Speech #620269165

Tlse preservation of the sacred heritage transmitted to us by the fathers demands that the ax be put to the verY root of the tree. and let no patriot shirk his duty now. In conclusion. I will insert the resolutions of the Legislature of Vermont: Joint resolution requesting the Vermont delegation in Congress to advocate and aid in the passage of an immigration hill containing the Illiteracy test. Rtselvd by the Senate and House of Reprcsentativecs: Whereas there were admitted to the United States during the fiscal year ending June 30. 1911. 1.030.300 persons as immigrants. That prior to 188 among the Immigrants coming to this country there was only 2.7 per cent of illiteracy. That for the past five years. I illiteracy has alarmingly increased to more than 36 per cent. and that of the 1.500.000 south Italians. who came here from 1899 to 1909. over 800.000. or more than 54 per cent. could not read and write. 54 per cent of the Syrians could neither read nor write. 35 per cent of the oles could neither read nor write. 68 per cent of ti e Portuguese. 38 per cent of the Ruthenians. 51 per cent of the Russians. 58 per cent of the Turks. 27 per cent of the Greeks. and 41 per cent of the Bulgarians and Servians and Montenegrins could neither read nor write. and Whereas Congress. by its act of February 20. 1907. created an Immigration Commission. composed of three Senators. three Members of the House of Representatives. and three persons to be appointed by the President of the United States. for the purposes of making a careful and searching investigation into the entire question of immlgratilon. both in this country and abroad. and now. after several years of painstaking linvestigation at a cost of more than a million dollars. said commission has rendered its exhaustive report of 40 massive volumes to Congress. and urgently recommends the passage of a measure which will greatly restrict the admission of those less likely to become desirable citizens. and Whereas the commission. with a single dissenting opinion. suggests and recommends that the illiteracy or reading and writing test is the one single measure best calculated to restrict undesirable immigration . and Whereas the Ion. WILLIAM P. )ILLINGnAM. senior Senator from Vermont. who was chairman of the Immigration Commission. has introduced into the Senate of the United States a bill containing the Illiteracy requirement. and that said bill has passed the Senate and is now pending in the House of Representatives under the title of the Burnett bill : Therefore Resolved. That the congressional delegation from Vermont are urgently requested to advocate and aid in the passage of an immigration bihi containing the illiteracy requirement. and be it further Resolved. That the secretary of state is hereby directed to forward a copy of tihese resolutions to each Member of the VQrmont delegation In Congress and a copy to the chairman of the Senate and House Conmittee on Immigration. FRANK E. FlowE.