Speech #630137213

That is a pretty big slice to exclude. I think. Of course the steamship companies would probably have brought quite a number of other immigrants in place of those excluded. That would have lessened the dimensions of the slice. to be sure. On the other hand. many an immigrant untruthfully told the inspector that he was able to read. and no one was able to show up his Ignorance. Unfortunately. no provision exists In our laws for verifying the truth of an immigrants assertion as to his reading capacity. If the literacy test reduces immigration by 300.000 per annum. that is the most which can be expected of it. A dozen years ago every restrictionist favored a different method of restriction. and every pretended restrictionist stoutly asserted his abiding belief in some method or other of restriction which stood no chance of adoption. Gradually the restrictionists in the House and in the Senate came to see that the literacy test could command the greatest amount of support. Meanwhile the labor organizations came to the same conclusion. Along in 1907 the Immigration Commission was appointed. nine experts in all. At first Prof. Jenks. of Cornell. and Dr. Neill. of the United States Bureau of Labor. both members of the commission. were doubtful about the literacy test. Finally. after two years of study eight out of the nine commissioners joined in recommending the literacy test as the most important step to be taken. That it is perfect no one will contend. but surely we must air admit that 300.000 aliens who can read would probably make better citizens than the 300.000 illiterate aliens whom we admitted last year. To hold otherwise is to indict our commonschool system. However. the commission recommended the literacy test. not as a selective measure but as a means of curtailing the congested oversupply of unskilled labor. The superiority of the individual immigrant under this system wasregarded as a fortunate incidental advantage. For many years I have listened to the argument that the anarchist and the gunman and the procurer can read. while many a hornyhanded honest laborer does not possess that accomplishment. I freely admit the fact.