I can not quite reconcile my mind to that proposition. I believe the illiterhtes in America who are citizens of Anmerica and the illiterates from foreign lands who are here should in the matter of education be put exactly on tile same basis. There is less excuse for the citizen of the United States to be uneducated and illiterate after he has reached the age of 21 years than there is for the foreign born. I see no reason why there should be the additional requirement against the foreign born. namely. that he should be compelled to attend school 200 hours each year after he has reached 21 years of age and until he has completed a specified course and the same rule not apply to the American citizen. My amendment would strike out the maximum age of 45 years and provide that education should be compulsory for all illiterates. whether they are citizens or whether they are aliens. between the ages of 16 and 21. I think it will help us in the cause we are trying to promote to have the aliens and the citizens of the United States on an equality in this respect. that otherwise there might be great danger that resident aliens would resent the discrimination between citizens of the United States who were illiterate and their own illiterates. who have a much better excuse for being illiterate than our own people have.
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foreign born