Wichita eagle., 1889-02-15
THE NATURALIZATION LAWS.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14.-Representative
Gates. of Alabama, from the committee on
the judiciary, today reported favorably to
the house bill to amend the naturalization
laws of the United States. The report &C
companying the bill treats the existing
naturalization laws in critical spirit and
calls attention to abuses which have
sprung up under them. 1t says:
"An alien may be notorious thief, muir
derer, outlaw, an anarchist. polygamlst,
leper or hardened criminal, and yet our
law allows him, by making affidavit of in
tentions before clerk of court. all the
benefits of citizenship within the United
States. He is allowed by the land laws OF
the United States to buy and own any
quantity of real estate or other property
or to take a homestead on the pubic
domain and thus receive benefactlon
equal to the best young man of American
birth; and at least one-half Of the states
of the union shall allow such
aIiens to own and inherit real estate and
to vote at all elections the same as natives
and naturalized citizens In many OF the
states an alien who had declared his in
tention to become citizen is eligible to
any Office within the state. He may, By
state law, be eligible to seat in congress,
when the constitution of the United
States denies to him such right I'M
til he has been a citizen for at least seven
wears. So deficient is the present law and
so careless is the practice of the judges,
with but few exceptions, that 1t mas pc
come a matter of public notoriety that
they perform their duty in such per-
functory manner that any alien. however
bad his character or beastly Ignorant he
NAV be. can become citizen of the United
States.
There is nothing in the law to deny
citizenship even to idiots, insane persons,
paupers, criminals, or others who have
come into the United States in Migrant
violation of our immigration laws"
The report concludes with Synopsis ex-
PLANTATION of the provisions OF the Dill,
which are in brief
"a limitation of the classes of foreigners
who shall be eligible to citizenshlpin the
United Jtates Cncluding Indians adopting
civilized life) prescription of the form OF
application, requirement that the dlstricI
attorney shall defend the government
against improper applications ana that
applications shall be corroborated upon
the point of residence, restrlc-
ton of Jurisdiction to high courts
and federal courts, the preserva-
ton of the rights of aliens who have al
ready declared their intention, an allow
ance of the right of bona fide applicants to
make homestead entries, and to receive
patents alter naturailZdGiOu anu al 10
uuirements of would be citizens that they
have resided five years in the United
States, and be able to read the constitution
in English"
The secretary of state has received dis
patch from Mr.. Raine, United States con-
sui at Berlin. in regard to the measure
now before the American congress, max
ing important changes in our Immigration
laws. He says that the proposed measures
are viewed with much concern II Berlin,
ia political as well as in national econo-
mic circles, as foreshadowing changes
which eventually may lead to total re-
form in the matter of European immigra-
ton to the United States.