The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip., October 01, 1925, Image 5

THE
UNITED
erican
A MAGAZINE OF GOOD CITIZENSHIP
Devoted to the Cause of
Americanization, Assimilation and Group Elimination; Pointing the way to a Constitutional
Americanism, to Equality in Citizenship, and a better understanding
between Native born and Foreign born.
Vol. 4 ^°O?“S22
October, 1925
Number 1
IN THE FIRE OE THE AMERICAN CRUCIBLE
OFFERING A REMEDY FOR AN INEFFICIENT SYSTEM
I
By H. J. LANGOE
I 'THE AMERICAN Naturalization code, in other
I 1 words, Uncle Sam’s rules and regulations govern-
I ing the adoption of immigrant people, or those who
I have come here from foreign lands to become perma-
I nent members of the American household, is so far
I from being anything worth the name, that it is a
I difficult thing to find two representatives of that bureau
I of an important administrative governmental depart-
I ment who are in accord with one another and in accord
I with the bureau chief. It is a matter of record that the
I rules and regulations set up in one examination district
I are quite different in every other. The objections raised
I by an examiner, and sustained by the judge, against an
I applicant for citizenship in one locality, are not made
I an issue by the examiner in a neighboring district.
I The consequence is that the aliens, in many instances,
I who have acquired residential qualifications in one state
I or district, when desiring to become naturalized, find
I that in their home-district they are barred on a techni-
I cality in the examiners’ qualification rules, which the
I federal examiner in an adjoining state has omitted
I or held irrelevant. To obtain citizenship under these
I circumstances many aliens, considering it of sufficient
I importance,, move to the neighboring state and es-
- tablish their residence for the length of time necessary
to file their applications. Armed with sworn affidavits
from two citizens attesting to good conduct during
period of previous residence, covering five years in all,
each applicant, having been admitted to citizenship,
moves back to the old residence district, each as an
American citizen.
Judges in different localities are by no means in
I accord with the federal examiners’ home-rule code of
I qualifications, even in the same naturalization district.
I Naturalization hearings, including intelligence examina­
tions in open court, are necessarily tedious, and at
best a questionable use of the courts’ time, whether
I it be in a federal or in a state court. The matter of
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converting the court room, once or twice a month, into
an elementary school room, for a day or more at a
stretch, while important litigations must stand aside
waiting, is a thing which judges, lawyers, litigants and
taxpayers are entitled to discuss. In most states the
examinations of applicants are conducted by the
examiner either in his office or in the classrooms, at
any time convenient. Where this procedure is followed
the examiner cap appear in court at a convenient time
between trials, go through the formal procedure
(exclusive of intelligence examination) and within a
very brief period pass a large number of applicants
before the court, present formal questions to witnesses
and applicants and have the latter take the oath
of allegiance, the hearings thereby being materially
shortened.
Where this procedure is followed there is, however,
the danger that the examiner, if of an arbitrary turn
of mind, may reject an applicant for personal reasons;
but then again the applicant has the right, if con­
sidering himself unfairly dealt with at the private or
the classroom hearing, to ask that he be permitted to
appear in court for full examination.
The federal examiner should be more of a school
teacher, with training for adult educational work, than
a lawyer. Inasmuch as an examiner, in the eyes of the
law, is not an officer of the court but an andminstrative
officer, the question cannot well be raised that he must
be an attorney qualified to try legal matters before the
bar before he can be permitted to present matters con­
cerning naturalization before the court.
Naturalization proceedings áre not trials, although
some lawyer-examiners are trying hard to make a
“case” out of every application. There should bé
serious but not unkindly consideration of every appli­
cation. The applicant should be questioned in a kindly
manner, both to ascertain his mental attitude toward
America and our political institutions, as well as his
technical knowledge of America’s history and conduct