Speech #640068129

Mr. Chairman. I sincerely hope that the amendment proposed by the gentleman from Iowa will pass. .When I was a member of the Immigration Commission people who believed in restriction and who were opposed to the literacy test have said to me. " Is it not possible to make certain tests of character? We think that too many people are coming in. and we realize that an educational test is a hypocritical. test. We think there ought to be a different test. based on character." Now. the amendment suggested by the gentleman from Iowa does that. It provides. in substance. that if a man can not read he shall go into a community where he is known and get witnesses not satisfactory to him. because I think I agree with the gentleman from Missouri that would be comparatively easy. but satisfactory to a United States official. and upon presentation of the evidence certify that he is a man of good moral character and liable to make a good citizen of the United States. Now. people have stated that there can be nothing new In connection with the immigration bill. I want to congratulate the gentleman from Iowa for producing something new. for this is the first time that we have ever had anything approaching a character test. I am not prepared to say. after the hasty reading that I have given it. that the language is correct. but the idea is correct. and I shall vote for the amendment. I am frank to say that it does seem to me that if the amendment passes and stays In the bill through the Senate there ought to be practically no opposition to the bill. Certainly. if a man will be admitted who can write. though that Is not the best test of character. and then we provide further that if a man can not read. then he can get a certificate of character satlsfaetory to our own officials in the country where he is. If it is the purpose to plainly and baldly attempt to keep people out of this country. they ought not to put up the sham battle of a literacy test. They ought to adopt at once the quantitative test that is in the Dillingham bill. and =y to the country. "We do not care who we keep out. we just want to keep out folks." But if they simply want to keep out people whose character is not good. and let in those whose character is good. and that Is what the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. BuRNETTI said on Saturday that he wanted-