Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1913-01-16
that IS WHAT UNCLE SAM ia
LIKELY SOON TO SAY TO
IMMIGRANTS.
BILL NOW IS IN CONFERENCE
President Taft Probably VIII Sign
Measure That Is Designed to Ex-
&, ciude People From Some Parts
Of Southern Europe.
Rx eEoReE cLINToN.


over to the house for approval The
the bill, passed it and sent it to con-
ference. ( 1t is believed that an agree
ment upon the provisions of the meas
ure will be reached by the two houses
and that soon congress will pass it
and send it to the president for his
signature or his veto.
It is understood that Mr.. Taft does
not entirely agree with the provi
sions of the measure In the form in
be approved by congress The law
will contain provision shutting out
from America all immigrants above
the age Of sixteen years who are un-
able to read, unless it can be proved
that the aliens are fleeing from relf
gious persecution.
While the president fs said not to
be entirely sympathetic with the bill
it is believed. that In the near future
reading test before they can admitted
to this country. The test viii be In
the language which the immigrants
speak When the measure passed the
senate there was five to one vote in
favor of provision which would hava~
subjected immigrants to both reading
and writing tests. The house knock
ed out the writing provision and sent
the bill to conference.
Taft viii Sign It.
It Il the opinion Of congressmeH
- ff-.r ia
that the change Of the form Of the u
nteracy test viii not make much dif
ference. It is held that about SO out
OF every 100 persons who know how
to read also know how to write. II:
seems finally to be assured that re
strictive immigration~mea wiz
find place on the statute books in
the immediate future, for while Presi
dent Taft Is known to have some
doubts in the matter, the general be-
lief is that he will sign the bill.
There is no use to try to gloss over
the real reason why congress was will
ing to put the reading test into the
new immigration law. The desire T.
to keep out immigrants whom en-
perience, it is said, has proved to be
undesirable as class, Nand this meant
the exclusion of certain of the south
Italians, certain of; the Jews, certain
of the Poles. and men and women OF
other races among whom the per
centage Of il1iteracy is high.
The steamship companies always
have been against 'tanti-immigratiOI
laws The reason for their opposi
ton needs no explanation. Under the
proposed law rejected aliens viii be
sent back to their native lands at tht
expense OF the steamship companies
which bring them yer Tho suppost
ton is that the companies wiz on
their own behalf see to it that no one
Is allowed on board who cannot &c
through unstumblingly paragraph q
his school reader.
For years attempts have been made
In congress to get through an immi
grafton bill with an uliteracy test
clause as one Of its provisions. II
1897, when Grover Cleveland waG
president, q bill very much like the
present one, or like the form In which
1t has been sanctioned by the house
was passed by congress. Mr.. Cleveland
vetoed 1t and it has been said that aft
erward he re~~etted his act. there
always has been strong opposition ta
the passage of measure which would
exclude immigrants because Of ina
bility to read and write.
Question Really Of Geography.
II congress could have done It, It
would have exempted from the illit
eracy test immigrants from the north
ern European countries. but of course
1t could not do this. The issue, Sc
Tar as geographical restriction" il
concerned, always has been avoided
but when thing Is perfectly plain
denials and evasion are OF no service
Certain kinds of immigrants are not
wanted, and it is supposed chat the II
literacy clause viii keep them out.
The opposition to the illiteracy
test has come during the years not
only from naturalized Americans whG
do not like to see their homeland
kindred debarred from admission, but
from men and women Of prominence
In the work of the world and who art
descended from Immigrants" who
came to this couAtry in the seven
beenth and eighteenth centuries.
The provision of the bill which al
lows illiterate immigrants TO enter
the country If they are trying to<get
away from religious persecution opens
up the question of proof. In certain
countries the Jews are prosecuted on
and on. Will an immigrant be allowed
to enter because he is in fear of per
secution, lear based on past per-
In other words, must the
be open and active and
must man be actually fleeing from 1t
n order TO be admitted to this country
without being asked to read his way
INTO it?
The illiteracy test provision of the
immigration bin was passed by the
7otes of men of both parties; in fact.
party lines were completely obliterat-
ID The support of the provision was