The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-02-15
Taft Disapproves Provi-
sion and Promptly
Vetoes Bill.
FOLLOWS EXAMPLE
SET BY CLEVELAND
President, i'll Special Message,
Tells Congress That to Sign
Measure Would Be to Vio-
late Principle Which Must
Be Upheld in Dealing
With Aliens.

Washington, February 14.-President
Taft to-day vetoed the Dillingham;
burnett immigration BILL which would
rcvolutionize the immigration policy
Of the United States by imposing "A lit
cracy test upon all foreigners seeking
home in America.
In short message TO the Senate. in
his own handwriting. the President an
nounced his disapDroval OF the measure
solely because Of the provision which
would lock tile doors OF the United
states against the alien who could not
read MS home language or dialect.
me veto message was accompanied
by a letter To the President from Sec
rotary Nagel denouncing the llteracy
test as rad@Gal provision, biased upon
faliacy MISUNDERSTANDING" to apply a
test which Is not calculated to reach
the truth and to find relief from a
danger which really does not exist"
The President adopted the secre-
tary's position.
Hope 10 Override Veto.
Senate and House leaders lost no
time in arranging for an effort 10
override the veto. AS soon as the
message was read. Senators Dillingham;
and Simmons and Representative Bur-
nett, leading the congressional sup
porters of the measure. made arrange
ments to take il up in the Senate on
Monday and In the House on Tuesday.
/ With Senator Lodge. they were conf
dent that the bill would be passed cas-
ily IN both hou:cs by the necessary
two thirds vote.
Opponents and proponents OF the pro-
posed law waged Il vigorous contest in
hearings before the President for the
last ten days. Organized labor warml y
supported the BILL while several organ
izations. particularly Jewish societies,
I FlA rNstNs. .l..I
tions protested against the provision
for detailing Immigrant inspectors and
matrons on vessels flying foreign tiags.
but Secretary Nagel held that this was
not n controlling objection to the pro-
posed law.
This is the second time that a lit
erlcy test for immigrants has been
vetoed by President, Grover Cleve-
land in 1897 likewise having refused
10 approve . bill barring aliens who
could not read and write. In vetoing
the Iii. the President said:
II do this with great reluctance The
bill contains many valuable amend
nents To the present immigrant law
which insure greater certainty in ex-
ciuding undesirable immigrants The
Bill received strong support in both
houses and was recommended by an
able commission. after an extended in :
Ncstigation and carefully drawn con-
clusions.
'But | cannot make up my mind TO
sign bill which. in its chief provision.
violates principle that was. in my
opinion To he upheld in dealing with
our immigration | refer TO the lit
eracy test. For tho reasons stated in
Secretary Nagcrs letter to me. | cannot
| approve that test. The sccretary's let
ter accompanies this
Position Taken by Nagci.
Secretary Na0el said the literacy :est
I f.a.l1
10 exclude large proportion of undc
sirable immigrants from certain coun-
tries, the final purpose being to reduce
the quantity Of cheap labor in the
United States He added:
No doubt the law would exclude a
considerable percentage of immlgra
ton from southern Italy, among the
Poles. the McNlcans and the Greeks
This exclusion would embrace probably
III large part undesirable. but also q
great many desirable people. and the
cmba barrassment, expenses and distress
To those who seek TO enter will be out
OF all proportion to any good that can
possibly lac promised for this measure
My Observations leads me TO the con
clusion thar so far as the merits OF
the individual immigrant are con
ccrned. the test is altogether overesti
mated. The people who come from the
countries named are frequently iliit-
crate because of opportunities having
bctn denied them. The expressions
with which these people have to con
! tend with in modern times is not relI-
Sious. but il consists of a denial of tho
opportunity TO acquire reading and
writing
Frequently the attcmpt To learn n
read and write the language of tho par
tlcuiar people is discouraged bv tbe
government, and these immigrants. il,
coming 10 our shores, are really striv-
ins 10 1ree themselves from tho condi-
tons under which they have been com
PEELED to live"
Regarding industrial conditions. the
secretary said America needed labor
ana INC natives were unwilling TO do
inc work which aliens come over to do
Measure Too Drastic.
Admitting there was congestion in
some places and Il dearth Of labor in
very much larger area, the secretary
declared that no sufficiently earnes,
and intelligent effort had been made to
| bring the couhtry's labor wants and
i supply together. lie maintained tim,
so far the same forces that give the
chief support to this provision OF tho
new bill have stubbornly resisted any
| effort looking to an intelligcnt distri
button of new immigration to meet III.
needs of our vast country. In nv iudg.
lnent, no drastic measure, based upon -
ground which is untrue and urged for
| IL IChoOi NulCH We are unwilling tc
| assert, should be adopted until VIC hav
at least exhauscd the possibilities of +,
rational distribution of these new
| forces"
The secretary defended the character
Of tho great majority Of immigrants
to the United States and declared tina,
| with rapid strides the foreign born cit.
izen is acquiring the farm lands OF
| this country.
The bill. the secretary asserted
adopted the group system' in large
measure by permitting n qualified I'm
migrant to bring in certain memberf
OF his family. who themselves would
| be disqualified by tho test, while a
disqualified member would exclude all
| dependent members Of his family, nc
matter how we'll qualified they might
otherwise be.
Delay and friction in immigration
work, especially along the Canadian