Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-11

the parent of slavish submission-the pro-
genitor of vicious preiudices, the stimulant
to unreasonable antagonisms, and the foe
of patriotic attachment to our forms Of
government.
Mr.. Powderly's paper is but another
evidence that the sweep of the current of
thought in the United States to-day is in
the direction of restricting immigration,
and that it is every month and week
growing deeper and broader and approach
ing more certainly resistlessness. Just
how restriction shall be applied, and what
shall be its measure, is unsettled. A dis
tinguished Senator of the United States
long since pointed out the necessity for
amending the naturalization laws, and
that if we would exercise the natural pre-
caution of doing first for our own, we
should increase the distance between i'm
migration and citizenship and make the
path more rugged and difficult. Senator
Stanford would greatly extend the pro-
bationary period, and require graver
proofs of capacity before enrolling the
! foreigner in our household. Mr.. Pow
derly's plan of reform radically differs
from this He would require all intend
ing immigrants to register as such at an
American Consulate three years prior to
emigrating for a permanent residence In
the United States. The Consul should
ascertain the character Of those who give
this notice what their qualifications for
citizenship and their evident intention in
giving the notice. At the expiration Of
the three years consular certificate may
be issued to the applicant, who, imme-
diately upon landing, should be required
to file his declaration of intention to be-
come an American citizen. He should at
that time be instructed that unless he
qualified himself by study of our laws and
system, so as to be able to interpret with
fair intelligence the Declaration of Inde-
pendence and the Constitution, he would
forfeit his right to remain longer than
five years in the country.
This plan is open to many objections,
but not devoid of some good qualities 1t
is one thing to immigrate, another to be-
come citizen. Entertaining no intention
of the latter character, the immigrant may
still be dangerous to our scheme of civili-
nization and government, and hence ex-
tension of the probationary period of resi-
dence would not eliminate of necessity
all of the more Objectionable features of
immigration. Thus, Mr.. Powderly cites
the classes that remain here but year or
two in harmful competition with Ameri-
can labor, and then return with their
gains. Some of these he found laboring
in large bodies, tagged with metal labels
and known only by numbers stamped
thereon, british, ignorant and probably
| urinformed of the institutions of the
| country, Indifferent concerning them and
unambitious. But the extension of the
period of residence predatory to taking on
the duties and obligations of citizenship,
together with greater stringency in the law
relative to intelligent comprehension of
the American scheme Of government,
would tend to improve the character of
new-made citizenship.
The requirement of consular registra-
tion, suggested by Mr.. Powderly, is in it
self not only not Objectionable, but COM
mendable; but that three years should
elapse between it and immigration would
not conserve any greater good than would
sufficient time to give the Consul oppor-
tunity to report if the applicants were
animated by the proper spirit, were of
sufficient intelligence and WORLDLY indie
pendence, and free from the influences
which have given rise to the debate now
engaging the attention of the people. That
any great good would be conserved by i'm
mediate declaration of intention to become
citizens, with the threat of being returned
on failure to qualify, we cannot see. On
the contrary, it is to be objected Il dec
laration without long period of residence
in the country is an evil that already ex-
lists, and for which extension of the proba-
tionary period is proposed. That the con-
sular certificates proposed by Mr. Pow
derly would be beneficial and act measura-
bly, as corrective, viii not probably be
disputed. This, however, may be taken
as settled, that the American sentiment is
to-day SO strone ly set in favor of amend
ment and reformation of the immigration
and naturalization laws, that the matter
will form one of the chief topics of public
consideration and action Immediately
upon the disposition of the tariff question.
to which, indeed, it bears very close rela-
tion.