Arizona republican., 1913-02-15
MT. Taft Returns Measure Imposing Literary Test on All Foreigners Seek ing to Make Residence ill America
MESSAGE IS IN
 OWN HANDWRITING
Says Proposed Bill Would Lock Doors of United States Against Alien Who Could Not Read or Write Some Language
TAssocrArED PRESS DIsPATcH1


 WASHINGTON, Feb. f4.-President Taft vetoed today the Dillingham; Bur nett immigration bill which would rev olutionize the immigration policy of the United States by imposing a lite rary tes. on all foreigners seeking a home in America. In a short message to the senate in his own hand writing. the president announced his disapprov- al Of the measure solely because of the provision which would lock the doors of the United States against the alien dialect
 The veto message was accompanied by letter to the president from Sec retary Nagle announcing literacy test as redIcal provision based upon the faIlacy of undertaking to apply test which is not calculated to reach the truth and to find a relief from a dang CT which really does not exist" Tine president adopted the secretary's position. The senate and house leaders lost no time in arranging for an effort to override the veto. As soon as the message was read, Senators Dilling- nam and Simmons and Representative Burnett. leading the congressional sup I porters of the measure made arrange ments to take it up in the senate on ! Monday and in the house on Tuesday 1 With Senator Lodge, they are confident i that the bill will be passed easily in 1 both houses by the necessary two 1 thirds.
 Opponents and proponents of the l proposed law have waged vigorous 1 contest in hearings before the presi 1 dent for the last ten days. Organized | labor has warmly supported the bill i while several organizations. particu- 1 larlv the Jewish societies. have recom- 1 mended it's veto. Foreign nations pro i tested against the provision for the de 1 taiing of immigrant inspectors and i matrons to vessels flying the foreign | flags. but Secretary Nagle held to this 1 controlling objection of the proposed l law.
 ! This $ the second time the literacy
 test for immigrants has been vetoed by a president. Grover Cleveland like l wise having refused in 1897 to approve
 a bill barring aliens who could not read Or write.
 Secrctar Nagle said the literacy test
 was defended as precautionary meas ure to exclude a large proportion of 1 undesirable emigrants from certain | countries. with the final purpose of
 reducing the quantity of labor in the 1 United States He added:
 NO doubt the law excluded q con ] siderable per centage of immigration from southern Italy and among the 1 Poles MeXicans and Greeks. This eX clusion would embrace probably large part of undesirable but also a great many desirable people and the embar- rassment, expenses and distress Of those who seek to enter are out of all proportion to any good that can pos
 sibly be promised for this measure. l My observation leads me to the con
 cluson that so far as the merits of the 1 individual immigrant are concerned the test is altogether overestimated. The !, people who come from the countries named are frequently illitirate because l opportunities have been denied them
 An oppression with which these people , have to contend in modern times is no ! TPllSIOuS put COHSlSlS Ol d utIldI bl tlit ] opportunity to acquire reading ant writing Frequently an attempt t | learn to read and write the language
 of d particular people is discouraged b, 1.-the government and those immigrants
 coming to other shores are really striv
 ing to free themselves from conditions , under which they have been compelled to live"
 } Regarding industrial conditions. tn ; secretary said that America neede' 7 the labor. as natives are unwilling l. f do the work which the aliens com
 over to do. Admitting there is con l. eestion in some places there is a deartl of labor in very much larger area ] The secretary declared that no suffi ! ciently earnest and intelligent effor has been made to bring the country
 labor wants and supply togther an' gave it as his judgment that mo dras tic measure based upon ground whicl is untrue and is urged for a reasol which we are unwilling to asser 2 should be adopted unless we at leas exhausted the possibilities of a ra { | tional distribution of these new forces 1 --O--