Speech #640066244

I believe that we could have better used our time in perfecting and passing a useful piece of legislation which we have promised in our platform. to wit. legislation on the subject of rural credits. It seems to me that this particular bill has occupied a vaster space in public discussion and In our deliberatiNe time than the magnitude of its results or its relative importance will justify. I am not sure just what number of helpless. hopeless. and unfortunate Immigrants may be turned back or prevented from coming to our shores on account of the literacy test. but I do fknow that as the years pass by tire number of illiterates in the Old World will be less and less. and that the effect of this legislation in each succeeding decade will be far less than it is now. Tile peasant immigrant of the white race- is the under dog in this fight. and we know how prone the stronger and bigger dogs are to junlp upon the under dog. Somehow or other I have always felt sympathy for the under dog. and tried to look at things from his eyes. to put myself in his place. to weigh justice and right witl his scales. I can not help feeling that in this piece of legislation we are not making a merit of virtue. but we are making a crirme of.misfortune. It (loes seem to rue that the literacy test is the one test which. applied to the con: ditions of the nations of the earth today. speaks less for our humanity than any other test under the sun. Under our laws today we exclude the unfit morally. physically. and mentally. We exclude those who would be a burden- upon our institutions and our people. and now we seek to close the door of hope. the gates of our country. to hiim who is not criminal. who is not a pervert. who Is not wicked. but who is simply unfortulmate.