, eaten the coarsest Of
food and have worked long hours with
the idea Of saving a small compe-
tence, When their stake was saved
they have returned home leaving
America that much poorer.
America has no quarrel with the
men who come 10 this country expect.
ing to make It their home, These men
readily learn the customs and asslmi-
late the ideals Of the natiye-boru
Americans They look about them and
strive to conform to the practices OF
3 their American neighbors,
Yet 1t seems that some means Of
wedding out the undesirable should
be found The American In the
making Is required to attend school
from his sixth to his sixteenth year
q lie is taught personal cleanliness, as
we'll as given q knowledge Of his
! country It's institutions and its ideals
His education and association with
= Others raisos his standards of living
and he is unable to live and be CON
tent upon the animal plane occupied
by many Of the illltorate unstIlea
! workers who pour into this country
{ yearly
r It is unfair that the American work.
er should be taught to live upon one
, plane and then be forced to compete
: in tho open market with men whose
3 standard require but little more than
the lower animals. The gates have
, been open too long Either the Amer.
y lean worker must be kept down In TX.
noronce or some means Of protecting
him from the tide OF immigration
must bo found The educational test
whilo Il may serve TO keep out many
desirable citizens nevertheless would
bar the little brothers to the OK
America has no place for men who
are willing TO subslst upon two
meals a day and sleep dozen to the
room An educational test OF some
sort will serve to keep this class out,
and will do no harm The prediction
OF Representative Burnett viii uu-