Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1917-02-06
CONGRESS OVERRIDES
VETO AND MAKES LA w
OF IMMIGRATION BILL



WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-Congress
has overridden a veto by President
Wilson for the first time and enacted
into law the immigration bill with its
long fought literacy test provision.
The senate voted late today 50 to 10
to pass the measure Notwithstanding
the veto and in spite of eleventh hour
information that Japan again mad pro-
tested against the language of the
Asiatic exclusion section.
The house overturned the veto last
week by vote of 287 to l06, so the
senate's action ends the contest of 20
years standing in which three presi-
dents have repudiated similar bills
passed by congress.
The international situation was
brought into the closing debate in the
senate, Senator Reed calling attention
to the japanese objection and plead
ing that nothing be done at this time
to disturb or impair the country's re-
lations with a friendly nation Sena-
tor Smith of South Carolina, chairman
of the immigration committee, an
swered with a declaration that the
present state of international affairs
emphasized the necessity for a pure
homogeneous people such as the bill
was intended to protect.
Senator Reed communicated infor-
nation from the state department to
the effect that the japanese embassy
had called attention to language in the
bill providing that no aliens now in
any way excluded from the country
would in the future be permitted 10
enter the United States. He said the
criticism was based on their belief that
this language wrote into law the Root
Takahira gentlemen's passport agree
ment against the entry of Japanese
laborers.
Senator Lodge of Massachusetts
ranking republican member of the for
eign relations committee explained the
progress Of the provisions to which
Japanese objection has been voiced in
the various stages of such legislation.
He said when the present bin went
into conference ii was decided TO
phrase the language so as to exclude
all aliens in any way excluded or
prevented from entering the United
States
1T applies TO all the world he said
1T does not in my judgment touch
the treaty Of 1911 dhe treaty with
Japan which is modified by the So
called gentlemen's agreement) at all.
They desired that we not make allu-
sion 10 the gentlemen's agreement and
we've made none. We have cast no
reflection on any race or made no dis
elimination. The gentlemen's agree
ment will 60 right on if Japan chooses
TO uphold it,"
THE vote of both house and SEN
ate" declared Chairman Smith lis
clear cut expression of the statement
Of the American people on the two
fundamental principles involved in this
bill, namely. the economical and poll
teal principles; economic in that il
was apparent to all students that re-
sources yet 20 be developed should now
be regarded as a patrimony of real
Americans and not to be exploited for
those who have had no part in the
great struggle to bring us to our pres
ent state of wealth and education:
political in that the influx Of the adult
foreigner without the hereditary influ-
ence of the spirit of our government
jeopardizes the stability. The COM
mittees of both house and senate had
but one idea, the working out of but
one principle, namely. what was good
for America. If an injustice appeared
it vas more than Overbalanced by our
paramount duty to our own people"
The literacy test provided for in the
bill excludes from the United States
all aliens over Is years of age physi-
cally capable of reading. who cannot
read the English language or some
other language or dialect, including
Hebrew or Yiddish. Any admissible
alien, however. or any citizen of the
United States may bring in or send
for his father or grandfather, over 55
years of age, his wife, mother, grand
mother. or unmarried or widowed
daughter if otherwise admissible re-
gardless of whether such relatives can
read.
Immediately after the senate's ac-
ton Representative Gardiner Of
Massachusetts introduced in the house
a new immigration measure to limit
the number of aliens coming into this
country to total of 200, 900 in excess
of the outgoing aliens.
President Cleveland vetoed the first
immigration measure with a literacy
test provision. President Taft dis
approved the second bill, and in 1915
President Wilson rejected the third.
President Wilson wrote his second
veto message a few weeks ago.
Only thirty vetoes have been over
riden in the history of the United
States and but four of rnem have been
with the past 80 years In 1882 con-
gress pasesd a river and harbor bill
over President Arthur's veto. In 1885
one of 524 pension bills vetoed by
President Cleveland was forced
through congress. In Roosevelt's ad-
ministration bill to extend time for
construction of a dam on the Rainy
river in Minnesota was passed despite
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