The herald., 1894-08-06
THE MILL GR|NDS TOO FAST.
Citizens Turned Out Before
They Are Competent.
Judges Who Are Becoming Averse
to Ridicule.
Generous Laws Which Put . Premium
Upon Ignoranco-Whsr One May
Sec Any Day when Citi-
zens Are Made.

United States, like the making of new
books, there is no end.
The attention of the public is called to
the citizen mill in Los Angeles more fre-
quently than elsewhere, by the custom
which the press has followed OF giving
the names of those admitted to citizen.
ship, and the incidents in connection
with the examination OF applicants.
The deplorable lack OF knowledge
about the government exhibited by many
who ask for the. privilege OF citizenship
has become a source of perpetualwonder
to all who are concerned in the making
of citizens.
So extremely liberal are the laws of
the land relative to the subject, that it
is as easy as falling off log to procure
the piece OF paper that entities the
holder to equal privileges with the most
intelligent.
But by reason OF the light thrown
upon the manner in which the judges
perform their duty, they have become
somewhat more critical in passing upon
Che qualifications of those who present
themselves.
The sbsurdity Of giving official sane
ton to the pleasant fiction that an APP
plicant ia attached to the constitution of
the United States, and our form of gov
eminent, when his mind is as much a
blank upon the subject as that OF q
Chinaman on the subject OF the differ
entail calculus, is gradually being forced
upon the judicial mind. A judge ia
more or less human, just like all the
rest of mankind, even in the wild and
woolly west, and when he sees the queer
answers in print of the man upon whom
he confara the proud title of American
citizen, it gradually dawns upon him
that it makes him ridiculous.
The truth is that too many OF the
judges who are clothed with the power
of making citizens regard the matter as
too trivial to waste much time upon. To
thoroughly investigate the qualifications
OF the numerous applicants would con :
sumo too much time from the usual
order of business. Therefore the duty
is performed many times in perfume
tory manner which tends to cheaper the
value OF citizenship.
Tbs crush becomes very much greater
as election time approaches and the
roundup by politicians begins. They
would present an ourang 0utang for cit.
izenship if they could get his vote, and
it is really difficult to tell whether he
would not make better citizen than
some of the specimens for whom the
door is thrown wide open.
The examination Of applicants is sub
servient to all other business and ia
wedged in at odd times. generally after
court has adjourned and the Judge is in
a hurry to get to his lunch or catch
train. Sometimes the citizen is made
just before court begins and ia put
through with lick and promise that
makes his bewildered brain turn.
1t is very true that sometimes for
eigner who has difficulty in making
himself understood in English, would
make good citizsn and really know
something about the republic and its
principles, and naturally the Judge
uses discretion in admitting him. But
where there ia one of this class there are
dozens of the other, and the judges
themselves say that the law 10 not
strict enough.
The greatest ignorance shown by the
applicants, singularly enough. is as to
the form OF government OF the United
States. There is not one in ten who
does not stumble over that question.
Men who have been in this country for
years and those who have been here
only long enough to justify their appli-
cations come to grief about it.
When it comes to explaining how the
government is conducted and how the
laws are made, the difference between
the national and state governments, and
why they like the government and are
attached to it, the questions might aB
Ill t>o 60 H.. a.
The truth is that such subjects have
rarely been thought about, and among
the people with whom the applicants
live, the dull, amending days roll by
with little thought, save to eat and
sleep.
The picture may seem exaggerated to
those who fondly picture a high and
general intelligence among sll classes,
but the judges OF the superior courts,
who pass on matters OF citizenship, will
not give you any such roseate impress.
sion.
1t is true that in very few places in
the United States is there such variety
of races knocking at the doors for citi.
Zenship aa in California. One would
think that they would have keen
sense of the difference between the
countries from which they come and
this country. but they don't. The won
der ia that they can live in America for
the requisite FIVE years without picking
up come of the leading features of gov
ernment. There was even an English
man who applied last week before Judge
York, and he did not know the ve.iest
rrif1e abont the government. There was
another man who was rejected by the
same Judge and told to etudy up. He
went away and came back in few days
pretty we'll posted. Had it not been for
the firmnsss OF the Judge he would prob
ably not have had his attention called
to his ignorance, and dritted along un-
thinking and with no desire to know
why citizen Of the republic should be
proud of his heritage.
In conversation with a we'll known
public man day or two ago about this
subject he said that it would be a very
good thing to establish an Independent
tribunal for the admission of applicants
to citizenship in the United States and
one of the superior judges thought it
would be we'll for United States courts
to handle tho whols matter.
There is no doubt that those who
now perform the duty are dissatisfied
with the manner in which it has to be
done. and realize that greater reatric-
tions should be thrown about it.
By the laws as they now exist and
are construed, class OF voters are being
let loose upon the country who have
no kan ~, thntr A,rk;