Dear Editor:

The official English legislation (H.R. 997) now pending in Congress is a common sense measure which all Americans should support.

One of the greatest factors behind America?s rise to glory has been incorporated into our national motto ? ?E Pluribus Unum,? or ?out of many, one.? The United States has been the shining example of how persons native and from all corners of the globe can unite under a common language and common goals.

Somewhere in the foliage of almost every American?s family tree is at least one person who arrived on our shores speaking only a native language. Between those first pained steps and the high positions their descendants now hold was a path paved with English, the language of opportunity.

At the same time, learning English provides the opportunities to share new cultures and customs, bringing fresh ideas and celebrations into the American mainstream. Yet more than anything, a firm grasp of English takes a newcomer and bestows upon him that much desired title ?American? and that all important hope of ?the American dream.?

Senator S.I. Hayakawa once said, ?Bilingualism for the individual is fine, but not for a country.? Official English legislation embraces this ideal.

Sincerely,