Speech #640067301

Shall we prepare our own people for the responsibilities and duties of citizenship at an expense of half h billion dollars a year and at ttle stne time freely permit those to comue into our midst who have had no preparation at all? In all communities having an alien population it is found that the illiterate foreigner is the most frequent violator of the criminal law. In New York. where the immigrants " most do congregate." the asylums have become so overcrowded with insane foreigners that the chief executive of that wealthiest of States bas had to appeal to the Federal Government for assistance in caring for these alIlicted people who have become a public clarge. The kind of foreigner that is crowding our claritable institutions and filling our jails is the kind that will be largely excluded by the passage of this bill. Even the literacy test will bar no one from entrance to this country who is qualified to discharge the duties of an American citizen. or worthy to bear that name. � Many of the immigrants who have come to us in the past. from all parts of the world. have proved themselves valuable additions to our population. They have caught the spirit of our institutions. they have kept step with the march of ofr progress. they have been loyal toour flag. This type of immigrant -e have welcbmed in the past. this type we shall welcome In the future. but the type affected by the literacy test we shall. for our own protection. keep out of this country for all time to .come. !. Of the desirable -inuifgrants. we shall admit them all. of the undesirable. we shall exclude them all. That the :sentiment of the American people is overwhelmingly in favor of the -adoption of this selective and restrictive test there can be .no doubt. Within the last 20 years the peoples representatives in this House have passed eight different bills containing the literacy test by an average vote of more than 2 to 1. Within the :same period of time the Senate has passed six different bills containing the test by an average vote of more than 3 to 1. while the last vote in the Senate on thismeasure showed a majority in -its *favor of more than 7 to 1. In 1896 Mr. McKinley was elected President on .a platform that specifically demanded that -the immigration laws be extended so as to exclude -from -entrance all who could neither read nor write. But for the exercise of the veto power by three different Presidents. the literacy test would today be a part of the statute law of the :United States. For many years the American Federation .of Labor. the railro (d brotherhoods. the farmers .organizations. patriotic societies. eminent educators. noted economists. and multitudes of the toiling masses of this country have petitioned and pleaded and prayed for the enactment of this law. .So far their petitions have been rejected. their .pleas have been spurned. and their prayers have been scorned. But patriotic and persistent effort is about to be rewarded. and before the adjournment of this session of Congress the Burnett immigration bill. with the literacy test included. will be written -into our book of law. We have no grudge or .grievance against the illiterate .people of other lands. As they :are unfortunate. we sympathize with them. as they are poverty stricken. we pity them. as they are oppressed. we weep for them. but as they would injure -our own laborers. burden our .own taxpayers. and lower our own standard of life. we are obliged to exclude them.