The Alaska daily empire., 1923-04-05
FOSTER REVIEWS EFFORT OBTAIN
 L|TERACY TEST
Author of Defeated Literacy Bill Introduces Memorial
 Covering Ground.

In final effort to secure a lit- eracy test of electors, Representa- tive Foster, author of the hteracy bill defeated yesterday in the Sen ate, today introduced a memorial in the House requesting Congress to amend the Alaska Organic Act to include an educational qualification for voters requiring all voters to be able to read and write the English language, thereby insuring intelli- gent voting and preventing the pos sibility of fraudulent elections in the Territory" The memorial, he said, would probably not be attack ed as being outside of the province of the Legislature to pass.
 The Ways and Means Committee brought in a deficiency appropria- tion measure containing two items. one for $2,000 covering the bounty on wolves for the period ending March 31, last, and the second for $3,150 to meet deficiency in the funds for the Board of children's Guardians.
 Raelson Memorial Lost.
 House Joint Memorial No. 10, by Mr Raelson, asking Congress to fix an earlier election date, was lost when it came up for final passage the vote standing eight to eight
 House Bill No IS, MT. Johnston, fixing the end of the period for fling candidates for primary elec- tions as the first Tuesday in Febru- ary, instead of sixty days before the date of the primaries, was passed.
 Senate Joint Memorial No. 4. by MT. Aver. as amended by the House Committee, passed it's second read ing. It asks for establishment by the Bureau of Education of a train ing school for Eskimo children of the Second Division. Senate Joint Memorial No. 8, MT. Chamberlin, asking for Congress to advance the date of converting of the Legislature to the first Monday in February, 30 days earlier than at present, passed its second reading.
 House Bill No. 3. by MT. Daily regulating the payment of wages and other compensation to em- ployees in private employment pass ed it's secon dreading. It requires payment in United States money or drafts. checks and tokens redeem able in such money.
 Text of Memorial.
 % The text of the Foster literac cy memorial follows;
 l. Whereas, approximately forty eight per cent of the population oi the Territory of Alaska consists ol Indians of various tribes; and
 Whereas the census of 1920 shows approximately seventy per cent of these people over the age of twenty-one years to be illiterate and
 Whereas, large numbers of these natives have been permitted to vote at the elections held in the Terri tory; and
 Whereas, these people by their ignorance lend themselves readily to the machinations of interruptions politicians who, in times past have controlled large numbers of these native voters; and
 Whereas, by the terms of the Or ganic Act certain qualifications for voting have been prescribed, which qualifications have been held by some legal authority to be exclusive and binding on the people of the Territory of Alaska;
 Now. therefore, we, the Senate and the House of Representative of the Sixth Session of the Legislature of the rtory of Alaska, respect fully memoralize and petition the Congress of the United States that the Organic Act of the Territory of Alaska be amended to include an educational qualification for voters requiring all voters to be able to read and write the English lam guage, insuring thereby intelligent voting and preventing the possibil ity of fraudulent elections in the Territory.