Speech #630383859

I hope it wvill not have the approval of this body. If. unfortunately. it should receive its approval. then I hope the amendment wvhichm vas proposed by the distinguished and able Senator from Colorado [Mr. TnO~mAS] and to which I took the liberty of lProposing an amendment. will be adopted. that is. that the classes to be immune fromn the literacy test shall not only be those who come to this land seeking to escape religious and political persecution. but that they shall also embrace those who come here seeking to escape racial persecuition. Whalt is the reason for any differentiation of those three elements? It is persecution whose victims we are trying to relieve by this legislaltion. We might eliminate all these adjectives anod say that anl alien shall not be required to comply with the literacy test if he comes here seeking to escape persecution. It is of little concern to us whether the persecution he is escap~ing is religious. politicai. or racial. It is the persecution itself wthch ought to warrant us in making a reservation in this bill if. unhappily. we aldopt the literacy test.