The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-02-16
The Presidents Veto Message
On The immigration Bill

Mr.. Austin. Mr.. Speaker, We are
called upon this afternoon to vote
either for America or for the rest
<of the world. l am for America,
first, last, and all the time. We are
kcalled upon to decide by our votes
whether we will legis ate in the in
<terest of our own beloved country;
4 our own honest and deserving peo-
pie; or in favor of foreign lands and
alien people; whether our considera-
ton, justice, and charity, shall begin
at home or on foreign shores; wheth
er we prefer the interest and advance
ment of the native and naturalized
American citizen or the far away
stranger from beyond the seas; whe-
Their we will favor the four or live
millions of unemployed American
workingmen, or whether we will IA
vor more than million Of idle aliens
who are landed upon our shores ev-
cry twelve months by a greedy
Steamship Trust.
President Wilson has vetoed this
immigration bill, and in his message
he says the American people have
never passed upon the illiteracy
question. The Democrats in their
national convention several years ago
placed this plank in their platform:
We hold that the most efficient
way of protecting American labor
is to prevent the importation OF
foreign pauper labor to compete
with it in the home market.
The Republican party in its cation
al platform made this declaration:
For the protection Of the quail
ity of our American citizenship
and Of the wages of our working
men against the fatal competition
of low priced labor we demand
that the immigration laws be thor
oughly enforced and so extended
as to exclude from entrance to the
United States those who can Meth
er read nor write.
So we have had both national par
ties indorsing this legislation in ono
form or another.
Out of 213 Members in the Sixty
second Congress who voted to pass
this bill over President 1afts veto,
more than 100 were reelected. Oh
Zo2 members of the present House
who voted on the 4th OF last Febru-
airy for this bill, and whose position
vas thus known to the voters, 1876
were returned. Out of 1875 who vot'
ed against this bill at that time, oniy
76 were reelected. In other words
out of a membership of 435 in the
next House, there will be only u
who went on record in opposition tC
this bill. The American people have
passed upon this question by eject
ing President Mckinley on plat
form favoring the illiteracy test by
an overwhelming majority and Pres
ident Roosevelt upon a restriction
platform; aud l venture the predic
ton the next occupant OF the White
House will be elected upon a pat
TO m indorsing the principles OF tn,
bill now before use.
Mr.. Gardner. Does the gentle
man think any President could bt
elected on a platform pronouncini
against the restriction OF immigra
ton OK that kind?
Mr.. Austin. / am absolutely sure
no candidate of any party could viii
on such a declaration or platform
As a patriot and a lover OF my coun
try, | am anxious to see this bill
passed over the Presidents veto; bu
II considered this matter as par
tsan, would want to see his vet
sustained, in order that the Ame:i
can peope could face him at the poll
in the coming presidential election
on the issue he has raised.
Congress must settle this question
right for all time. We can no
eyade indefinitely postpone, or sid
step II. 1t will not down until
law Is written closing our door
against the undesirables of ever
country on the face OF the earth
The President OF the United State
in 1902 stated in his History OF tn
American People, we were recei'
ing too many OF what he terme
the lowest class of people from Sol
thern Italy and the meaner Sol
from Hungary and Poland" Whe
he made that statement we were n
ceiving 246,146 annually from thos
three sections OF Europe. Last yea
we received from southern ltai
Hungary, and Poland $3.50 or MOI
II~,to TIL,