I can not for a moment indorse the exemption proposed In this bill. which provides that those fleeing from religious persecution shall not be subject to a literacy test. It is illogical and inherently contrary to good public policy. We are either legislating for foreigners or for our own country. It is fair to assume that we are true to our oaths of office and are legislating for this Nation. We are proposing a test that is supposedly for our own interest. If a person under this test is unfit for admission to this country. or if. to put it more mildly. we do not believe it good public policy to admit such a person. it is hard to understand why one who has failed to pass the literacy test should be rendered available for admission by the mere fact of having been subject to religious persecution. Either in this particular case we are not exercising our function of legislating for our own country. but rather in the interests of certain foreigners. or else religious persecution must produce civic effects of which we have as up to date remained in ignorance. It is more than probable under such an exemption as is here proposed. that thousands upon thousands of Turks would knock at our doors. claiming right to admission on the ground of religious persecution by the victorious Servians.
Identified stereotypes
Turks would falsely claim religious persecution to gain entry.