The Washington herald., 1914-12-30
AGAINST
"LITERACY TEST"
O'Gorman Says Growth Of u.
S. Made Possible by
Admitting Aliens.
ASYLUM OF OPPRESSED
We Are All a Nation of Immigrants,
He Declares in Speech for Modi-
hcation of Measure.

The consideration OF the immigration
bill in the Senate yesterday was enliv-
ened by a speech OF Senator O'Gorman
attacking the "literacy'' test. For once
the Senator found himself in accord with
the President. who Is known to be oppos-
ed TO the test as Il is prescribed by the
bill, and who may veto II unless the
'literacy' test is modified or eliminated.
Senator O'Gorman declared that II the
test was to be retained II ought to be
altered to extend 1.-The immunity class
OF aliens so as TO embrace those who are
escaping racial persecution as well as
political and religious persecution"
when It is proposed to abandon the
policy which has contributed much to the
greatness of the republic. the advocates
OF the plan might properly be expected
TO present some reasons justifying the
departure which they recommend. The
reasons advanced are not persuasive to
me. The policy of the American govern
ment has already been to encourage free
and unrestricted immigration. We have
held out our country as the asylum ~
the oppressed OF all the world and be-
cause of that policy We have seen OuT
little settlement of 100000 people. scat
tered along the Atlantic coast, grow in
a little more than a century to one OF
the great and powerful nations Of the
earth.
1T is said that ignorance is a menace
to the republic I deny II. Ignorance
may be q misfortune. but 1t iIl-becomes
nation boa sting our ideals TO penaliZe
the victims OF that misfortune. This pro-
posed literaCy test is not confined to the
exclusion of the ignorant. a man may
be illiterate and yet not ignorant.
Aliens who are undesirable are pro-
vided against by other and specific pro-
l. i a.. 1.
exclusion specifically Of all aliens who
are mentally and physically unfit. and
for the exclusion OF the criminal and
vicious. We provide specifically for the
exclusion OF all who may become a charge
upon any State or any community.
Have you not embraced within these
classes all who would be undesirable Citi-
Zeus? II this educational test had been
applied years ago its operation would
have excluded at least one. IL not two.
citizens OF this republic who have Occu-
pied the White House. II would have
excluded from our shores Nancy Hanks,
the sainted mother of Abraham Lincoln.
and would have made it impossible for
the entrance into our country Of President
Andrew Johnson. who never knew how
to write his name or read line until
he as taught by his wife after his mar
riage. II that test had been applied years
ago there are honorable and distinguished
grant OF the descendant of an immigrant.
not today be OCCUPYING their seats in this
chamber
Senators. we are all a nation Of i'm
migrants. Every white man in the
United States today is either an immi-
grant of the descendant Of an immigrant
How can you Justify yourselves now in
violating the ideals that have been
prca ched for a century and. with the
quinescenCe Of selfishncss and ingrati-
tude, be willing to close the doors and
shut the gates upon unhappy people in
other lands who are looking forward to
the day when they may be free men
upon free soil OF this great republic"
Senator O'GOrman insisted that the i'm
would not come into Compcti-
ton with the American wOrkmen. He
concluded with an appeal TO the Dem
oCrats in the Senate observing that the
attitude Of the democratic party on
this question is extra ordinary
From the earliest days the Democratic
party has been the liberal party and il
is not surprising that the Republican
party takes the other side OF this prupo-
sitOn. 1t has declared in its platform
in favor Of the literacy qualification.
The Democratic party never made such
declaration and in 1892 went on record
by condemning and denouncIng attempts
to restrict immigration.
The political prospects of our party
are not as bright as We would like them
to he today. Republicans are asserting.
with apparent confidence. that in the con-
test two years from now the Democratic
party will he unable to carry a single
State north Of the Ohio and east of the