Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1917-03-17
Provisions of the Bill Passed Over
the Veto of President
Wilson.
Still Retains Many Features Of the
Existing Act of Feb
ruary, 1907.
Several Court Decisions Are Incor-
porated Into the New
Law.
CONTRACT LABOR PROVISIONS.

On February / and February s.
1917, the House and Senate passed
over the Presidents veto IAN act
to regulate the immigration OF
aliens to and the residence of aliens
in the United States" This act is
to take effect on May 1, 1917, and
retains many of the features of the
existing act of February 20, 1907.
as amended by the act of March. 26.
1910.
Besides the features of the Old
laws carried over. important
changes and additions were made.
largely for the purpose of stricter
enforcement and a clearer under
standing of the provisions OF the
act. the results of several court de-
cisions being incorporated into the
new law. The head tax of 81 I'M
der the present law is changed to
So under the new. but is not pay
able on behalf of children under
sixteen years of age who accompany
their father or their mother. The
provisions as to excluded classes
are strengthened and extended TO
certain classes of persons of mental,
physical or moral inferiority not in
cluded in the old act The pro-
visions as to contract labor are
made more rigid. though profess
sional nurses are added to the pro-
fessional classes exempted from the
operation of the contract labor pro-
visions. On the other hand, the
former provision admitting persons
employed strictly as personal or
domestic servants has been mar
rowed to include only persons en-
ployed as domestic servants A
new exclusion is one based on lit
eracy test, its provisions being ex-
pressed in the following language:
"All aliens over sixteen years OF
age, physically capable of reading,
who can not read the. English Lam.
guage, or SOME other language or
dialect, including Hebrew or Yid-
dish: provided, that any admissible
alien. or any alien heretofore or here
after legally admitted, OF any citizen
of the United States may bring in
or send for his father or grand
father over fifty-five years OF age,
his wife, his mother, his grand
mother or his unmarried OF wild
owed daughter, If otherwise adj
missible, whether such relative can
read or not. and such relative shall
be permitted to enter That for
the purpose of ascertaining whether
aliens can read the immigrant in
spectors shall be furnished with
slips OF uniform size, prepared un-
der the direction OF the Secretary
of Labor. each containing not less
than thirty nor more than forty
words in ordinary use. printed in
plainly legible type in some one of
the various languages or dialects of
immigrants. Each alien may desig-
nate the particular language or
dialect in which he desires
the examination to be made.
and shall be required to read the
words printed on the slip in such
language or dialect. That the fol-
lowing classes of persons shall be
exempt from the operation of the
hteracy test. to-wit: All aliens who
shall prove 10 the satisfaction
of the proper immigration officer or
to the Secretary of Labor that they
are seeking admission to the United
States TO avoid religious persecu-
ton in the country of their last
permanent residence. whether such
prosecutions be evidenced by overt
acts or by laws or governmental
regulations that discriminate
against the alien or the race to
which he belongs because of his
religious faith; all aliens who have
been lawfully admitted TO the
United States and who have re-
sided therein continuously for five
years and who return to the United
States within six months from the
date of their departure therefroms
all aliens in transit through the
United States; all aliens who have
been lawfully admitted to the
United States and who later shall
go in transit from one part of the
United States to another through
foreign contiguous territory: Pro-
vided, that nothing in this act shall
exclude, If otherwise admissible.
persons convicted; or who admit the
commission, or who teach or advo-
cate the commission, of an offense
purely political"
New sections are added with the
intent of regulating the landing OF
alien seamen in United States ports.
SO as to give reasonable assurance
that violation and evasion of the
immigrant law do not result there
from. Heavier penalties are as
sessed against transportation COM
panies which violate the provisions
of the act, and provision is also
made for the reimbursement by
them OF the fare of certain mad
misslble classes cf persons brought
over bv such cOmUanies
Provisions are made for placing
on board OF vessels. foreign as welt
as domestic, bringing aliens %
United States ports. surgeons OF the
Public Health Service and matrons
Of the immigration Service, the OBJ
ject being to afford more Thorough
observation and examination Of
aliens with view to detecting dis
ease and physical and mental de
fects.