Mr. Chairman and gentlemen. this amendment is along the lines of the one that was offered to the first section of the bill on Saturday. but it meets the objection that was offered by some of the opponents of that amendment. in that it exempts from the literacy test only those who have heretofore been lawfully admitted to the Unitd States and who have resided therein for five continuous years and who have in accordance with law declared their intention of becoming citizens and who return to this country within six months from the date of their departure. I can not conceive how any person. unless he is an absolute prohibitionist of all immigrants and wishes this country to be nothing but America for Americans. would object to the provisions of this amendment. We know that there have been hundreds of thousands of worthy immigrants in this country who have permanent homes here and who on occasions wish to visit relatives abroad. perhaps to pay a last visit to their relatives on. their deathbed. This provision will only seek to give those who are bona fide residents of this country the privilege of going back and returning within six months without. being threatened with the danger of being excluded by reason of the literacy test. Now. it has been fundamental in the international law of this country that when an alien came over to this country and declared his Intention of becoming a citizen he separated himself from his native government and that we threw a protecting arm over that alien upon his declaring his intention to become a citizen. What objection now can be raised to those who have been lawfully admitted on their return from a brief sojourn abroad to being relieved from this literacy test? I hope the gentlemen on the other side. even those of you who are in favor of this strict provision of providing a literacy test. will accept this provision so as to permit the hundreds of thousands of good. ablebodied American residents of this country who. perchance. can not in their old age qualify in the rigorous examination for American citizenship. and yet wish to be American citizens. to have the privilege to go to their foreign homes and visit there for at least aperiod of six months without being threatened with exclusion by the literacy test. In the last Congress It was the unanimous vote of this House that the Jews of this country. when they had passports. should have those passports recognized by Russia. We issue a limited passport under a law passed some six or eight years ago to any person who had declared his intention to become a citizen. which is recognizcd in any country except the country of nativity. I am only asking you to carry out the American idea and give these foreigners who have domiciles and residences here the privilege of going abroad and of returning without being subjected to a literacy test whereby they may fail to read some word or words or give an acceptable .definition or explanation of them. and thereby be excluded from returning to the country of their adoption. I hope this amendment will have the unanimous support of this committee.
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immigrants literacy test