The Alaska daily empire., 1923-03-16

i showing the percentages for each Di. vision Many states and number of foreign countries. he said. have acts in force similar 10 the one pro posed for Alaska. Of 24.S22 whites over 10 years of age in the Territory, he s5d. cniy 460 werc shown by the 1920 cen IS to be illiterate. while i from 1S.39S Indians over the same age, 10,3S0 were illfterate
 Afraid of Judges
 The question of who is to be judge of the literaey Of the voters was l raised by Mr Cole. who seemed to i dout. the advis1bil5ty of leaving it 1 to judges of the elections. While Mr. i Foster said the bill might be amend el 10 provide otherwise. Mir. Keys de clarcl that there was no cause for amen Inert, hat election officials who judge ether qualifications of the voters can be safely entrusted wf.h the enforcement Of the literary test. Mr. Policy took the. same view.
 The litesaey bill, declared the lat ter. was antroduced to meet a con dftton which you all know to exist = The f.a-chise. he argued, is the citi- zen's greatest privilege in that il is the exercise of his right to go ID and vote as lhe wants to and not as he is told He denied that the lack af education of the Indian is chargeable solely to the white race, but is partly the result of the disinclination and l failure of Indians 10 take advantage of the educational opportunities of. fered them.
 "Stuff' that is rotten has been pulled eff fin elections by manspua- l ffon cf the Indian vote. he asserted. Are you for rotten politics or clean pol;tics?" he asked in conclusion.
 Politics Charged
 W. L. Paul, terped by Mir. Shepard IS master mind' of the Indians. Grand Secretary of the A. N. B., the Indian organization referred to by other speakers, took the floor against the brl. He assaulted by implication two or three members of The House an1 charged that the bill was intro duced as a polI.eal move by "cer. tain clique" which is antagonistie, he alleged to Delegate Sutherland. He admitted mass voting of Indians which Inc said seemed to have been guided with some intelligence"
 Tae purpose of the bill. he said. was nee 10 exclude illiterate voters, but to reduce eho number of voters. Rc-nrss If the last Delegate election were pointed out as an illustration of his claim that Indians knew their l friends and for whom they voted. II the bill is passed. he declared, Dan Sutherland win not be the next Dele gate to Congress"
 Decker Defends Report
 Representative Decker defended the majority report brought in by him as Chairman of the Committee on Elections and Election Laws, He questioned the right cf the Territory to enact such a bill. He admitted that the principle embodied on th measure is right but opposed it's ap- pl1ca ion to the Indians who, he as sersed. are f'lIctate through the ne glect of the country as a whole. He voiced resentment ait what he termed ihe attitude of members who implied that those who opposed the literacy test are in favor of rotten politics.
 Afternoons Session
 Rev. David Waggoner, speaking against the bill, declared that he did net believe in wholesale voting. He | thought there were many Indians not qualified to vote, but he declared the educational test was not the one to apply. He said many of the best thinkers among the Indians who have severed their tribal relations and are living civilized lives, some of those best qualified to vote, are not able to read or write English.
 H. l.. Faulkner, speaking in sup pert of the measure, declared thai the right to vote implied duty tc vote intelligently. He paid a tribute to Mr. Policy, who had been criti clsed for supporting the measure ir face of the fact that most of the Indians had voted for him. He said Mr. Policy was a man who would mol trade away Ihis conception of his duty for Indian votes or any othel votes. MT. Faulkner said that thf returns showed that Indians vote solidlv in manner that plainl, showed they voted as they were tol( to vote by coachcrs. for, if they were able to think intelligently of ths issues, there would be differences O opinion among them. He declared that this is condition that does no count for the welfare of the Indians CT tho whites. He said the rights o tho Indians were safe in Alaska, ant cited instances where white jurie' had proved it. He declared th'at th' }. Federal government has been gener ous in Its treatment of them. ant lthat there is no discrimination against them by either the Federa or tho Territorial government
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