Speech #890087047

I quote: Ever since 1922. the New York State constitution has required that voters in this State must be able to read and write English. Since most political campaigns are conducted in English and the affairs of the State are transacted in English. this is a perfectly reasonable requirement. A voter who spoke or read no English would have great difficulty in knowing whom or what he was voting for. The editorial continues and concludes by saying: Literacy tests have been misused in some Southern States in the past to keep qualified Negroes from voting. To prevent such misuse. Congress wrote into the civil rights bill a year ago a presumption of literacy for anyone with a sixthgrade education in English.