US Presidency
1897

Our naturalization and immigration laws should be further improved tothe constant promotion of a safer, a better, and a higher citizenship. A grave peril to the Republic would be a citizenship too ignorant to understandor too vicious to appreciate the great value and beneficence of our institutionsand laws, and against all who come here to make war upon them our gatesmust be promptly and tightly closed. Nor must we be unmindful of the needof improvement among our own citizens, but with the zeal of our forefathersencourage the spread of knowledge and free education. Illiteracy must bebanished from the land if we shall attain that high destiny as the foremostof the enlightened nations of the world which, under Providence, we oughtto achieve. Reforms in the civil service must go on; but the changes should be realand genuine, not perfunctory, or prompted by a zeal in behalf of any partysimply because it happens to be in power.