The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-02-15
TAFT EXTENDS VETO
TO Immigration
MEASURE
DisAPPRovEs OF BILL COM.
PELLING INCOMING ALIENS
TO BE ABLE TO READ.

/ washington, Feb. 14.-President
Taft today vetoed the Dillingham;
Burnett immigration bill which would
revolutionize the immigration policy
of the United States by imposing a
literacy test upon all foreigners seek
ing a home in America,
In a short message to the senate
the president announced his disap-
proVal of the measure solely because
Of the provision which would lock the
doors of the United States against
the alien who could not read some
language.
Inc veto message was accompanied
by a letter to the president from Sec
rotary Nagel ~denouncing the literary
test as a radical provision biased
upon a fallacy in undertaking to ap-
ply a test which is not calculated to
reach the truth and to find relief from
May Override It.
The president adopted the secre-
tary's position. Senate and house
leaders lost nc time in arranging for
an effort to override the veto. AS soon
as the message vas read, Senators
Dillingham; and Simmons and Repre-
sentative Burnett, leading the con-
! g%ressional supporters of the measure,
tnatie arrangements to take it up in
the senate on Monday and in the
house on Tuesday. With Senator
Lodge. they We're confident, that the
bill would be passed easily I'm ! both
houses by the necessary two-thirds
vote.
Opponents and proponents of the
proposed law have waved vigorous
contest in hearings before the presi-
dent for the last ten days. Organized
labor warmly supported the bill while
several organizations, especially Jew
ish societies. recommended it's veto.
Foreign nations protested against
the provision for detailing immigrant
inspectors and matrons on vessels fly
ing foreign flags. but Secretary Nagel
held that this was not a controlling
objection to the proposed law.
The Second Time.
This is the SECOND time that a lit
>'~>S NN'S AoA - Il Dcell
vetoed by a president. Grover Cleve-
land refused in 1897 to approve a bill
barring aliens who could not read and
write.
In vetoing the bill the president
said:
Il do this with great reluctance.
h bill contains many valuable
amendments to the present immigra-
ton law, which would insure greater
certainty in excluding undesirable i'm
migrants. The bill received strong
support in both houses was rec
commended by an able commission aft
er ar extended investigation and care
fully drawn conclusions.
But l cannot make up my mind to
sign a bill which in it's chief pro-
vision violates a principle that was in
my opinion to be upheld in dealing
with u immigration. refer to the
l~iteracy test. For the reasons stated
in Secretary Nagel's letter to me l
cannot approve hat test. The secre-
tary's letter accompanies this"
A Practical Measure.
Secretary Nagel said the literary
test was defended as q practical
measure to exclude a large proportion
of undesirable immigrants from GER
tain countries, 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 immi-
grafton from southern Italy and from
the Poles the MeXicans and the
Greeks, This exclusion would en-
brace probably in large part undesir-
able, but also a great many desirable.
people, and the embarrassment, ex-
to enter would be out of all proper
ton to any good that can possibly be
promised for this measure.
MY observation leads me to the
conclusion that so far as the merits of
the individual immigrant are con-
cerned, the test is altogether over-es-
timated. The people who come from
the countries named frequently are
J il%literate because opportunities have
been denied them. The oppression
with which these people have to 0
tend in modern times Is not religious
but it consists of a denial Of the OPP
p~ortunity to acquire reading and
writing. Frequently the attempt to
learn to read and write the language
of the particular people Is discouraged
by the government and these immi-
really striving to free themselves from
" A--