Chairman and gentlemen of the comnittee. I feel that the linnigration Committee is entitled to the thanks of this body for bringing in a bill of this kind during the early part of this session. There is an old saying. "A stitch in time saves nine." and this saying. in my opinion. is apropos of the condition that exists in the United States at the present moment with relation to the need of a law which will protect the citizens of this country from the foreign immigrants who are fleeing to our shores to escape the heavy taxation in the vardevastated regions of Europe. Some time ago it was my privilege to visit Ellis Island. not as a member of the eomnrittee but as a private citizen interested in obltaining information relative to the situation which exists at that place. I stood at the end of a hall with three physicians. and I saw them examine each immigrant as they came down the line. rolling back the upper eyelid in order to gain some in formation as to the individuals physical condition. I saw tiem place the chalk marks on their clothing which indicated that they were in a diseased condition. so that they could be separated when they reached the place .where they were to undergo certain examinations. Afterwards I went to a large assembly hall where imingrants came before the examiners to take the literacy test. and the one fact that impressed me more than anything else was that practically every single immigrant examined that day had less than $50 to his credit.
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immigrant literacy test immigrants