The Sentinel=record., 1916-12-12
THE FOURTEENTH AND
 FIFTEENTH AMENDMENTS
Would Be Tested as to Their Consti. tutionaIity in the Supreme Court Under the Amendment Offered to the General Immigration Bill Be. fore the Senate.

Washington, Dec. Unexpected opposition to the immigration bill de veloped in the senate today, block ing progress on the measure and leading to a general argument over the question of exclusion of aliens on account of race
 Senator Works of California start. ed the discussion by giving notice that he reserved the right to demand separate vote on a senate commit tee amendment providing for the ex. clusion of Hindus and other Asiatics. by prescribing geographical areas from which immigrants shall not be admitted without enumerating races. The amendment, recommended by the state department after inquiries had been made by the Japanese govern ment respecting provisions of the bill as it passed the house, elimi- mates all references to the Root-Toko- hira passport agreement regulating Japanese immigration.
 Senator Works insisted hat this iNNNAh ANtAft tlC Ailltu JAdttS Ut fAt mercy of Japanese dictaJion as to i'm. migration from that country As treaty rights are involved the senate went into executive session for the debate, which lasted more than an hour without vote.
 In oIen session, Senator Reed cf- fered an amendment to include the continent of Africa within the units set aside by the committee. He sail he would favor any legislation which would keep out of the United States any persons not Of pure white Blood, but he did not think it proper For con gress "to exclude by law anu admit by diplomacy"
 "I believe" said Senator Reed, the time has come when we ought to keep our country from being filled up with people not capable of becoming first class citizens of the United States. people by birth, environment and disposition or by their great ig- norance are not qualified to .arlorm the duties of citizens"
 Answering a question of Senator Gallinger as to whether Jews might not as well be excluded as negroes, Senator Reed said;
 "The Jews by race and ny blood have been civilized for thousands of years They spring from tho race that gave us our religion and the fun damentals of our laws. l an not seeking to open the old black and white issues in this country s is plain that We should make an effort 10 protect our citizenship from an ln- Aux of undesirables and keep out all not cHs able ot thorough amalgama- tion."
 Senator Smith of South Carolina, in charge of the bill, produced statis- tics to show that in the last 95 years there have been only about 14,000 i'm migrants from Africa to this country. What you are really proposing in this amendment suggested Senator 1 Nardaman, lis 10 exclude people on account of race"
 q suspect you are right said Senator smith adding:
 "Al we have tried to do is to avoid racial com. lication without running into national complications. Senator Vardaman introduced an J amendment setting forth that there is some doubt whether the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments to the con | stitution enfranchising the negro were properly adopted, and directing the attorney general to lay the ques l ton before the supreme court.