THE WESTERN AMERICAN
JUNE, 1923
7
mendations should be nullified by another which measures today when tried by the larger standards
seems so foreign to the spirit of American life and so of the present age.
at variance with our national traditions and ideals.
Would such a provision in our law simplify pro-
The slightest sketch of any phase of the subject we ceedure in any way, or reduce present expenses or
have under discussion would at the present time be alleviate any of the concomitant delays and
miserably imperfect if it were to omit a reference to hardships so characteristic of the process? Under
the proposed annual registration of aliens by public present laws the minimum loss in occupational en
school authorities. In the Secretary of Labor’s annual deavor per man per day is seven. The applicant must
report, we note the term “registration” has been soft bear the expense: one day’s loss in labor for obtaining
ened by the substitution of the word “enrollment.” A the Declaration of Intention; three days for petition
reading of the hearings held before the Committee of ing and three days for the final hearing. Under regis
the House, will convince most any one of the favor tration as proposed, he must bear the loss of an equi
the scheme is meeting with that body of legislators. valent of eight days’ labor; one day for the securing of
In brief, its protagonists claim the following merits: the Declaration of Intention; five trips to public school
the seven million undesirable aliens in the United authorities, one day for the petition and another day
States, potential citizens must in order to eradicate for the final hearing. Someone with reasonable pro
the particular doctrines of radicalism in America, be priety might ask, why is the loss of any time neces
enlightened in the privileges and duties, rights and sary? Perhaps it should not be. In answer to a
responsibilities which attach to ciitzenship, etc., with query of this kind, I have, in my public discussions of
emphasis upon the natural changes which may be the subject, made use of the following illustration
brought about through evolution by means of the with apologies to the Irishman who asked for a raise.
ballot.
There are 52 Sundays in a year in which naturali
To put across such a program there must be zation courts are closed. There are 52 Saturdays in
a method-systematic and automatic means of bring which naturalization proceedings are not held in our
ing the alien into contact with the government in a courts. There are seven legal holidays in Ohio and
friendly spirit of cooperation. Much of this is in the the courts observe every one. Final hearings occur
words of the Secretary. It has also been said that our regularly each Thursday in the Common Pleas Court
foreign population in American will accept such a plan in Cleveland and on those days the Federal Exam
with enthusiasm and that such a registration with iner’s office is closed making 52 more days in which
public school authorities would eliminate the require the petitioner may not obtain papers. Because of
ments of furnishing two witnesses on at least two wholesale naturalization in New York City prior to
different occasions to prove the good moral character ■lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll|||||||||lllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll*4
of the petitioner. Assertions of this kind when is
sued as facts are subject to searching analysis so that
everyone may know their contents. In the first place
net all of us will interpret the United States census
of 1920 to mean that there were 7,000,000 naturaliz
able aliens residing in the United States. If we sub
tract the number who have taken out first papers and
do not take into consideration the thousands that
have not been accounted for, there would undoubtedly
¡be less than 4,000,000 of a total of 12,000,000 natu-
iralizable aliens who have not sought citizenship. In
i
the second place, advocates of registration grossly
It costs no more to secure the finest busi
err in their belief that hundreds of thousands of
ness college training—and the best is what
honest, decent law abiding aliens want to register
you demand.
annually and submit to government surveillance be
cause it is for their own best welfare and for that
At this great college—we train you for
reason, should pay handsomely for it. The first sug
SUCCESS—then place you in paying posi
gestion as to cost, we are told was $25.00 a year for
Bach alien desiring citizenship which amount was to
tions.
be paid continuously until he became naturalized. A
Enroll any time
Russian Passport system dominant under czaristic
rule, a sort of character ticket to be carried by the
Free Catalogue
Individual and years of moral standing punched out
jmnually. When we say this is not compulsion or a i
recrudescence of that reprehensible order of things
in 1789 and 1802 when alien identification schemes
found ephemeral life and expression ip our naturali
sation laws, we do violence to the truth. If they
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jould not prevail, in those early days of our national
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Existence when prejudices were strong and intoler- |
Portland, Oregon
Phone Main 0590
pce everywhere, how can we find any place for such
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