The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1914-02-06
rat; LLTl:RACN TEST.

Tho Burnett immigration hill rs
passed Ivy the house contained the
provision that no person shall lc add
lmittcd tn this country as II resident
who cannot read S"lnc language dia-
lect. Wears ago an Immigration bill
which had been passed 10y congress
was vetoed ny President cleveland.
and shortly before his term uf cfirc
expired President I'aft vetoed Il bill
containing II similar provision. Th"
reason f", III" ACT in each case WAS
The same. that the su-calici l~itcracN
iVSt was not Il fair test of Ie~Siluhiiity.
THAT same condition EXISTS TODAY. and
til" REASONS for and a1ains, til" liter
;lry test are Just what they Mere under
cleveland ur Taft, no better and no
worse. l%rcsidcn: Wilson has given
nut no statement of his Views ON tn,
subject. lt;i those who arc generally
petty ronvcrsant with his ViuWs arc
't the opinion that he docs not APP
lr"N" AT il. What he will do with i,
if ii comes before him for official &C
t''Il tt'llillS ~ br seen. IL Is 10 it
hoped that n" Will veto IT,. 1t is pos
si!'lc after all that the hill will not
p;iss, or at least that il Will not pass
She senate With TINS provision inriud-
cd. II is not at all impossible, that
II tn" president is opposed tu i, he
may make known his position quietly
T." his friends in TIL" senate and thus
s""iirr the elimination uf tho litcrary
'St in that body without being Obliged
T." vet" the entire bill. which as de-
:rrile,l. contains some excellent fea-
i5li"s.
Tho nnav"wet. but rcal purpose he-
I,i'ld this bill is not the elevation of
Ne" standards of American citizenship,
l,i,t the exclusion from our country of
IS many f"rcisus as possible. That
= the sum and substance of the whole
hing, in spite of all tina, ran be said
il'out keeping ont the rakings nf the
slnms of Europe . Md the evil fea-
'urc of the bill is that il assumes tho
.,llise of Il sort Of educational measure
while being intended for Il purpose
yutirely different.
There might hc something said in
favor Of such an educational test in
this country. In these states cd,lca-
lion is popular aud free. and most nc
our people have had placed before
Them the opportunity to obtain a,
Last tho rudimcnts of a common etlu-
':ation. The man who, reared where
these advantages are commonplace.
has failed to avail himself Of any of
them may. in most cases. be consid-
cred either mentally defective or sim
t:nlarly lacking in enterprise. And
even at that We have known men born
and reared in the United States to
whom all their lives all print was
closed, in the words OF Mr.. Bnfin,
who. nevertheless, were reputable
members nj their communities, and
who played. in 4 humble way. ,hn
part Of good citizens.
Fsut in many of the European co,,n-
tries what We would regard as tho
;~rreducible minimum in education is
regarded as a superiority and a costly
luxury. Ability To read is i'm many
districts the exception rather than the
rule, and the lack OF this ability is no
disgrace nor Il. sign of unworthiness.
1t IS needful that there should he
in IL laws protection against the i'm
p%ortatfon OF the worthless and degrad-
ed. But the application of the liter
acy test will not accomplish that Ii
Will exclude many who are worthy,
who would themselves become good
citizens Of our country, and who
would leave children. as Others OF
their kind have done before them
who would measure up. intellectual,
and morally with the best That WI
have. 1t will admit many who are
pmong the most dangerous and pesti.
lent. and vino. because of the YER,