Speech #630132086

Chairman. this bill is essentially the same as the bill that passed this House and passed the Senate last year and was vetoed by President Taft. The only material difference is the exclusion of a class not embraced in the other bill. This bill. after providing for the exclusion of anarchists and others who are also deportable if they should come in. adds to the excludable and deportable class those who advocate or teach the unlawful destruction of property. That is to keep out a class of people who come teaching and preaching a species of anarchy that probably is not embraced under the law as it now stands. I desire to call attention to the material changes that this bill makes in the existing law. As I have stated. it is substantially the same as the bill that we passed last year. but it makes considerable- changes so far as the existing law is concerned. Under the existing law the. head tax is $4. By this bill the head tax is increased to $5. Under the existing law stowawaysthose who may be stowed in the holds of vesselsunder the rulings of the department. can steal in and can not. perhaps. be deported after they have come in. This bill embraces them among the general class of the excludable and deportable. However. we make an exception in favor of those people that where they come in in that way and the case is not a bad one it is left in the discretion of the Secretary of Labor to permit them to come in just like other immigrants. if they are admissible under the law governing other immigrants. We provide also for the exclusion of those who come in by advertisement. The law is considerably enlarged and strengthened in that respect. We add to the excluded class those who can not become eligible to become citizens. unless otherwise provided for by treaties and conventions. We think that will reach a class of those who are coming into the Pacific coastHindus and other Asiatics who ought to be kept out. We have also the literacy test. which is the real bone of contention in the entire bill. In fact. I have had intimations from gentlemen opposing the bill that with that left out they would be willing to take the rest of the bill.