To the Editor:

Nick Quinn Rosenkranz ("Nobody Is in Favor of Illegal Searches," letter, March 8) might be interested to know that he is not the first in recent weeks to quote from the Fourth Amendment in addressing the recently passed exclusionary rule reform bill's treatment of illegal searches and seizures.

On Feb. 7, during debate on the bill, Representative Mel Watt offered an amendment stating that "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized" -- the language of the Fourth Amendment.

Mr. Rosenkranz writes that he is sure "Speaker Newt Gingrich would agree" with the Fourth Amendment. When introduced by Representative Watt, it was rejected by a vote of 303 to 121. BILL MAURER Stanford, Calif., March 9, 1995 The writer is a lecturer in anthropology at Stanford University.