Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-01-10
Junior Order and Other A. r. A.
Societies Urging Our
Representatives.
Same Bill Was Vetoed by Prcsi-
dents Cleveland and
Taft. lax
lNslNCERE IN THEIR ARGUMENT

The immigration bill, which Ia
intended to shut out the entrance OF
foreigners or restrict, their entrance,
is now being pushed with vigor by
the Junior Order of United Amert'
can Mechanics, the Guardiane o{
Liberty, the Patriotic Sons Of
America and other A. p. A. dark
lantern societies, the members OF
each being busy telegraphing ana
sending petitions to their Congress-
men mad Senators to vote for the
bill, their sole purpose, which they
are trying to cover, being an attack
on the Catholic church, becoming
frightened at its tremendous growth.
It seems strange that in a coun-
try as sparsely settled as the United
States there should be any fear OF
overcrowding, of over-population.
Yet such fear has been expressed at
each restrictive movement that has
passed over the country. If the pres
ent population of 90,0O0,000 were
dumped into the State of Texas,
that State would not be as densely
populated as Germany.
There have been, including the
present one, three of these re-
strictivc waves in tho history of the
country. The first one occurred at
che time of the Know-Notlhsgs.
whose cry was America for Ameri-
cans" The United States had at the
time three persons to the square
mile. The Know-Nothing movement
was not alone an anti-immigration
movement, but it was also bitterly
anti-Catholic. At that time the
agitation was against the Germans
and Irish, who were contemptuously
called the Dutch" and the t'dicks !,
Now they have become Qy, Ger
man Fellow Sl$5,sens, Or "our Irish
Fellow Citizens, "~@Hmply because
they have votes enough to resent
most effectively any attacks upon
them. 1t is needless to add that
the spirit that prompted the
hostility against the Dutch and the
irish is the same spirit that now
manifests itself against the Italians
and other immigrants from South
ern Europe, and it is not much OF
d venture to predict that in few
years the despised "Dagos" will
also become "Our Italian Fellow
Citizens In looking over the
Congressional Record of those days
it will be found that the same
arguments were employed in behalf
of keeping the Dutch and the Irish
out of the country as are now used
against the Italians and others.
mi. ACk. .fntf WfanU aNln1a ant
took place at the time of the A. P.
AS, which was also an anti-Cath-
olic movement. In fact, these agi-
tations for restriction of immigra-
tion were always contemporaneous
with the anti-Catholic waves that
nave swept over the country at diff
terent times. This movement was
chiefly concentrated against the
irish. The Germans had already
taught the American politicians the
wholesome lesson that it does not
pay politically to fool with the
Dutch. While a cowardly Congress
eringipgly passed an immigration
DILL to suit the A. p. AS, there was
one strong man they had to reckon
with - President Cleveland - who
promptly vetoed the iniquitous
measure. In fact during all these
troublous times there were always
found in America men OF strong
and broad convictions to Withstand
the tide of fanaticism and hysteria
At the time of the A. p. AS the
United States had eleven persons tC
the square mile, with plenty of ell
bow room for more. At the same
period Germany had $40 persons tc
the square mile.
We now come to the present effort
to restrict immigration. 1t is en-
'tirely at par with the past efforts
and is again accompanied by an anti
Catholic wave. The Junior Order o.
American Mechanics, the Guardiani
of Liberty, the Patriotic Sons o.
America and similar political blacl
hand societies, all bitterly anti
Catholic, have been moving HEAVIER
and earth to have the literacy tes
passed by Congress. The Immigra
ton Commission at first worked oi
the broad basis OF excluding from
this country-and very properly s,
all immigrants who are mentally
morally and physically deficient AM
unsound. This covered larg
ground, but it did not satisfy tn
fanatics. The literary test wa
promptly suggested and introduced
Il first required a knowledge o
reading and writing. but the Sen
ate had the grace TO mitigate tn
assinity of the provision by cuttin
out the writing requirement, an
thus deliberately weakening its ow
pet clause.
President Taft rose TO the occa
sion and promptly vetoed the bil
because the reasons given for tn
introduction of the literacy claus
were evidently insincere. II is we
known that the Junior Order Q
American Mechanics has been mos
lndustrlously at work In behalf Q
the iiteracy test This organizatio
Is admittedly anti-catholic, and
throwing cloak over their res