Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-12-30
0 'GORMAN WARNS
PARTY SENATORS
! ON LITERACY TEST
Declares Passage OF Clause
May Defeat Democrats Two
Years Hence.

WASHINGTON. Dec. SO.-Senator
O'Gorman, who has been leading the
aght against the literacy test In tho
immigration bill, yesterday read his
e9IIeagues Of the Democratic party
alemn warning as to tho political
danger involved In the enactment Of
ihe offensive clause. President VIII
son has already let his opposition TO
the test be known, and Mr.. O'Gorman
reminded his hearers that not a single
Northern Democrat has favored 1t.
The political prospects Of the party
fer the struggle two years hence, he
said. were not as bright as they might
ne, and he urged the Southern Demo
Gratis not to add anything to the load
The party is already carrying.
Mr.. O'Gorman discussed the provf-
sion in its practical details, holding
the close attention Of the Senate. He
said that the proposed test, il enacted.
would reverse the lifelong policy OF
fhe United States. II enacted earlier
it would have excluded from the Uni
ted states President Lincoln's mother.
who could not read, and President
johnson, who did not learn to read
until after he was grown, when his
wife taught him his letters. Like the
President, Mr.. O'Gorman took the
view that the test was not selective
and would not exclude the undesirable
element among the immigrants.
Criminals Are Kept Out.
From an industrial point of view,
AIr. O'Gorman argued, immigration
was necessary to supply the needed
labor in certain industries. The coun-
try was as yet untitled and unde-
Veloped, and the additional population
would merely strengthen it, Com.
paratively few immigrants, he said.
i've in the Southern cities, and he i'm
piled that ignorance as to immigra.
ton explained Southern hostility
toward 1t. The bill provided expressly
Cor the exclusion Of criminals and In
drm persons, he said, so that no
Iiteracy test was needed for the pro-
lection Of the American population
from those classes.
Turning to the political aspects Of
the question, Mr.. O'Gorman said In
part:
THE political prospects OF our
party are not as bright as we would
like them to be today. Republicans
are asserting, with apparent conf
dence, that in the contest two years
from now the Democratic party will
be unable to carry q single State
north of the Ohio and east OF the
Mississippi Some little support Is
given to these Republican claims by
a declaration made but a day or two
ago by the governor OF a great Dem
oeratic State In the USouth.
Political predictions two years In
advance are not of much value and,
7 believe, these Republican predic-
should not ignore the existing con-
ditions. One thing Is certain, there
is no demand In the North for this
Mteracy inhibition and Disqualified
tion.
warns Democratic Senators.
nDo you wish to make our strug-
gle two years from now worse thai
it naturally must be by estranging
from US thousands and hundreds of
thousands, who, if this bill is passed.
win say that while the Republican
party was once the exclusive party,
the Democratic party has taken its
place, and that, having repudiated its
historic attitude toward the foreign
born, now has become the party Of
exclusion?
II urge you, senators. before you
give your approval to this hteracy
test, to think Of our political neces-
sites in. the North. Why, I ask, are
those who apparently are not Inn
mediately concerned with this great
problem, so insistent upon closing
the doris to the worthy alien who ls
ambitious to enjoy the opportunities
and to assume the responsibilities in
cident TO being upon this continent.
LET me assure you, senators, that
there is no demand In the Democratic |
party In the North for this restric- |
tive policy, for this Reputation OF
the professions of the Democratic |
party of I25 years. The great De-
Inoeracy OF New York has not asked
Tor 1t. and I want to say again, and
remind my Southern friends, that It
may happen In the future, as 1t has
happened in the past, that when the |
solid Democracy of the South looked |
upon the horizon, the only kindly, |
sympathetic spot on this continent |
which gave comfort to their gaze !
and encouragement to their hopes !
was the State Of New York, which |
did not falter In it's devotion to the |
Democratic party when a hostile po-
Ntical doctrine dominated the rest of
the country excepting the Southern
States"