The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., February 01, 1925, Page 16, Image 16

Page Sixteen
THE UNITED AMERICAN
FEBRUARY, 1925
Creating the Wrong Impression of American Justice
'THERE IS GRIEF and sorrow, bitterness and re- foreign colony at Clifton place on the American citi­
sentment abroad in the little quaint fishing zenship paper?
village of Clifton on the lower Columbia River, just
His education in self-government had been sadly
a few miles east of Astoria. The population of the neglected. The affairs of government, what he knew
village is nearly one hundred percent a foreign colony of them in the empire of Franz Joseph, was some­
of Austrian and Slavic immigrant people.
thing the common people had no hand in. Since
For years they, too, like all other alien nationalities coming to America he had learned to have respect
living in settlements about the lower river districts, for the American government, where he only had fear
have earned their living by fishing on the waters of and hatred for the government he knew in the old
the Columbia and selling their catches to the cannery country.
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people at Astoria. In little huts and shanties and
How to obtain citizenship papers, in order to earn
on houseboats snuggled closely in the little sloughs at
Clifton, these people have lived a life of isolation, in a livelihood by fishing, became of a sudden a great and
a veritable little old country. And few if any Ameri­ burning question in the little fishing hamlet.
The officials in the old country were willing to,
cans have cared or bothered about them. No agency
of Americanization has concerned itself about sending well, just fix things up — if they got something for
Ian Americanization teacher to them to instruct them their trouble.
From over the hills, from the greater world beyond
in the code of American life, the American language,
the hamlet these aliens had heard many ugly rumors
the American customs and the American laws.
They were a happy lot, those Austrian people at that the people in America also traded justice and
Clifton. The hand of the autocrat and his henchmen rights for MONEY.
Maybe it wasn’t true. But, after all, American
did not reach them in their American settlement.
What little justice they obtained back there, they had officials were perhaps, in some respects, like the
to pay for. The emperor’s men had their price for Austrian officials — willing to be accommodating, for
everything. If you had the money you could get by. a little money, when no one was looking.
Maybe it would be wrong to “beat around the
If not, well, that was your misfortune and the gold-
bush” with Uncle Sam, but the fishing season was
braided official was adamant to any other argument.
coming and the time was too short in which to learn
Fear of the Official became deeply embedded in the all the • things required by the government officials
hearts of those people. They learned to look upon before the salmon would be heading in over the bar.
him as a monster who toyed with the heartstrings and
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the happiness of the common people — for money.
A little money had been laid by from the seasons
The law was on his side. There was only one sure of former years by most of the men in the Clifton
way to obtain what the official’s law demanded — fishing colony. If the government official would not
bargain for it with MONEY.
be so severe in his questioning, perhaps they could get
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by, for they had learned enough of the American
America! It was a glorious land. If you just kept language to understand simple questions and make
out of the way and committed no crime, the officials themselves understood in a way. If he would just
be a litlle lenient, it would be all right, and for his
left you alone.
kindness, surely, it would be worth something. Maybe
Some time ago there came the news to Clifton that if they talked to him about it, just like they used to do
aliens,, those who were not citizens, could no longer to the old country officials, they could come to some
fish in the Columbia River or elsewhere in the waters understanding, if he did not want too much------
of the State of Oregon. To get the official “paper,” with
your name on it, showing that you were a citizen of
On the ninth of February, news dispatches tell
America, well, that was a dreadfully difficult matter. us, that Naturalization Examiner W. R. Thomas, of
In the first place you would have to learn the Amer­ Seattle, nipped in the bud “what amounted to a con­
ican language, study the history of America and learn, spiracy to bribe” him to give five aliens of Clifton
oh, so much, about the American government. After their citizenship papers. A meeting had apparently
that you would have to go to Astoria, on a certain day, been arranged for. A representative of the Austrians
to appear in court and let a government official and a — one of their countrymen and an American citizen
judge ask you a lot of complicated and tremendously who was to be one of the wouldJbe conspirators’ wit­
big questions. To be sure, the crowd of curious people nesses in court — Was to come to a certain room in the
would also be there, looking quizzically at you in a way Astoria Hotel, on the morning before the Naturaliza­
that could only intensify your confusion and actually tion -Court was to convene, and bring the bribe money.
make you scared — all this, in order to get a paper It was to represent the first installment of the citizen­
you had no other use for than as a means to obtain ship applicants’ cash consideration to the kindly
a license to toil with boat and net out there on the Official who was to conduct the hearing that day in
waters of the big river in the dark and stormy nights, court and who, by some manner of speech had led
fighting a battle for life and the livelihood of loved them to believe that he considered their suggestion
ones, in the face of treacherous tide currents, the favorably and would, in lieu of a stipulated considera­
breakers and the bar.
tion, “make things a little easy” for them.
What other value could an Austrian of the little
Beaming with delight the friend showed up early,