Bisbee daily review. [volume] (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 1910-03-03

United states. l Know very larS'
number of negroes in our Territor
(there are not many of them). an
4 know only one who can not reas
Every Mexican boy. every Mexica
fron, 20 - % years of age IN m
part of Arizona and who iSslly live
there. can read English; hut VT
have thousands OF Nexicans and 9th
ers travelling around from railroa
to railroad. doing work for Their
and the purpose of the legi Stature
4 think. was to confine the vote I
Arizona to the citizens of me Unite
States who live in s.izona.
The Chairman Let me ask 20.
this question. Is there not a large
number of your excellent citizen,
down there of Spanish descent vino
live out in the country on ranches
the younger ones of whom you said
while ago-those between the ages
of % and 30-can all read English
but the older ones of whom have
not learned TO read English?
Mr.. Smith. Do l understand your
question is, how many people living
out on the farms of Mexican
The Chairman. Yes: who can
.ot read English. but who can read
Spanish.
Mr.. Smith. That is impossible for
ne 10 tell
The Chairman Would you say
there are two thousand
Mr. Smith. No. sir.
The Chairman. Eighteen hundred
Mr.. Smith. No. sir. do not
think there are a third that many
voters really living there who can
not read English.
The Chairman. A thousand?
Mr. Smith. do not think there
are nearly a thousand Mexican vot
ers that can not read in the whole
Territory. If you leave out Apache
County and even including that
county
The Chairman. Including that
county. how many?
Mr.. Smith. Only about two or
three hundred Mexican votes in the
county.
The Chairman. Perhaps a thou
sand all told, then?
Mr.. Smith I do not think there
would be a thousand in the whole
territory.
The Chairman. This thousand. by
that act. would be disfranchised?
Mr.. Smith. No more than my sor
would II he could not read.
The Chairman. They can read
Spanish. but not English?
MIR. Smith. Oh. no, sir. You vii
find that nearly everybody tina
reads one reads both.
The Chairman. When we passed
| through the Territory we found tn,
old people. who were pretty sub
stantial people-the fathers an'
mothers-were, not able to read Eng
lish. but took and read papers pub
lished in Spanish. Their children
however, spoke English.
Mr.. Smith. Those must have beef
very rare instances, for there wer
small means of education befor
our common schools came there
They had 10 go to parochial schools
You found very few in Arizona.
The Chairman. Such of those a
there would be would be disfrar
chised through this act?
Mr.. Smith Unquestionably. An
man in the Territory that can no
read the Constitution of the Unite
States in the English language ca
not. under that act, vote
The Chairman. Is not the provii
ion in the new law to the effeC
that voters shall be able to read
section of the Constitution selecte
by the board in such a manner as I
convince the board that it 'has NJ
been committed to memory and r
cited by rote:
Mr.. Smith. That is Virtually n
proposition.
The Chairman. Such then {
those older people who have raise
up their families. but who can NJ
read the Constitution in English. q
though they might in Spanish. woul
be disfranchised?
Mr.. Smith. How could they re5
r the Constitution. because new
t saw the Constitution OF the Unite
t States printed in Spanish in Al
iona.
e The Chairman I don't know:
I saw il printed in Russian.
Mr.. Smith. So have saw
: printed in every language Of q
] world. but / never saw a copy
the Constitution Of the United Stat
s printed in Spanish in Arizona. TIL
J. have plenty OF them in New Mexic
j The Chairman. But speaking
D educational qualifications. would J,
q say It was combining it purely
educational qualifications to NAL
e It necessary for a man to read q
D Constitution in the English Ia
{ Fuage? For instance. a man mi
{ be perfectly competent to read it
; German or French. and not be ab
= to read Il in any other The mel
4 bers Of this committee here c;