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About The united American : a magazine of good citizenchip. (Portland, Or.) 1923-1927 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1925)
[NOVEMBER 1925 Page Thirteen THE UNITED AMERICAN [they be expected to go in for intensive training for [American citizenship, in exchange for a two year [period of grace in which they would be able to earn [their livelihood in the accustomed way. As the word- ling now stands, the intent is arrested because the man [with no preparatory training for citizenship has not [approached the application stage, hence, he cannot ap pear in court to be examined, for the purpose of be coming temporarily rejected, because he is not suf ficiently informed — as the construction of this phrase in the law suggests — in order to obtain the creden tials enabling him to get a fishing license. The amend- jment to the original Oregon statute, though created [through good intent, reveals again that there are legis lators, or men who draft bills for legislators, who ought [to be otherwise engaged. * * * The Columbia river constitutes the borderline be tween Washington and Oregon. For obvious purposes a concurrent jurisdiction arrangement was some years Iago set up between the two states. Inasmuch as the [state of Oregon, by amendment, caused the alien ex clusion clause to be abrogated, considerable dissension [and difficulties will, in the future be encountered, on the point of law and- law-enforcement, on the Columbia [river, unless the state of Washington, during the ^present special session, takes steps adequately to adjust the conditions imposed by its present section 5711 of [Remington’s Compiled Statutes, cited previously in [this article. An adequate adjustment should now be made, mak- ing this section sufficiently broad to remove the stain —for it is a stain — upon the fair name of the state of ■Washington. As it is, the state stands committed to Ian intolerant and unfair indictment of its citizenry of foreign birth and those law-abiding immigrants within its borders who are citizens in the making. By sub stituting for the cited section 5711, the following pre pared draft, the state will stand vindicated in the eyes of America’s fair-minded and tolerant citizenry, [whether living in Washington or elsewhere, yet making it clear to all law-abiding immigrant people that the state of Washington will henceforth expect from them that in lieu of the privilege granted them by the state, it is intended that they lose no time in properly training themselves for the responsibilities of American ■citizenship within the time limit of the federal statute. The penal clause attached places a heavy penalty upon any alien who has entered the country illegally, should he, through the aid of foreign born friends in possess ion of their intention papers, cause the state to grant him the privileges so provided for those foreign born ■who possess credentials of legitimate entry. Every fair-minded legislator in the state of Washington should therefore give the following draft a careful and thorough analysis. A comprehensive proposal for an amendment of Sec tion 5711 of the Commercial Fishing Code of the General Laws of the State of Washington, and contained in Chapter 90 of the Session Laws ap proved March 13th, 1923, in amended form to read as follows: Section 5711. It shall be unlawful for any person to fish oi’ take for sale or profit any salmon or other food or shell -fish in any of the rivers or waters over which this state has jurisdiction or concurrent jurisdiction unless such person be a citizen of the United States and has been for one year immedi ately prior to the time he .makes application for a fishing license an actual resident of this state; provided, however, that a boat-pullers’ license may be issued to any alien eligible to citizenship in the United States, who has obtained his Declaration of Intention paper, thereby signifying his inten tion to become a .citizen thereof when the statutory period of five years continuous residence in the United Sates shall have expired, and who has been an actual resident of this state for twelve months prior to the time he shall make application for such license as herein specified; and provided further, that until March 1st, 1928, it shall be lawful to issue a boat-pullers’ license to any non-citizen immigrant of good moral character, legitimately admitted into the United States under the provisions of the Immigration Act, who is eligible to citizenship and has declared his intention to become a citizen therefore and having been a continuous resident in the United States for more than five years, when such a person shall present evidence that "he is diligently endeavoring to qualify for citizenship by attending public night schools for Adults 6r by pursuing other means of private instruction and home study for the purpose of enabling him to pass the naturaliza tion intelligence requirements within the specified time. Violations of this act, involving fraud and misrepresenta tion, shall be punishable by fine or imprisonment or both, the fine to be not less than one hundred dollars and not exeeding five hundred dollars, imprisonment to be not less than six months in the county jail and not more than five years in the penitentiary, In reviewing in detail the facts set forth in this article, as only those know them who have made a thorough, careful and unbiased investigation, and in submitting to the Honorable State Senators and Rep resentatives of the State of Washington a constructive remedy, The United American feels that it has per formed a public service of vast magnitude. INTERIM By GRACE B. STARBUCK There is a hush after the even-song Of birds. There is a quiet when each wave That beats tumultuously against the quay, Spent with the battle, silently recedes... Perhaps the cloistered twilight of the grave Is but the quiet respite each one needs After the tumult of the fretted throng— After the conquest of a weary day. “THE ALIENS’ CLUB OF AMERICA” (Continued from Page Four) be discouraged all around. The aliens are beyond the child mentality stage, as much as the average Ameri- can, and the country-doctor idea that a health-produc ing herb, not strictly palatable, may well be disguised un der a sugar coating, should be definitely repudiated in modern American civic housekeeping and relegated to the storerooms of ideas in antiquity. The alien registration system, if it is to be insti tuted, should be handled as a departmental matter of business, in connection with the Department of Immi gration, which is now handling the internal immigra tion checking machinery, and additional funds should be provided, through governmental channels, to increase the personnel of that department on the basis of the re quirements and according to a simple and expedient method. In the draft of the law great care should be exercised to avoid the slightest ground for the inter pretation that the enforcement of any of its provisions would give room for any persecution of the alien be cause of his alien status. The draft of the law should