BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVESTIGATIONS OF THE IMMIGRATION COMMISSION, WITH CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS AND VIEWS OF THE MINORITY. BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE INVESTIGATIONS. The Immigration Commission was created by section 39 of the immigration act of February 20, 1907, which provides as follows: That a commission is hereby created, consisting of three Senators, to be appointed by the President of the Senate, and three members of the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and three persons to be appointed by the President of the United States. Said commission shall make full inquiry, examination, and investigation, by subcommittee or otherwise, into the subject of immigration. For the purpose of said inquiry, examination, and investigation said commission is authorized to send for persons and papers, make all necessary travel, either in the United States or any foreign country, and, through the chairman of the commission, or any member thereof, to administer oaths and to examine witnesses and papers respecting all matters pertaining to the subject, and to employ necessary clerical and other assistance. Said commission shall report to Congress the conclusions reached by it, and make such recommendations as in its judgment may seem proper. Such sums of money as may be necessary for the said inquiry, examination, and investigation are hereby appropriated and authorized to be paid out of the “immigrant fund" on the certificate of the chairman of said commission, including all expenses of the commissioners, and a reasonable compensation, to be fixed by the President of the United States, for those members of the commission who are not members of Congress; THE IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION OF 1907. When the bill" which was finally enacted as the immigration law of February 20, 1907, was reported from the Senate Committee on Immigration March 29, 1906, it proposed several important amendments to the existing law. However, no change in the immigration policy of the Government was suggested. The "head tax" on immigrants was increased from $2 to $5; imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, unaccompanied children under 17 years of age, and persons "who are found to be and are certified by the examining surgeon as being mentally or physically defective, such mental or physical defect being of a nature which may affect the ability of such aliens to earn a living," were added to the excluded classes; the provision of existing law excluding prostitutes was amended to also exclude "women or girls coming into the United States for the purpose of prostitution or for any other immoral purpose; " steamship companies were required to furnish lists of outgoing alien passengers; and the creation of a division of distribution in the Bureau of Immigration was authorized. "Senate bill 4403, Fifty-ninth Congress, first session. 72289°-VOL 1-11-2 9 In the Senate the bill was amended by the insertion of a literacy test, which provided for the exclusion from the United States ofall persons over sixteen years of age and physically capable of reading who can not read the English language or some other language; but an admissible immigrant or a person now in or hereafter admitted to this country may bring in or send for his wife, his children under eighteen years of age, and his parents or grandparents over fifty years of age, if they are otherwise admissible, whether they are so able to read or not. The bill as amended passed the Senate May 23, 1906. The House of Representatives Committee on Immigration and Naturalization, to which was referred Senate bill 4403, on May 29, 1906, reported by substituting another bill, which, however, did not differ materially from that of the Senate. The "head-tax" provision was the same and the additions to the excluded classes practically so, a literacy test similar to that of the Senate being advised. The bill as originally reported by the House committee also provided for the exclusion of every adult male who had not $25 in his possession, and every female alien and every male alien under 16 years not possessed of $15, provided that $50 in the possession of the head of a family should be considered a sufficient amount for all members of such family, except grown sons. In a subsequent report, presented June 11, 1906, the money-qualification feature was omitted. Each of the House reports was accompanied by a minority report, signed by two members of the committee, in which the increased "head tax" and the educational-test provisions were disagreed to. In the House of Representatives the bill was amended by striking out the increased "head-tax" provision and the provision for a literacy test and by inserting a section creating the Immigration Commission. The House also adopted the so-called "Littauer" amendment, which provided as follows: That an immigrant who proves that he is seeking admission to this country solely to avoid prosecution or punishment on religious or political grounds, for an offense of a political character, or prosecution involving danger of imprisonment or danger to life or limb on account of religious belief, shall not be deported because of want of means or the probability of his being unable to earn a livelihood. In conference between the two Houses the Senate receded from its provision relative to a literacy test; the House receded from the Littauer amendment; the "head-tax" provision was compromised by fixing the amount at $4, instead of $5 as provided by the Senate and $2 as provided by the House; the House amendment creating the Immigration Commission was agreed to, with an amendment which provided that the Commission should consist of three Senators, three Members of the House of Representatives, and three persons to be appointed by the President of the United States, instead of two Senators, three Members of the House, and two citizen members, as was provided in the House amendment. The section creating the Commission was further amended in conference by the addition of the following provision: The President of the United States is also authorized, in the name of the Government of the United States, to call, in his discretion, an international conference, to assemble at such point as may be agreed upon, or to send special commissioners to any foreign country, for the purpose of regulating by international agreement, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate of the |