Bridgeton pioneer., 1915-09-16
ENGLIsH sPEEcH IN AMER1cA

The ruler reports OF the discussion
of the literacy test for voters in New
York's constitutional convention show
that the defeat of that proposition was
due less to the practical politician &
influence than to racial antagonisms
excited by the issues of the European
war. Such a test would have temper
arily disfranchised thousands of for
eign-born voters in the metropolis and
for this reason both Republican and
Democratic politicians opposed the
change, but the accounts indicate that
the measure would have been adopted
but for the anti-English feeling
aroused by speakers who incautiously
contended that if literarcy test in
the English language were not pro-
vided "our Anglo-Saxon institutions
an Anglo-Saxon civilization would be
endangered"
After this, apparently, there was no
hope, and a measure which was at
first adopted by vote of 20 to 61,
was defeated by a vote of n to 67,
owing, according to one account. to
''the fatal weakness, in the opinion of
the majority of the convention, of re-
quiring that the voter should be able
to read and write in English" One
delegate declared that literacy test
in the English language would be an
"insult" to million residents of the
metropolis. He stated, however, that
he would accept a literacy test if the
word English" were stricken out, but
did not say whether he preferred to
substitute German OF Yiddish. Doubt
less Mr.. Max Fast, had he been a dele
gate, would not have stopped short of
an offered substitution, for, in speak
Ing to the German-American society
of Bergen County, N. j., recently, he
asked pardon for speaking in Eng
lish" and a member recommended that
he "say American language instead of
English" Noting the curious fact that
New York could not fix upon do
mestic policy of moment without fight
ing out the issues which divide Eur
ope,' the Springfield Republican point
edly remarks:
What is the position nj this
country of the English language?
1t is the language of the Federal
Constitution, the language of Con-
gress and every State Legislature,
the language Of the courts, the
language in which all laws, Fed
eral and State, are printed. 1t is
the language in which all Ameri-
can literature has been. written.
1t is the language of Washington
and Lincoln, of the Farewell .5
address, the emancipation procla-
a. nation, and the address at Gettys-
burg. 1t is the language of COM
merce and trade. 1t is the lang
uage of politics. 1t is the one
language that is intertwined with
the roots of the civilization which
became dominant in the United
States after the question of politi-
settled between Dutch, French,
Spanish and English. 1t is. in
brief, the language of the whole
people, i the language of the ma
ton"
Some foreign-born citizens may re-
gard this as vey unfortunate, as even
lamentable in the extreme, but it will
be necessary for them to cultivate a
philosophical resignation in the pres
fence of the fixed and Interchangeable. II
they do not like to hear English spok-
en- and shrink from being caught
speaking it themselves, the only way
for them to find satisfaction is to re-
turn to the lands of their birth. There
is no escape from the fact that the
King James Bible Is the American BIZ
BILE of today and that even our news
paper English is based on the lang
uage of Shakespeare. English, with
certain amount of inevitable variation
from the original, will remain both the
official and the popular language of
the United States throuhgout all time
fo como and for th0sn whn wish -
escape what they appear to consider
an outrageous imposition there is, as
stated. only one possible course open.