Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-05-31
AMERICANIZE AMERICA

booklet or letter in the American language
Five and half million of them can not read
anything in any language.
These astounding facts demand the imme-
diate consideration Of the nation The war
has demonstrated some of the dangers from
large number of foreign-born persons who
have not been assimiated or Americanized
It has also brought to light thousands upon
thousands of native-born Americans who can
not read or write.
These illterates and aliens outnumber all
the people in Nevada, Wyoming, Delaware,
Arizona Idaho, Mississippi, Vermont, Rhode
Island North Dakota, Oregon, Maine,
Florida, Connecticut and Washington COM
bined They exceed the total population of
the Dominion Of Canada. AS voters, their
ballots will outweigh the influence of greater
New York, Philadelphia and Chicago in
national affairs.
Such people must be educated at least
sufficiently to read the Constitution Of the
United States and American newspapers and
to know something Of what it means to be an
American.
This problem is national The South leads
in lliterates. The North leads in non Eng
lsh speaking Seventeen and one-fourth per
cent. of the people of the east south central
states are illiterates but 1873 per cent of
the people in Passaic, New Jersey, can not
read speak or write English Sixteen per
cent. Of the people of the south Atlantic
States are illiterates and so are 1872 per cent.
of the people of Lawrence and Fall River,
Massachusetts.
These civic and economic f'seconds'' are
beyond all help from printed warnings or
advice in the English language Their
ignorance and inaccessibility to essential pub
lie information are constant drags upon
progress.
The Secretary Of the Interior has graphic
ally painted the situation by the nationally
accusatory questions he has asked in his
recent letter to the President:
"What should be said of world-leading
democracy wherein 10 per cent. of the adult
population cannot read the laws which they
are presumed to know?
What should be said of democracy which
sends an army to preach democracy wherein
there was drafted out Of the first 100000
men total Of 100000 men who could not
read their orders or understand them when
delivered, or read the letters sent them from
home?
"What should be said of democracy
which calls upon it's citizens to consider the
wisdom of forming a league of nations of
passing Judgment upon code which will
insure the freedom of the seas, or of sacri-
ficing the daily stint of wheat or meat for the
benefit of the Roumanians or the Jugo-Slavs
when IL per cent. of the coming citizens of
that democracy do not go to school?
''What should be said Of a democracy
which permits tens of thousands of it's
natlve-born children to be taught American
history in a foreign language-the Declara-
ton of Independence and Lincoln s Gettys-
burg speech in German and other tongues?
What should be said of a democracy
which permits men and women to work in
masses where they seldom or never hear
word of English spoken?''
A bill before Congress directs the Secre-
tary of the Interior through the Bureau of
Education to cooperate with the several
States in the education of the above-men-
toned peoples and in the preparation of
teachers for the work and appropriates
money for the work.
A State, to secure the money, acts
through it's chief school officer and shall not
participate until it has required the instruc-