Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-29
Par|or BoIshevists in American
Colleges Worse Than Unedu-
Gated, SpiIIman Tells Consti-
tuti0naI Convention.
POSTPONE PLAN TO
BAR ILLITERATE VOTER
Cedar County Man Urges
Passage of Proposal on,
Grounds of Success of Law
In Massachusetts.

Lincoln, Neb., Jan. 28.-(Special.)
Members of the constitutional
convention made broadside attack
on parlor bolshevists Wednesday
when an attempt was made to put
on general file Proposal No. 205,
making it necessary for every voter
to be able to read and understand
the constitution. The attempt failed
and the proposition was indefinitely
postponed.
Delegate Cleve, of Otoe, tried to
revive the measure and Spillman, of
Pierce, led the opposition. The dam
ger in this country, Mr.. Spillman
Sontended, is not in the unfortunate
uneducated man who cannot read
the English language, but rather
from the unprecedented men and
women who can read it but do not
care to understand it.
Spillman Raps Reds.
"Parlor bolshevism is more dam
gerous than lack of education" he
declared. universities and COL
leges all over the United States have
men and women on their faculties
who are educated and who can read
the constitution, but who are doing
more to undermine the principles of
our government than any other
class" -.,....-....'., i,,..........
Mr.. Spillman argued that while
Emma Goldman, Carl Berkman and
Victor Berger can read and under
stand the constitution, they are not
as fit to vote as the most unedu-
Gated man who works with his
hands and helps to support this gov
ernment. 49,
Bryant Favors Plan.
Wiltse, of Richardson, opposing
the measure, said the proposed re-
quirements would be nothing less
than taxation of the uneducated
classes without Representations.
Lahners, of Thayer, contended that
the proposition, if passed, would
take the right of suffrage from many
Civil war veterans who are unable
to read the English language.
Delegate Bryant, of Cedar county,
sole defender of the measure
Wednesday, declared that Massachu-
setts has had similar provision in
its constitution for 80 years and it
has done much to diminis illiteracy
Referendum Law Altered.
Only one change in the initiative
and referendum proposal after two
hour debate. An amendment by
Peterson making it necessary to get
twice the required number of sign
ers to referendum petition in order
to suspend the law to be voted upon
until after the election was adjusted
The amendment provides for 10
per cent of the voters of the state
to sign the petition if the law is to
be suspended. The proposal as il
now stands makes it possible to refer
law with only 5 per cent of the
voters signing the referendum peti-
tons. The vote on the Peterson
amendment was 81 to p.
Other Changes Fail.
Pollard, of Cass, Mcdonald OF
Buffalo and Pugsley of Lancaster
made unsuccessful attempts to get
minor changes into the proposal.
Pugsley sought to incorporate a
clause in the referendum law requir-
ing the attorney general to prepare
la aydigest of the measures to be voted
Upon.
The assembly steered the follow
ing proposals into the heap of meas
ures indefinitely postponed: Nos.
1856, 210, 81, 209 and III. Two OF
the bills were on the location of the
state capitol, one by Norman, pro-
viding thaSDthe location be Omaha.