The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-03
NOT a BIT oF DIFFERENCE.
House Objects to Educational Re-
quirements for Voters

quirements for Voters.
The question whether any man, not
clt1zen Of Minnesota at the beginning
OF the twentieth century, shall be per-
nlltted TO vote unless he be able to read
ana write the English language, was
discussed pro and con for over an hour
IN the house just before the noon re-
cess. Inc question was decided against
the educational qualification; the
friends of the billswere led by.Mr Dom
nelly; the opposition rallied around
JACOBSON, Feig and Foss, and the op-
position had 81 votes to SO for the
meg sure.
The bill under consideration was H
r. 532, introduced by Mr.. Donnelly,
ProVldlng for the submission to the
people OF proposed amendment to
the constitution which required all per-
sons not citizens before 1900 to be able
10 read and write the English lam
guage before voting. The bill had
peen referred to the judiciary commit
tee, and had been reported for indefi-
mite postponement. Mr.. Donnelly
moved to amend by having the bill
placed upon general orders for discus
sion. He explained its provisions.
which, 1t appeared, had been. misunder-
STOOD, IN that some of the members of
the judiciary committee supposed the
erect would be to exclude all persons
who could not read and write after
the measure shall have gone into eff
feet
The first one to oppose the bill was
Mr.. Jacobson He said there were a
great many Germans and Scandina-
VANS who had come to this country
AFTER they were beyond the school age
ana, While they were intelligent and
loyal in the highest sense they were
not able to read and write English
Moreover, he said the trouble about
corrupt voting did not apply to these
people. If that was all that was intend
ed by the amendment, he said, he was
willing to amend the election law so as
ID prohlblt any person from marking
ballot for any other person. He also
presented the argument that in those
towns made up largely or almost en-
tirely of f0reign-bcrn citizens there was
as good government as anywhere else
Mr.. Foss followed along the same
line, and Mr.. Feig said there was no
demand for such an amendment All
OF these speakers spoke of the tendency
of the-hill to curtail immigration, which
they said should be encouraged in
stead.
Mr.. Donnelly replied to these argu-
ments at considerable length He
spoke of the universally of the Eng
llSh tongue, and the necessity Of an
Of the country in which he was a citi-
zen. Moreover he said, neither
F'eig "a German-American) nor Jacob
son "a Scandinavian represented the
sentiment of their people From his
experience as a newspaper publisher
Mr.. Donnelly said he was satisfied that
the foreign-born people of Minnesota
wanted to be Americans in language
as well as in spirit
Mr.. jacobson got back at Mr. Don
nelly, and said that he did not claim
to represent any nationality except
Americans, and Mr.. Feig said the peo-
pie whom he represented were almost
unanimous against such a bill Mr.
Won Lehe also claimed to have friends
in others as we'll as his own denomina-
ton," and; in his judgment, the peo-
pie Of LIE Sueur were not prepared for
such a bill When it came to the vote
Mr. GrOndahi started ID to uncork a
speech upon the loyalty of foreign born
citizens, but Judge Hicks called a; halt
upon technical point of order, and
the bill was Indefinitely postponed by
a vote of 81 to 81