Speech #640068519

I would like to say that this description also fits the English. the German. Norwegian. Swiss. and all who emigrate from northern Europe. Canadians can colle il because they are generally literate. and as far as keeping out any person who desires to become a citizen of our country is concerned. it will have very little or no effect. We want good foreigners to come here and become good American citizens. but if they come to exploit their anarchistic dogmas. if they come here tra ratise the red flag. if they come here to disorganize our governmental institutions and to luake trouble. then we do not want them. It is conceded that substantially all the provisions of the bill are unobjectionable except the one providing for the literacy test. No one wants the gates of Castle Garden torn down .:nd free admission from every foreign land promiscosly. We find by the terms of the bill that the following undesirables are to be excluded: S m:. 3. That the following classes of aliens shall be excluded from admission into the United States: All idiots. imbeciles. feebleminded persons. epileptics. insane persons. persons who have had one or lor attak. of insanity at any time previously. persbns of constitutional psycholilic inferiority. persons with chronic alcoholism. paupers. professional beggars. vagrants. persons afflicted with tuberculosis in any form or with a loathsome or dangerous contagious disease . persons not conmprehended within any of the foregoing excluded classes who are fouind to be and are certified by the examining surgeon as being menta~iy or physically defective. such physical defect being of a nature which may affect the ability of such alien to earn a living. persons who have been convicted of or admit having committed a felony or other crime or misdemeanor Involving moral turpitude. polygamists. or pcrsons who practice polygamy o believe in or advocate the practice of polygany . anarchists. or persons who believe in or advocate the overthrow by force or violence of the Government of the United States. or of all foms of law. or who disbelieve in or are opposed to organized governent. or who advocate the assassination of public officials. or who "idocate or teach the unlawful destruction of property: persons who are members of or affiliated with any organization entertaining and. teaching disbelief in or opposition to organized government. or who advocate or teach the duty. necessity. or propriety of the unlawful assaulting o killing of any officer 0r officers. either of specific individuals or of officers generally ot the Government of the United States or of any other organized Government. because of his or their official character. or who advocate or teach the unlawful destruction of property. prostitues. or persons comling into tile United States for the purpose of prostitution or for any tler inlimoral purpose . persons who directly or indirect.y procure or attenpt to procure or import prostitutes or persoils for tile purpose of prostitution or for any other minlloral purpose persons who are supported by or receive in whole or in part the proceeds of prostitution . persons hereinafter called contract laborers. who have been induced. assisted. encouraged. or solicited to migrate to this country by offers or promilses of employnient. whether such offers or promises are true or false. or in consequence of agreements. oral. written or printed. express or implied. to perform labor in this country of alny kind. skilled or unskilled. persons who have come in consequence of advertisements for laborers printed. published. or distributed in a foreign (pantry . persons likely for any reason to become a public charge: persons who have been delortet under any of the provisions of this act and who nily again seek admission within one year from the date of such deportation. unless pior to their reembarkation at a foreign port the Secretary of Labor shall have consented to their reapplying for adiission . persons whose ticket or passage is paid for with the loney of another. or who is assisted by others to come. unless it is affirinatively and satisfactorily shown that such person does not belong to one of the foregoing excluded classes persons whose ticket or passage is paid for by any corporation. association. society. municipality. or foreign Governnlent. either directly or indirectly. stowaways. except that any such stowaway. if otherwise admissible. may be adinitied ill the discretion of the Secretary of Labor . all children under 16 years of age. unaccompanied by cr not coling to one or both of their parents. except that any such children may. in the discretion of the Secretary of Labor. be admitted if in his opinion they are not likely to become a public charge and are otherwise eligible . Hindus and perscns who can not become eligible. under existing law. to become citizens of the United States by naturalization. unless otherwise provided for by existing agreemllnts as to passports. or by existing treaties. conventions. or agreements. or by treaties. conventions or agreenieuts that may hereafter be entered into. The provision next foregoing. however. shall not apply to persons of the following status or occulations: Governnent officers. ministers or religious teachers. lissiolnarics. lawyers. physicians. chemists. civil engineers. teachers. students. authors. merchants. and travelers for curiosity or pleasure. nor to their legal wives or their children under 16 years of age who shall accompany them or who subsequently may apply for admission to the United States. but such persons or their legal wives or foreignborn. children who fail to maintain in the United States a status or occupation placing them within the excepted classes shall be deemed to be in the United States contrary to law. and shall be subject to deportation as provided in section 19 of this act. That after three months from the passage of this act. in addition to the aliens who are by law now excluded from admission into the United States. the following persons shall also be excluded from admission thereto. to wit: All aliens over 16 years of age physically capable of reading who can not read the English language or some other language or dialect. including Hebrew or Yiddish: Provided. That any admissible alien. or any alien heretofore or hereafter legally admitted. or any citizen of the United States. may bring in or send for his father or grandfather over 55 years of age. lils wife. his mother. his grandmother. or his unmarried or widowed daughter. if otherwise admissible. whether such relative can read or not. and such relative shall be permitted to enter. That for tile purpose of ascertaining whether aliens can read the inliligrant inspectors shall be furnished with slips of uniform size. prepared under the direction of the Secretary of Labor. each containing not less than 30 nor more than 40 words in ordinary use. printed in plainly legible type in. some one of the various languages or dialects of inmigrants. Each alien may designate the particular language or dialect in which he desires the examination to be made. and shall be required to read the words printed on tile slip in such language or dialect. That the following classes of persons shall be exempt from the operation of the illiteracy test. to wit: All aliens who shall prove to the satisfaction of the proper immigration officer or to the Secretary of Labor that they are seeking admission to the United States to avoid religious persecution in the country of their last permanent residence. whether such persecution be evidenced by overt acts or by laws or governnliental regulations that discriminate against the alien or the race to which he belongs because of his religious faith . all aliens who have been lawfully admitted to tile United States and who have resided therein continuously for five years. and who have in accordance with the law declared their intention of becoming citizens of the United States and who return to the United States within six months from the date of their departure therefrom . all aliens in transit through the United States. all aliens who have been lawfully admitted to the United States and who later shall go in transit from one part of the United States to another through foreign contiguous territory. .But. Mr. Chairman. it is the literacy test that is objected to. By the terms of the bill nll aliens are to be excluded who can not read 30 words in ordinary use in some language or dialect of immigrants. of his own choosing. The condition being. "not less than 30 nor more than 40 words in ordinary use." For the physical defects assigned in the bill no one will contend that the immuigrant should be admitted. But there are exceptions which broaden til scope of the bill. and if a person seek admission because of religious persecution he can enter.