Feb. 6, 1917, front page: Immigration Act passed

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CONGRESS TURNS BACK ON JAPS, PASSING IMMIGRATION BILL OVER PRESIDENT'S VETO

(By Associated Press)

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5. ─ Congress has over-ridden a veto by President Wilson for the first time and enacted into law the immigration bill with its long-fought literacy test provision. The senate voted late today 62 to 19 to pass the measure, notwithstanding the veto and in spite of eleventh hour information that Japan again had protested against the language of the Asiatic exclusion section.

The house overturned the veto last week by a vote of 287 to 106, so the senate's action ends the contest of 20 years standing in which three presidents have repudiated similar bills passed by congress.

The international situation was brought into the closing debate in the senate, Senator Reed calling attention to the Japanese objection and pleading that nothing be done at this time to disturb or impair the country's relations with a friendly nation. Senator Smith, of South Carolina, chairman of the immigration committee, answered with a declaration that the present state of international affairs emphasized the necessity for a pure-homogeneous people such as the bill was intended to protect.

"IF CAP FITS LET JAPS WEAR IT"

Senator Reed communicated information from the state department to the effect that the Japanese embassy had called attention to language in the bill providing that no aliens "now in any way" excluded from the country would in the future be permitted to enter the United States. He said the criticism was based on their belief that this language wrote into law the Root-Takahira gentlemen's passport agreement against the entry of Japanese laborers.

Senator Lodge of Massachusetts, ranking Republican member of the foreign relations committee explained the progress of the provisions to which Japanese objection has been voiced in the various stages of such legislation.

Note: This immigration law included a literacy clause. It barred all immigrants over the age of 16 who were illiterate or could not read 30-40 words of their own language from an ordinary text. Another section, called the "Asiatic barred zone," banned immigrants from much of Asia. There were provisions to allow temporary laborers including agricultural workers from Mexico.