OCTOBER 1925
Page Nine
THE UNITED AMERICAN
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A Question and Answer Page for Foreign-Born
Questions on Americanization, Naturalization, Citizenship, Civil Rights and all matters of importance
in regard to the necessary adjustments for foreign-born who have come here for the purpose of
remaining permanently, will be answered promptly and as fully as possible, By Judge J. A. Buchanan,
President Astoria Americanization Council in Astoria, and by H. J. Langoe, Editor The United Amer
ican. Anyone asking a question may request that it be published under such pseudonym as he desires
but the questioner must in all instances sign his correct name and address to the letter that
accompanies the question. Anonymous questions will not be published or answered in this forum.
People who are living in Astoria and vicinity may address their questions directly to Judge Buchanan.
Q.—I have lived twenty years in this
country and want to become a citizen,
but I have lost the paper which showed
the name of the steamer I came over with.
I am told that I must prove that I am
here legally before I can get any papers
at all. Now I can’t remember the name
of the boat, it was an English boat, and
I can’t remember exactly the time I
landed, it was in the spring of 1896. My
sirname begins with Z and English
speaking people always write it with S or
C unless I tell them, so I am afraid my
name even on the passenger list of the
steamer, if I remembered the name and
the date I arrived, wouldn’t help out much
because they probably have it wrong
there too. I am so discouraged as my
children and everybody now are talking
about it and blaming me for everything.
Yes, I am to blame, that’s true, but why
didn’t they talk about citizenship, and the
importance of getting citizenship papers,
to the immigrants of 1896, as they are
doing to the immigrants of today? If
they had, I would have kept that slip of
paper, or gotten a new slip before I for
got all about those earlier days in my
life in America. Now its everywhere:
“John are you a citizen? Got your papers
yet? Why, why, why?—Oh its too bad,
too bad, you should have done soandso
and soandso, etc.” I get so mad I could
go jump in the lake. I am not a
foreigner, though they call me one. I am
an American, paper or no paper. I feel
it in my bones, in my heart, oh, it hurts,
it hurts, my tears—I cannot see when I
am working. It bothers me so. I am
old and this trouble is making me older.
I have worked hard and been honest. God
knows. I paid my taxes, my borne—nice
American home too. My children I edu
cate, two teachers, one daughter married
big American doctor, one son, now in the
university, studying civil engineer. What
is the matter with old dad now, no good
foreigner, got no paper, bah! Oh, its not
what you call American justice, I know
it, I feel it, only people are different, no
love, no pitty, no sympathy, no nothing.
My Wife, good mother, she too love
America, we don’t care for old country,
only made mistake, we got no papers, no
body said nothing about it and we work,
and work hard, all the time to save and
have home and give our American chil
dren good education. Why we are no
good now? I can’t understand. I love
America, I want my papers and mother’s
too so we can hold them in our hands,
press them to our hearts before we die
and know that we are legally Americans,
, without. shame and that “too bod, too
bad” from anybody. We have a little
American flag in our home with picture
of Teddy Roosevelt our great American,
how we loved him. There is no foreign
country flag or nothing in our home. We
are grateful for what we got in the old
country, our good parents, strict bringing
up, training to work, be happy, content
and honest, but that’s all. We love
America because it’s our home, the
government is right, it will always be
right if only the people don’t change too
much, like they are today—don’t care
for work, justice, honesty, truth and good
morals. No country can stay that way,
not even America. I made mistake, yes,
but why make it so hard for me? I
meant no wrong, only neglected some
thing I did not know was so important
for some day, someday when I should
be old and bent, when I should feel the
hurt, so bad, so bad. If you can think of
something to help me out I Would ap
preciate it. I like The United American,
it is so American, so just, so fair. If
only all America had that feeling we
should not be in tears, mother and me,
when we sit so lonesome with the fire
place in the evenings. Americans in the
hearts. Americans, like our children, but
in the eyes of our neighbors only
foreigners, “too bad, too bad.”—John P.Z.
A.—My dear fellow American. You
started to ask a question but you have
delivered a sermon, a sermon so complete,
a story of thousands of honest true-blue
foreign born, assets to American life, in
every way, that cannot be overrated. Yet
they are aliens in name, because they did
what you did—worked hard and forgot.
No one tbld them in those years to hurry
up and get their papers. America didn’t
care as much then as now. Instead of
bringing help and kindly assistance to
these so that they might catch up and
learn indeed that America is just and
fair, we have been busy making laws to
“teach these foreigners something” by
way of taking away from them their
source of livelihood and incidentally mak
ing it very hard for them to right their
mistake and obtain citizenship. Too much
technicality, laws, technical points and
technical people. That’s what is giving
America a wrong slant in public opinion
here at home as much as in foreign
countries. But America is still sound.
The big heart-beat of America is for you
John. To that bigger America you belong
and stand accepted on your confession of
faith, your honest face and true senti
ments,' as you have told your little story,
no matter all the cold rules issued by the
technical office-holders and bureau-chiefs
which have closed the door and made it so
difficult for you to obtain the papers that
can at best be nothing more than an out
ward manifestation. I would rather be
f
without all the citizenship papers ever
issued, than be without that American
spirit that is yours, that spiritual bond
that has been knit, year by year, between
you and America and taken root in the
very soil of our land. Unless the Depart
ment of Labor should modify the ruling
which has closed the door to you, or that
you by some incident should recall the
name of the steamer and the date of your
arrival, making investigation for proof
of legitimate entry possible, you may
find it very difficult to get by. Neverthe
less you are a part of that spiritual
America, without which the geographical
boundaries would mean so little. The
technical rules administered by technical
people may prevent you from raising
your hand publicly to speak from your
heart the oath of allegiance, but mean
while all their technical rules are in
capable of keeping out those who have a
two-fold purpose in view ip citizenship,
who readily give lip service to America
though they have treason in their hearts.
• Keep your faith, John, it’s yours and
America’s in common, and some day the
ruling that is barring you may be
changed so that you may be able to enter
the American hall of citizenship for
which you have been so well prepared
these many years.
—H.J.L.
Union Fishermen’s
Cooperative Packing Co.
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