Speech #620285814

The House struck out the whole bill -which passed -the Senate and inserted an illiteracy test of their -own. The House illiteracy test consisted -of reading -alone. while the Senate test .provided both reading and writing. I read from the statement of the action of the conference comiuittee: The Senate having disagreed to the entire Hlouse amendment. which .In its turn had :stricken out the entire Senate bill. the whole -sulcct .of immigration came before the conference committee. rho bill as it passed the House contained no features iexcept the Illiteracy test. The Senate biU1 contemplated many changes in the law -and an illiteracy test substantiall7 similar to that proposed in the iouse. the principal difference being that -the .Senate included writing" in its test and differed somewhat from the .ouse as to th0 admissibility of Illiterate relatives of qualified Immigrants. On all .substantial matters of difference between the Senate and the House touching the illiteracy test the Senate receded. Wo accepted the House illiteracy test. which was based on reading alone. In other respects. as to -the exceptions and the methods of enforcing the test. the Senate provision and the Iouse provislon were the same. The principal changes in existing law proposed by the Senate to which the managers on the part of the ilouse agreed are as follows First An increase of the head tax from $4 to $5 per alien. The Senate. it will .be remembered. increased the head tax from $4 to $5. and the House accepted that proposed change in existing law. Second. The exclusion of aliens not eligible for naturalization. I will -say that the conferees also agreed to strike out all the provisions in the bill relating to the Chinese. so as to leave the subject of Chinese ilmmigration under the law exactly as it exists now. with no change. The repealing clauses and all relating to that subject were stricken .out. The conferees decided that it was better to leave the Chineseexclusion law and the situation of Chinese in the United States precisely as they are today. Third. Making it permissible for the Secretary of Commerce and Labor to decide beforehand as to the necessity of importing such skilled contract labor as is now admissible under the existing contractlabor law. Fourth. Providing more severe penalties for tr.ansportation lines -which violate the law against advertising for immigrants and which bring to the United States aliens who are ineligible to enter. Senators will understand that I am reading now the provisions of the Senate bill which hare been agreed to by the House. SFifth. Providing for matrons. inspectors. and surgeons on immigrant ships at the discretion of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor. Sixth. Providing machinery for compelling the attendance and testimony of witnesses before the immigration authorities when required. Seventh. Providing for the deporftation of aliens who become criminals within three years subsequent to entsy. Eighth. -Providing for interior immigrant stations. Ninth. roviding against the illegal entry of seamen and stowaways. Tenth.