Speech #540118000

Mr. Speaker. there will be very few persons attempt to come to this country who are not qualified under the law.. Very few families will attempt to come to our shores who are not admissible immigrants in all respects. the husband and wife. and the children. if any there be. over 16 years of age. But this is spoken of mainly with reference to the separation of husband and wife. I would suggest that if perchance the husband and wife shall pass the vigilance of the steamship companies. who are engaged in throwing immigrants on our shores at the rate of hundreds of thousands every year. when they do come and learn what the law is. there need be no separation of husband and wife. for the illiterate husband can accompany his admissible wife back whence they came. I admit. Mr. Speaker.that the bill was drawn for the purpose of excluding immigrants of this character. It was drawn with that purpose in view. I do not see that it will work any great hardships to those who may propose in the future to come to this country. in consideration of the propositions I have already made: First. that our laws are well known in every city and hamlet of the old country. and. in the secondplace. that if perchance a family divided on the question of illiteracy should reach our shores. there need be no division of the family. Now. there is one other proposition contained in the report of the conference committee and in the bill brought out of the conference that differs to some extent from the bill as it passed the House. It was provided simply that illiterates of a certain class should not come to this country. but it provided no test by which the question of illiteracy should be ascertained. That was left possibly to the whims of the agents at New York or wherever the immigrant might land. This bill provides a test. That test is that the immigrant shall be qualifiedto read twenty words of the Constitution of the United States and write the same. The test contained in the Senate bill is five lines of the Constitution. This reduces it to about three lines .of the Constitution. because an average line of the Constitution. taking up almost any edition. will average from five to eight words to the line. and twenty words will make about three lines of the Constitution.