Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-06-11
It's Wal BLOCKED
BURNETT IMMIGRATION BILL
HAS HARD TIME GETTING
THROUGH SENATE.
SENTIMENT AIDS POLITICS
Secret But Persistent Opposition to
Clause Which Provides fer the E&-
cIusion OF All Detectives
From Other Lands.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.


Washington.-There are bunkers,
pits and hazards in the senate in the
way of the safe passage OF the immi-
grafton restriction bill introduced by
Representative Burnett Of Alabama
and which passed the house some
time ago by a big majority. Call the
obstacles bunkers, pits and hazards as
you will, they all come under the one
name of politics. The senators ap-
parently want to pass this measure,
but it is said they are timid about II
because of the coming elections.
If this restriction bill is not given
the senate's sanction at this session,
a good many Washington politicians
say the votes gained in the country
because Of inaction on the bill viii
be Offset by the votes lost for the
same reason. 1t is rather a hard
thing to say perhaps that senators
are moved by political considerations
but seemingly some of them are and
perhaps they are now weighing the
/ political "fors" and "againsts' of the
proposition before making up their
minds whether or not to send the bill
through before adjournment.
So much has been written about
/ the literacy test, which is embodied il
/ the Burnett bill and which has been
/ productive of so much antagonism
/ that sight has been lost of some other
/ features Of the measure which are i'm
portant and which, like the literacy
provision, have brought to it support
or opposition as mems opinions vary
! Oppose Inflated immigration.
The senate has just received a re
/ port from the committee on immigra
/ ton Of the American Genetic associa
/ ton containing recommendations fol
/ legislation to cut down the number
/ of immigrants who yearly come into
/ the United States. The signers Of the
/ report are Alexander E. Canoe Of the
/ Massachusetts Agricultural college
/ Irving Fisher of Yale university, Pres
colt F. Hall of Boston, and Robert De
! G. Ward of Harvard university. The
| signers analysed the causes of in
f1ated immigration and gave scientific
! authority to support their conclusions
The senate is told in this repor
| that the numbers of insane and men
tally defective aliens in the United
! States continue to increase 1t is af
firmed that the number of foreign
born insane in the hospitals Of New
York City increased in two years 1;
2-10 per cent. DR.. E. K. Sprague o.
the United States public health serv
ice is quoted as saving that probably
| only 5 per cent. Of the mentally de
fective aliens arriving in the United
States have been detected. 1t i:
charged that conditions are becoming
worse rapidly and that the results are
more Iamentable because the number;
of mentally defective aliens in thi:
country are in no way segregated anC
are free to reproduce their kind.
The Burnett bill contains drastic
provisions intended to keep out men
tally defective aliens.
Much Hidden Antagonist.
CuriousIy enough there is antago
nism which shows itself in subtle ways
to the provision of this bill which
would make it virtually impossible fol
defective aliens to come into the
United States. No man nor body Of
men apparently has cared to appea
openly in opposition to the effort tC
strengthen the law shutting out de
fectives, but it is known that the op
position is making itself felt in many
darkened ways.
In the report to which reference has
been made and which has been giveI
to the senate this is said:
mo one who is not acquainted
with existing conditions can possibl!
realize how strong, how steady an(
how effective is the pull" which is
/ eXerted by the families and the
friends of aliens who by the laws Of
the United States ought clearly tt
be debarred, to have those aliens
! landed. Steamship companies; the
societies to which the aliens rela
tives belong; sentimental, but woe
fully misguided philanthropists', ant
senators and Representatives who are
trying to please their foreign born
constituents = all these interests
unite to bring pressure to bear upor
the immigration officials to whom ap
! peals are referred. Those who
want our incoming aliens to be sane
and sound and fit, ought to stand be
/ hind every honest immigration off1cia
! who does his duty well; and ought
to see to it that there is no relaxation
in the enforcement of our laws tc
/ the detriment of the race"
About Antitrust Bills.
Is President Wilson to win hi:
! fight in the senate for anti-trus
legislation? There is every evi
! dence at this writing that the meas
ure will go through the house of rep
/ resentatives. There is a temperance
| here of predictions that the admins
tration may experience trouble in get
ting these measures through the sen
! ate, but judging by the record of &C
complishment in the past, It seems
! likely that the Democrats will stand
together and put the measures through
and send them to the White House
! for signature.
Some men in Washington say it vii
make precious little difference to the
| trusts of the country whether Mr.. VIII