Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-05-08


1ority which is favorable to restrict
ing immigration by means of the read
3Hs requirement The senators saw
that If such a provision had been in
the immigration laws for twenty years
the great disturbance which occurred
| IN Massachusetts town about a year
ago never would have troubled the
people, and that other riots elsewhere
would have been conspicuous by their
absence. In the house there was a
large majority in favor of the reading
provision, but as it took a two-thirds
majority to pass the bill over the
presidents veto the attempt to do so
failed, but only by narrow margin.
AS soon as tariff and currency are
out OF the way, and perhaps before
currency is finally disposed Of, con-
gress intends to take up once more the
matter of restricting immigration, and
it seems certain that the old battle
in committees and on the floors of the
two houses must be fought all over
again. There was a curious combina-
ton of elements opposed to the in
sertion of the reading test into the
immigration law. A great many or
CARNATIONS of citizens composed Of
men of foreign birth or of immediate
foreign ancestry, combined with
Americans of long descent to combat
the enactment Of the reading test law.
Call 1t Un-American.
1t always has been supposed that
the element of our population which
has descended from puritan, pilgrim,
or cavalier forebears was opposed
strenuously to indiscriminate immigra-
ton and particularly an ignorant i'm
migration. In large part this suppo-
sition was proved to be untrue when
the immigration bill was up for con-
sIderation. Representatives of old-line
American families protested against
the reading clause, saying it was un-
American to deny man admission to
this country because he could not
read. The disclosure of this feeling
on the part of the descendants of men
who came here one, two Or three CEN
d d
prise to members of congress.
The general belief in Washington
among party leaders today is that
Notwithstanding the opposition to the
plan to restrict immigration by op-
posing the reading clause, a bill in
GLIDING it will be introduced before
long, and it probably will pass and be
signed by the president. This is the
feeling in congress as made known by
expressions of opinions of the mem
bers, but of course conditions may
arise which will change the point.
Then there also is the possibility that
President Wilson, like his predecessor,
may veto the measure, although it is
said by the Democrats that this is not
likely
Bryan Men Are Favored.
Thus far President Wilson has ap-
pointed Democrats to Office in about
the proportion of three progressives
to one conservative. 1t seems likely
that when In the future the patronage
lists of the present administration are
scanned, it will be found that Secre-
tary of State Bryan must be given in
direct credit for having secured ap-
pointments for more men than any
other member of Mr. Wilson's official
family.
Now it must not be understood that
the Democrats here say that Mr.. Bry-
an has used his personal influence
with the president to secure offices
for men and to override the personal
influence of other members of the
cabinet. The members Of the party
in Washington do not say this, but
they say simply that the appointments
which have been made in large part
Democracy type for which Mr. Bryan
has stood in the past and stands at
present that, Therefore, the progress
ivism of the secretary and the i'm
print which it has made upon his
party has done for men seeking Office
the service which Mr.. Bryan has de-
clined to do personally except in a
few instances.
There has been appointed to Office
some Democrats who, because of
their aloofness from politics, have
been known neither as progressives
nor conservatives. These men stand
in the scholarly class
Leave Scientists Alone.
The democrats here say that viz
tually all the chiefs of the scientific
bureaus in Washington are to be left
where they are. This means, prob
ably that the forest service and the
pure food service and the plant serv-
ice and the biological service and 9th
er services will continue to do their
work under the direction of men who
have attended to their duties and who
have left politics alone. OF course,
Willis L. Moore, chief Of the wealth
er bureau, a scientist, was removed,
but taking all the circumstances into
consideration, it seems that DR.. Moore
really paved the way for his own re-
moval
Then there is the case of E. Dana
Durand, who until recently was chief
Of the census. No one in Washing
ton laid any charges at the door of
Mr. Durand nor was there any intima-
ton that his work had not been Of
the highest order, but the census di-
rectorship always has been regarded
more or less as political Office. Pres
ident Wilson has defended the ap-
pointment of Mr.. Durand's successor.
Mr.. Harris of Georgia, who gets the
place, is not statistician, but is
said to he a business man of breadth