ABSTRACT
In January, 1913, Congress actually passed a literacy test along with an exemption clause that greatly displeased the American Jewish Committee (AJC). At that point, President Taft emerged as the only person who could prevent a complete restrictlonist victory. Although Taft had refused to consult himself on the test throughout 1912, the AJC leaders pinned their hopes upon the President. According to Philip Taft and Philip Ross, the labor historians, the years from 1911 to 1916 “rank among the most violent in American history, except for the Civil War,” because of labor unrest. A large group of non-Jews from the West would be organized along with recognized friends of Taft’s, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to appear at a public hearing at the White House. Preparations were being made for Taft’s public hearing on the literacy test when the conference committee report threw the AJC into a state of alarm.
