President. I trust that the conference report may not prevail. Of course. it carries with it. as. the Senator from South Carolina says. the literacy test. which I believe is utterly undemocratic and unAmerican. I believe the best history our country has made has been inade without that test in our immigration laws. The ability to read. while it is infinitely desirable. does not of necessity make the best citizens in the world. As I have stated before. our ainshouses and our jails are brim full of men that can pass the literacy test. What we in America want is clean minds. strong arias. and honest. good. moral purpose. and I think when that is satisfied enough is satisfied. Some of the grandest citizens who have carved out their fortunes in this country. have reared splendid families. and have been liberal contributors to the welfare and the wellbeing of our Nation. were men who could not pass the literacy test. As I stated when this measure was up before. when we were looking for soldiers to defend the Union the question was not whether the man could read or write.. The only question was whether he was in reasonably good health. steady of nerve. with good eyesight. and was willing to line up with the cause of our country. The question of reading and writing. or the literacy test. was never raised. I regret that in this enlightened day. when we boast of our advance in civilization and in culture and intelligence. we should press this matter further.
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literacy test immigration