Page Eighteen
February 1927
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THE UNITED AMERICAN
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 Anonymous questions will not be published or answered in this forum.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 read with much interest The
United American’s proposal for a change
in the present fishing law in Oregon,
which is affecting thousands of honest,
clean immigrant fishermen living in the
lower Columbia River sections in Oregon,
who are now unable to fish on account
of this law. What happened to the pro­
posal? Was it considered in the ses­
sion just closed?
—Hans E.
A.—Illness prevented the editor of
The United American from taking the
matter up in person during this session
and inasmuch as no member of either
House had any interest in presenting the
issue for modification and adjustment of
the obnoxious clause, still in the law, the
legislature had no chance to pass upon it.
Legislators are sometimes interested in
measures that are for the common good,
but chiefly they seem to be interested in
measures affecting the business of friends
and patrons. When interests of a nature
involving the legislators themselves
crop out in measures and bills, there is
little hope for anything, no matter how
important, that is lacking a strong lobby.
Legislation that passes nowadays is
usually supported by a strong and in­
fluential lobby. The immigrant fisher­
men had no money, for lobby representa­
tion. Had the editor of this magazine
(who constantly, .and for years has
fought this issue without compensation)
been able again, in person, to lobby for a
further amendment of this law, been able
to see the bill introduced, and then,
been there to follow it up, it is possible
that the suggested remedy now would
■ have been law. When the 1929 legisla-
ture meets, let us hope that the voters
will send down to Salem a larger num­
ber of representatives and senators who
are actuated by public interest only. If
the voters learn to keep at home the
boys who go down to the capital with
nothing but personal axes to grind, we
may get some lawmaking done for the
common good.
—H.J.L.
the reason he wanted for running the
man in, which he did. I never heard of
the case and what happened at the sta­
tion, but I have been thinking a lot of
what I chanced to overhear. Doesn’t it
tend to “take the heart” out of a man to
be openly ridiculed for his foreign birth,
his accent of speech and his nationality ?
Don’t you think the officer made a mis­
take ?
—Francis T.
A.—Whether or not the officer made a
mistake in making the arrest, I cannot
say, but you are unquestionably on the
right track when you feel that the officer
acted a part less becoming to an Ameri­
can. But such things as you describe
are not uncommon, perhaps chiefly due
to the fact that we are still, to some
extent, employing men for police duty
who are so uncouth and often so rough
that they forfeit respect and are a dis­
grace to the uniform, and the star
of authority they display. There is yet
much of the rough self-appointed fron­
tier authority in evidence in our country,
particularly out West where the “Whisky
Gully’ and the “Dead Man’s Creek” com­
munities of the pioneer days are but in­
stitutions of a recent yesterday. It is
regretable that we still, in spots, have
the rough uncouth, intolerant, man
in the police uniform who abuses the
very insignia of American police author­
ity, but in justification to the present
day American police authority, it can
truthfully be said that, as a body, it is
thoroughly Americanized and measures
up to the standards of kindly firmness
and fairness that we all believe in as an
essential element in our democratic in­
stitutions. Check, on the other hand, for
the thousands of acts of kindliness, help­
fullness and self-sacrifice, which are
told of the man in the police uniform,
whose name ofttimes is never learned,
and we feel a reconcilation in the thought
that our democracy is functioning and
that there is a fair measure of human
consideration to be found everywhere to
take off the sting of just resentment
Q.— I recently witnessed an incident created by the thoughtless misfits whom
where an officer addressed a man speak­ we frequently encounter in positions
ing with a foreign accent, evidently sus­ where they misrepresent the very intent
pecting him of being a thug. I recognize of the station they occupy. The incident
that the officer had the right to stop and you recite is not uncommon and will be
question the man, but the language he told by the foreign born who speaks the
used was to my mind all wrong. The language of America with difficulty, as
man was clearly unable to give a satis­ long as the human bully can worm him­
factory account of himself, because he, self, through pull and cheap politics, in­
lacked fluency in the English language, to a police uniform. There are several
but the officer got him rattled, and his
of them in Portland, some are old timers
questions on nationality were so dis­ and some are of a younger generation.
tinctly uncalled for that the man’s
The higher type police officer with
answer in self-defense was justifiable, special training, and temperamental
although that perhaps gave the officer qualifications to back it up, is gradually
1
forcing the bully out of the uniform.
Then, again, right often the man on
“the force” represent the type of man
the citizens pick for town or city mayor.
If he is of the clown and tin-horn poli­
tician variety, the men below, who carry
out his orders, will either do as the big
overchief wants things done or they are
disciplined off the good jobs on the
force and given “grave-yard” shifts in
the most outlying and sparsely set­
tled sections of the incorporated town
area.
There is only one thing that
will remedy abuse in every form:
in Russia they call it revolution,
but in America we call it intelligent
voting. When our people study the es­
sential elements in good citienship and
learn how to' create good government,
the tin-horn mayors will be out of jobs,
and forever more wonder how it hap?
pened, and the ugly bully in the police
uniform will be- looking for a job where
he can have no chance to exercise au­
thority over anybody.
—H.J.L.
Q.—I have an aged mother in the old
country whom I should like to bring to
America to live with me. She is hale
and hearty and would not be any bother
to anyone. I am married and have a
good home, moderately situated and well
able to care for Mother fpr the rest of
her days. What steps should I take to
get her over here ?
—Mary P.
A.—Apply to the Immigration author­
ities in the Post Office Building, Broad­
way and Glisan Streets, Portland,
Oregon, and obtain the blanks you will
be required to fill out. The govern­
ment is obliged to ascertain all the facts
in the case before an immigration per­
mit in the quota exempt classifications
can be obtained.
—H.J.L.
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