New-York tribune., 1921-05-10
Citizens Union
FayOrs Voters
Iiteracy Test
a.ferendurn so Far Shows
I.M7 Members For and
lO9 Against Amendment
N the State Constitution
Election Issue in Fall
.c;sIasure Has Passed Pro-
Tnosal Twice and People
viii Make Now Decision

-. Citizens Union. which has been
s..~ referendum of It's members
"a, !. proposal to amendsthe state con-
.,.r,;on so as to provide iiteracy
s., for voters. yesterday announ n,ed
~. an FAR sentiment was overwhelm-
,-.lx IN favor Of ths amendment. The
'.-.,,sstion's referendum shows LOOT
s.xor OF and io9 against the pro-
,ossl.
rsyhe arguments In favor Of che
.r.pdmsnt and FIVE opposed to it lave
.,sa summarized by the Citizens
r,;.n. The proposed amendment has
..,;sa passed the Legislature. 1t will
!. .ubnitted 10 the electors at the
..s.rsl election next fall. The amend
.,pt would change the present quali-
s.stions for voting by providing that
.,..r January, 1922. "no person shall
,.oorne entitled to vote by attaining
-.,ority. by naturalization or other
sisa unless such person is also able,
want for physical disability. to read
,ud write English"
Arguments for Amendment
Arguments made In favor of the pro-
,smls are that the new restriction
yould not affect any one already pos
,.,sing the franchise. that fifteen
,ssses have O similar requirement. that
i. smount Of English required would
IL moderate. that the new requirement
could aid in the enforcement of the
Federal naturalization regulations. that
!. would make for Americanization. that
,aalts who cannot speak English are
snsympathetic to American ideas. that
lie right to vote ia not natural right,
su. q qualified right, which carries
reciprocal obligations. and that serious
abuss OF the new restriction could not
Be expected in this state. ss in the
South.
The objections compiled by the union
ere.
"As test Of political capacity, it is
insufficient. It excludes from voting
0eysons who may be full OF political
zeal and able to read and write for
egn languages. 1t does not exclude
persons who may be able to read and
write English, but who, In fact, read
nothing except the Hearst newspapers
or no newspapers at all.
"rhe test is incapable of fair and
PRACTICAL application. 1t would prob
sbly become in some districts a per-
iunctory formality, the leaders of the
t'go principal parties uniting to enroll
s7ery vote possible; in other districts
lhese leaders might unite to exclude
minority political groups from the bal
.et.
Fear Result of Exclusion
The test will. by law, exclude q
tsrt Of the population from ordinary
POLITICAL expression. The excluded
nay seek expression in extraordinary
end unlawful ways.
"The test will sharpen and harden
lace and language differences. Left
to itself, the immigrant population
regularly. learns to read and write
English in the second generation at
east. Figures for drafted soldiers
show that the alleged class of foreign
born New Workers. bringing up their
Children In the use of foreign lam
guage, does not exist. On the other
asand, all European experience estab-
iishes--tske the case of the Poles, the
Austrian siavs, etc.--that the least at
tempt to discriminate against the Ian
guage Of minority groups, creates a
persistent language consciousness
among them.
Any literacy test, whether or not
confined to q particular language. is
qndemocratic. Democratic institutions,
Jefferson observed, are preferred not
because they work wisely. but in The
belief that they work fairly. It is in.
consistent with their theory and with
our og historic policy to legislate against
me least articulata classn