Speech #620115397

He says: The extensive membership of the above patriotic society which has. for instance. over 100.000 active members. all voters. in my State (Pennsylvania). and has thousands in every State east of the Mississippi and in some States west of the Mississippi. are very much in favor of your illiteracy test amendment to 0. 3175. and the 30.000 members in the Old North State will appreciate your efforts in behalf of that measure. which is in keeping with our publicschool system and which would merely require of adult aliens coming here what our publicschool system and compulsory school attendance laws exact or ought to of our own native born. I also present a letter from the general master workman of the Knights of Labor. written to me from Washington. dated March 15. 1912. He says: As you know the order of the Knights of Labor has long favored the exclusion ol undesirable Immigrants. and as a means of doing so has also favored the illiteracy test and still continues to favor such a policy. We hope that you will be successful in securing the passage of your amendment to the Dillingham bill as it now standsthe illiteracy test having been stricken out by the committee. We think this is one of the most important measures to be considered by this Congressthe exchslon of undesirables by the illiteracy test as recommended by the Immigration Commission. Mr. President. it is well known that. beginning in the year 3.905 and extending to 1906. 1907. and 1908. there were held in various parts of the South proimmigration conventions. socalled. They were generally gotten up by people interested in transportation. in lald schemes and development projects. 3ut notwithstanding the purpose for which those gatherings were called. every single one of them. I believe. because of the strong sentiment in the South upon the question. passed resolutions demanding effective restrictions. and some of them specifically declaring for the illiteracy test. The first meeting was known as the "Alabama immigration conference." and was held at Birmingham. June 13. 1905. It adopted a resolution as follows: Rcsolvcd. That we express to the Representatives in the Federal Congress from this State our earnest desire that they support any reasonable measure looking to the elevation of the standard of foreign Immigration. to the end that criminals. paupers. and illiterates be excluded. That conference. I repeat. was called for boosting immigration. The transportation and real estate interests were there in full force. Then came the famous Chattanooga conference on immigration and quarantine. It was a similar gathering. but it indorsed President Roosevelts messages recommending an econoinic test and the educational or "literacy" test. There was a similar outcome to the Nashville conference of November. 1907. There was also one at Tampa. Fla.. where a convention of various persons from many States and representing different societies. commercial clubs. unions. associations. corporations. railroads. and the like. met February 13. 1.908. and a number of resolutions were adopted. among which will be found the following: Resolcd. That the several States carefully consider the question of foreign immigration as a national question. and that our Representatives in Congress be asked to urge upon Congress the enactment of such Fecdcral legislation as will effectively stem the tide of undesirable Immigration now pouring into this country. The last public meeting of this kind held in the South was year before last. and was held at Jackson. Miss.