and religious liberty. For the immigrant
children the public schools are the sluiceways into Americanism. When
the stream of alien childhood flows through them, it will issue into the
reservoirs of national life with the Old World taints filtered out, and
the qualities retained that make for loyalty and good citizenship. We
shall have to look to our school boards, elevate them above party
politics and the reach of graft, and elect upon them men and women
instinct with the spirit of true Americanism, or see this mightiest
agency of modern civilization diverted from its high mission to produce
for the Republic an enlightened and noble manhood and womanhood.

[Sidenote: Effects upon Political Conditions]

What is the effect of the addition of so many thousands of men of voting
age upon our political conditions? Undoubtedly demoralizing and
dangerous. Professor Mayo-Smith says: "We are thus conferring the
privilege of citizenship, including the right to vote, without any test
of the man's fitness for it. The German vote in many localities controls
the action of political leaders on the liquor question, oftentimes in
opposition to the sentiment of the native community. The bad influence
of a purely ignorant vote is seen in the degradation of our municipal
administrations in America."[83] The foreign-born congregate in the
large cities, especially the mass of unskilled laborers. There they
easily come under control of leaders of their own race, who use them to
further selfish ends. Fraudulent naturalization is another evil result.
There is no more dangerous element in the Republic than a foreign vote,
wielded by unscrupulous partisans and grafters. The immigrant is not so
much to blame as are those who corrupt him, but if he were not here they
would have no opportunity. In order to wield a bludgeon a bully must
have the bludgeon.

[Sidenote: A Voter Should be Able to Read his Ballot]

There is an unquestioned and increasing evil and peril in a German vote,
an Irish vote, a Scandinavian vote, an Italian vote, and a Hebrew vote.
Out in South Dakota a Russian vote also has to be reckoned with, and in
New England a French-Canadian vote. All this is undemocratic and
unwholesome in the highest degree. Our government is based upon the
intelligent and responsible use of the ballot. How can such use be
possible in the case of the naturalized alien who cannot read or write
our language or any other? No one can declare it unreasonab