IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27, 2 February 1915, Page 2

IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION

NEW AMERICAN LAW FURTHER RESTRAINTS. r AN EDUCATIONAL TEST. (rROU OCR OW» COniUWONDBNT.) SAN FRANCISCO, 3rd Jan An Immigration Restriction Bill, tightening up and adding to the restraints upon the admission of aliens tb the United States, has just been possed by Congress. In shaping its terms the legislators unquestionably had in mind the great European War, and the almost certain influx into this country of vast numbers of Europeans on its termination; nevertheless, in a spirit of humanity, Belgian farmers are specifically •exempted from some of the restrictive clauses, notably that furnishing a literacy test. This test, which imposes as a qualification upon every candidate for admission to the United" States the ability to read the English language, or some other language or dialect, including the Hebrew or Yiddish, is, indeed, the feature of the Bill that has occasioned most discussion; it marks a new departure in American immigration policy. Two years ago such a law was passed by Congress, but was vetoed by President Taft. The advocates of an educational test were unable to raise the necessary two-thirds majority in both Houses to override the Presidential vote, although they did succeed in doing so in the Senate. . It is still possible that President Wilson will veto the present Bill because of its inclusion of a literacy qualification, and at one stage it was published that strong indications had come from While House that he purposed doing so. Supporters of the principle of requiring of an alien the capacity to read as a pre-Tequisite to admission are now confident, however, that they have a safe two-thirds majority in each Chamber. In the Senate the vote against eliminating the literacy test was 47 to 12. The exemption as applying to Belgians was adopted after stirring appeals in the name of humanity by Senators Lodge and Root. It is phrased as follows :—: — "That the provisions of this Act relating to the literacy test or induced or assisted immigration shall not apply to agricultural immigrants from Belgium who come to the United States during the course of the present European war, or within one year after its termination, owing to circumstances or conditions arising through the war, if it is shown to the satisfaction of the Com-missioner-General of Immigration that the said Belgian immigrants come with the intention of engaging in agriculture in the United States and to become American citizens." Many amendments were offered and rejected to include all subjects of belligerent countries whose homes had been invaded. Some senators objected that the Belgian exemption would be protested by other nations under the favourednations' clause of their treaties with the United States. But Senator Root, who is an eminent authority on international, law, declared the amendment would violate no treaty obligation. Many senators from agricultural States protested against the limitation of the exemptions to farmers, but their protests were overridden. The literacy test is not designed for use as is that of Australia, where an alien may be required to read in any European language, be it that of his native country or not. As one newspaper remarks", President Wilson could be debarred from admission under that law, if it were for any reason desirable. Under the American reading test, each immigrant may designate the language or dialect in which he desires the examination to be held, and shall be required to read between thirty and forty words written on a slip of paper in such language or dialect Aliens who are fleeing from religious persecution are exempted from the literacy test. Other features of the law increase the safeguards of health and morals and protect the labour of the country. To the gon"ral exclusion clause are added the following: — Vagrants, persons afflicted with tuberculosis in any form or with any - disability which renders them incapable of earning a livelihood ; persons who teach or advocate the unlawful de- , Btruction of property, those who previ- j ously have been deported, stowaways, children under 16 unaccompanied or not coming to one or both' parents, and persons not eligible for citizenship. Allied with the subject of immigration restriction is that of tho treatment of aliens after they reach the United States. States have adopted laws along these lines that have occasioned spirited international exchanges, a notable instance being the California law which prevents Asiatics owning land. Even more extreme and drastic is the Arizona law, which forbids anyone in that State from employing more than one alien for every four American citieens No one who does not employ more than four men and women can employ any alien, according to the newspaper digests of this law Vigorous protests against the Act have been received by the National Government from Great Britain and Italy, holding that it is in violation of treaty rights guaranteed citizens of those nations. The purpose of the law seems to be to prevent the employment in one place of Sreat numbers of ignorant aliens. The ad results of such massing of aliens of low morale and education has been seen in the bloody strikes of textile workers in Lawrenceville, Mass., and of miners in Colorado and Montana. Discussing the Arizona law, with visitors to the White House, President Wilson pointed out that it does not discriminate between any aliens, but places them all on the came basis. He stated, further, that he saw no occasion for Federal legislation on the subject. In California at the forth coming t session of the Legislature a Bill similar in its terms with the Arizona Act, will be introduced by a- member from an agricultural district