The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-05-17
eousness Of new tariff legislation d
adduced by actual trial.

eousness Of new tariff legtslation 4
adduced by actual trial.
The new party men in the house, tn
Progressives. while they are not for
midable In numbers, have been mai
ing themselves formidable as a fight
ing organization. They are not sucl
high protectionists as are the Repub
licans, but they are higher protection
lists than are the Democrats. Tn,
chief endeavor of the Progressives q
the present time is to try to focus pub
lie attention on what they consider
the absolute necessity Of creating q
genuine tariff commission which shall
be removed from politics
Congress before long will be asked
to legislate again in an effort to re-
strict immigration. II will be remem
bered that the house and senate passed
an immigration restriction measure al
the last session, making ability to read
a requirement of admission to this
country on the part Of the would-be
American citizen. President Taft We
toed the bill because of the reading
provision. The senate passed the
measure over Mr.. Taft's veto, but the
house failed to do so and the bill did
not become law.
In the senate there is great ma
/ tority which is favorable to restrict
Ing immigration by means Of the read
Ing requirement The senators say
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
tailed, 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
II 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
sertlon 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 II Un-Ameriean.
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-
sftion was proved to be untrue when
the immigration bill was up for con-
sideraton. Representatives of old-line
American families protested against
the reading clause, saying 1t was un.
American to deny a 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.
turtles ago, was a good deal Of a sur.
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 Cd
posing the reading clause, a bill In |
Guiding 1t 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 Ia
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
he proportion OF three progressives
o one conservative. II seems likely
hat when in the future the patronage
lists of the present administration are
1t will be found that Score
airy Of State Bryan must be given in.
iirect credit for having secured ap
for more men than any
'ther member of Mr.. Wilson's official
amily.
Now 1t must not be understood that
he Democrats here say that Mr.. Bry.
N has used his personal influence
With the president to secure Offices
or men and to override the personal
influence Of other members of the
abinet- The members Of the party
Washington do not say this, but
hey say simply that the appointments
Which have been made in large part
ave gone to men of the progressive
democracy type for which Mr.. Bryan
as stood in the past and stands at /.
resent that, Therefore, the progress
Vism OF the secretary and the i'm {
rint which it has made upon his
arty has done for men seeking Office
he service which Mr.. Bryan has de- .
lined to do personally except in a
ew instances
There has been appointed to office I
ONE Democrats who, because of |
heir aloofness from politics have 9
cen known neither as progressiyes