Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-02-21
President Wilson to Follow Pre-
cedent Set by Taft and
Cleveland.
iiiiteracy Predominant i'm Ken
lucky Section, Which Has
No Immigrants.
OPINIONS OF CoNGREssMEH


that President Wilson would follow
the precedent set by Presidents
cleveland and Taft and veto the
Immigration bill on account of the
clause containing a literacy test
came as body blow to the Junior
order OF United American Mechanics
ana other kindred A. p. A. societies
who have been busy deluging Con-
gressmen and Senators with peti-
tions in favor of the passage of the
bill, signed by those of the Juniors
VINO were able to write, the bill be-
ing known as the Burnett bill, the
author being Joseph L.. Burnett.
Congressman from the Seventh dis
trict of Alabama.
The prescribed literacy test is only
a blind, the A. p. A. societies realiz-
ing that the majority of immigrants
coming from Europe are Catholics.
In whose stead they would sooner
welcome the Fiji Islanders or some
other savage race, and II they felt
that there were enough bigots in
senate and House of Representatives
they would have come out boldly
long before this, and instead of the
literacy test clause they would have
inserted a section barring Catholics,
and Catholics alone, regardless of
their educational qualifications.
For instance, take the State of
Kentucky for example. The Junior
order OF United American Mechanics
are very strong in the mountain sec
tion OF Kentucky, holding their last
State convention in Jackson, which
is noted feud district, and which
contains practically no immigrants
whatever, nor the State at large for
that matter, yet in report made to
the Legislature last week by State
educational authorities 1t was stated
that the State ranked very low in
education and had more than its
quota of the illiterates in the coun-
try. Now on the other hand New
York State obtains more immigrants
than any other State in the Union
and is dierctly opposed to the bill,
the following speech being made by
Representative Jacob Canter, Demo-
cratic Congressman from New York
City and former Chairman of the
Committee on Congestion of Popula-
tion under Mayor Gaynor, where he
was given an opportunity to Judge
of the effects of immigration:
"The majority of our immigrants
do not come for the purpose of
lowering the standard of living"
said Mr.. Canter, "and l deny the
statements made by the gentleman
from Alabama. The standards of
are as high in New York
as they are anywhere in the coun-
Try. There has been no demand
from New York for this bill. Every
newspaper in New York is against
t. If the purpose of this bill were
% alleviate conditions growing out
If excessive immigration it would
'eem that large numbers of New
FORK men would be in favor 1t.
lave received only one petition in
avor of It,"
Representative James r. Mann.
Republican Congressman from Chi
ago and the House Republican
eader, also opposed the bill and
aid:
81 can not bring my conscience to
he point where / believe ! can Judge
he desirability of a foreigner COM
ng to our shores by his ability to
cad. do not believe that in this
and of ours, which is held up as
he hope of the oppressed every
where. we can afford to say to the
llien that no matter how Industrious
lie may be, he can not be one of us
lnless he has reached the condition
where he is able to do the things
which we can not expect he has had
/ reasonable opportunity to learn to
10 in a foreign land"
The above expressions pretty near
Yoice the opinion Of all fair-minded
men, and the determined stand OF
President Wilson will cause weep
ng and wailing among the Junior
Order boys when they realize that
heir smooth little plan to slap at
he Catholics has gone astray, leav-
ng them to go back to their steady
of promoting ex-priest
ectures and the circulation of the
Menace, which has just been exposed
Is a confessed buffer and falsifier
It Philadelphia. as told In our
columns today.