The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-02-02
OBJECTS TO The
LITERACY TEST
WILSON AGAIN vEToEs INfMIGRA-
TIoN BILL RECENTLY PASS
ED BY CONGRESS.
ILLITERATES MAY LAND
President Says Many Aliens Come to
The United States seeking
Education.

Washington. Jan 29.-Presidont
Wilson to-day vetoed che luGi s~a-
ton Bill passed recently by Con-
gress because OF it's literacy test pro-
vision.
II was the second time that Pres
ident Wilson had vetoed an lmmi-
grafton Bill because of the litCIaHy
test, and for the same reason SINH
ar measures were given yctocs by
/ Presidents Taft and Cleveland.
The Presidents veto message t.
the Hc"-~ m which the till origin
ated. follows:
~IN,.. .auch regret TO return this
! bill without my signature
"In most of the provisions OF the
bill I should be very glad to concur,
but | cannot rid myself o. the con
viction that literacy test constitu es
radical change in the policy OF he
nation which is not justified in prin-
ciple. II is not a test of character,
of quality, or of personal fitness, ut
would operate in most cases merely
as a penalty for lack of opportunity
in the country from which the alien
seeking admission came. The oppor-
tunity to gain an education is in
many cases one of the chief oppor-
tunities sought by the immigrant in
coming to the United States, and our
experience in the past has not been
that the illiterate immigrant Is IS
such an undesirable immigrant. Tests
of quality and of purpose cannot be
objected to on principle. but tests OF
opportunity surely may be.
Objection To Exemption.
Moreover. even IL this test might
be equitably insisted on, one Of the
exceptions proposed to its application
involves a provision which might lead
10 very delicate and hazardous diplo-
matte situations.
1.-The bill exempts from the o0.r-
alton of the literacy test all al,7rs
who shall prove to the satisfa on
of the proper immigration oficeT or
TO the Secretary of Labor that they
are seeking admission to the United
States to avoid religious persecution
in the country of their last perma-
ment residence, whether such persecu-
ton be evidenced by evert acts or By
laws or governmental regulations
that discriminate against the alien
or the race to which he belongs be-
cause Of his religious faith
Invidious Function.
"Such a provision, so applied and
administered, would oblige the OFF,
Ger concerned In effect to pass judg-
ment upon the laws and practices OF
a foreign Government and declare
that they did or did not constitute
religious persecution. This would. to
say the least, be a most invidious
function for any administration Off
Ger of this Government to perform.
and it is not only possible but prob
able that very serious questions of
international justice and comfy
would arise between this Government
and the Government or Governments
thus officially condemned should its
exercise be adopted.
81 dare say that these corsequen-
ces were not in the minds OF the pre-
pondents of this provision, but the
provision separately and in itself
renders it unwise for me to give my
assent to this legislation in its pres
ent form"
Seek To Override II.
When the message was read in the
House il was ordered TO lie on the
table until Thursday morning. and
champions of the bill began laying
their plans for an effort TO override
the veto. Chairman Burnett an
nounced tonight that he would
move for q vote Thursday. Two
years ago the House lacked only
four votes OF the necessary two
thirds majority to pass the bill over
the veto, tho yeas being Eel and the
nays 1856. The attempt having fail
ed in the House, no action was TAX
en- by the Senate.
When President Taft vetoed q
similar measure because OF the
literacy test the Senate succeeded in
overriding him by more than two
thirds majority but the House fell
short about q dozen votes.
The bill which the President
vetoed to-day passed the House last
aarch by a vote of sos to 81 and