Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-02-10
EFFORTS BEING MADE IN CON-
GRESS TO EXCLUDE ASIATIC
LABoRERs AND COOLIES.
IBY ELISHA HANSON. !

BY ELISHA HANSON.l
Washington, D. c., Feb. 9.-Congress
| is still as far away in the settlement
of the Asiatic immigration question as
it was when Grover Cleveland was
president of the United States, nearly
twenty years ago. 1t is by no means
certain that any immigration bill Will
! be passed at the present session OF
that it would be signed if it were pass
ed. Although the house has receded
from it's position to definitely exclude
from this country the Japanese along
with the other Asiatics, the fight is not
conc uded but will be carried on again
| in the senate.
| Undoubtedly the house would have
| voted for the Hayes-Lenroot amend
merr had it not been for the overnight
| pressure brought to bear on democratic
leaders by President Wilson and Score.
tary Bryan. They made personal plea
to che anti-Asiatics to refrain from
pressing their opinions at this time
when our diplomatic relations with
Japan are in such delicate state IN
volying not only our direct relations
with the island country but also with
Mexico.
The question of excluding Asiatics
has been before the country for many
years and congress has attempted 70
solve it time after time without much
success. The language OF the lmmlsra-
tion law as it stands upon the statute
books today is so far from being de-
finite that even with the help of the
decisions of the supreme court, the
lawmakers are unable to determine
just what it means
Problem Is Acute.
Secretary Of Labor William b. VIII
son. ten days ago in reply to letter
from Representative Burnett OF the
committee on immigration declared
the problem of increasing immigration
Of Asiatic laborers was getting to pc
most acute one.
Judging from past experience and
the inroads already apparent it would
seen, to be only a question OF time
proba bEy of only short time-before
the United States immigration officials
will be confronted with problems grow.
i,Ig out of increasing immigration OF
Asiatic laborers from countries other
than China, Japan. or India SAID sec
rotary Wilson. I'm view of this Tact
it is in the departments view advls.
able to dispose Of the entire matter OF
Asiatic immigration in one measure
At the time the immigration bill was
reported out of committee there were
three other bills pending specially al
rected against Asiatic laborers. The
Raker bill proposed to exclude all AS
iatics and provided that for the pur-
nose of the act all Asiatic aliens should
be regarded as laborers unless 1t 10
known that they are in their personal
CAPACITY OF government officers, minis
ters OF the gospel, professional men,
merchants. bankers. capitalists, or
travellers for pleasure.
The Humphrey bill was directed IN
particular against the Hindus as was
the Church BILL -... .. .. -.H
Hindus Chief Offenders.
In speaking of the problem now con-
fronting the immigration service Sec
cretary Wilson said:
"The urgent and imperative problem
is that of the Hindus or problem
which has been met for the past sew
eral years with such expedients and
makeshifts as could be devised from
time to time with a view to prevent
a large and ever increasing influx OF
Ia borers of that race, who to all intents
and purposes are coolies in the same
sense that Chinese were regarded
when the necessity arose over quar-
ter of century ago for aHordlng stat
,,torv means Of exclusion.
1.-The immigration service has been
excluding as many Of these laborers as
possible under the provisions or exist
ing laws which relate to physically de-
fectiye aliens and aliens likely to be-
come public charge
Are Physically o. K.
Secretary Wilson SAYS that the dif-
ficulty the immigration officials flnd IN
irving to use this part of the statute
for the exclusion Of Hindus Is that
MANY of the Hindus cannot be possibly
Judged physically defective and their
resources are such as to preclude the
idea of excluding them on the ground
that they mey become public charges
The records show that from 1899 up
to about January I of this year. 6.b56
Hindus entered the United States in a
regular manner, excluding those COM
ing from the Philippines. or these.
on,y ninety-eight have returned to
India. The immigration started with
the entry of fifteen in 1899. The num-
Der that has come across the northern
and southern borders surreptitlously
Is not known. but their presence IN
large numbers throughout the Pacific
coast indicates to the labor depart
ment that illegal entries have as
sumed proportions sufficient to alarm
those who make a study Of labor con-
ditions as we'll as those who earn their
living in industrial pursuits. On &C.
count of lack of funds, Mr.. Wilson
saws that no effort has been made to
deport those who are illegally in this
country.
U. S. Called Promised Land.
1.-The word. the department Is in
formed. has gone forth through Sec
tions of India, (as it did many years
through parts Of Europe and as 1T
is now in certain portions Of Asia, and
the adjacent islands) that this is the
promised land that high wages pre-
vail. and constant work exists" says
Secretary Wilson. From the Phil