Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-21
REJECTS REPORT.
Senate Sends immigration
Bill Back Disapproved.
Attacked as Dangerous TO the
Future Of the Country.
kilograms Of Protest from Presi-
dent of The Jewish League.

Washington, Jan 20-Control that
Russia and other countries might eX-
ercise over immigration to the United
States led the Senate, today to re-
fuse to accept the difference report
on the Burnett Dillingham; imnigra
ton bill The bill was sent back to
conference with the Senate's disap-
proval of the provision requiring GER
tificates of character from immigrants
coming from countries where such
certificates are issued. This feature of
the bill was attacked by Senator La
Toilette, O'Gorman, Root Stone and
others as dangerous to the future of
American immigration. The provision
had been recommended by the federal
immigra ton officials. Senator Lodge.
III charge of the conference report
asked that the bill be sent back to
conference, where the certificate of
character" provision probably viii be
eliminated.
Il believe that the introduction of
this clause was at the sincere desire
of the immigration officials, to aid
them in keeping out members of the
Black Hand and the Camorra,' said
Senator Root. But it would open the
door 10 foreign countries to limit or
prevent the right of citizens to immi-
grant to the United States
Thousands of kilograms and protests
were received by the Senate early in
the day from Jewish societies and i'm
migration organizations 1t was
claimed that Russia by refusing to
issue certificates of character to Jews
or other citizens could practically stop
immigration to the United States.
LaFollette's Attack.
1.-THE rules and regulations of the
Senate and House have been so
framed and SO built up and migrated
upon by precedent as to put the legis-
lation of this Congress in the hands of
few men," declared Senator La Fol
lette, speaking against the conference
report on the immigration bill.
Il hope the time is coming when
these two bodies will be made more
democratic and more responsive to the
public WILL he added.
Senator LaFollette attacked the
clause put into the bill by the con-
ference committee by which immi-
grants might be debarred from the
United States unless they brought
certificates of character when their
native country had a law authorizing
such certificates.
A determined fight in which Sen
ators Stone, O'Gorman and simmons
joined, was made on the certificate of
character" clause.
Practically every senator received a
telegram from Louis Marshall, presi :
dent of the American Jewish League,
saying the inevitable effect would he
to exclude a majority of Jews COM
ing from Russia and Rumania.
Senator Lodge contended that the
provision did not affect Russian i'm
migrants and held that the conferees
had not exceeded their authority
Senator LaFollette declared Russia
could prevent its people leaving for
the United States by refusing to is
sue certificates of good character Rus
slams who now come to the Unite.
States surreptitiously, he said, would
under the new provisions be exclu
All those who believe in Republi-
can principles of government could be
refused a certificate. he said. Rus
STA knows that enc free tongue in NeN
York is more harmful to Russian des-
potism than 10000 shackled subjects
in Siberia