The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-08

I
| sale by
LIPPNIAN DRUG COMPANY,
Lippman Block. Savannah, Ga.
shall be kept out entirely, while de-
| sirable immigrants are properly dis
| tributed throughout the country. At
! present some districts which need i'm
| migrants have none: and in others,
where the population is already con-
| gested, immigrants come in such num-
| beers as to depress the conditions of life
| for those already there. During the
! last two years the immigration serv-
| ice at New York has been greatly i'm
! proved, and the corruption and ineffi-
cheney which formerly obtained there
| have been eradicated. This service
has just been Investigated by COM
mittee of New York citizens of high
| standing, Messrs. Arthur V. Briesen,
Lee X. Frankel Eugene A. Philbin,
| Thomas w. Hynes, and Ralph Traut-
man. Their report deals with the
whole situation at length, and con-
| cludes with certain recommendations
for administrative and Legislative ac-
! ton. 1t is now receiving the attention
of the Secretary of Commerce and
| Labor.
The special investigation of the
| subject of naturalization under the di-
| rection of the Attorney General, and
| the consequent prosecutions, reveal a
condition of affairs calling for the i'm
mediate attention of the Congress.
| Forgeries and perjuries of shameless
and fragrant character have been per-
petrated not only in the dense centers
| of population, but throughout the coun-
| try; and it established beyond doubt
| that very many so-called citizens of
| the United States have no title what
n a art inc
and enjoying the benefits of the same
| through the grosSeSt frauds. 1t is
never to be forgotten that citizenship
| is, to quote the words recently used
by the Supreme Court of the United
| States, an ''inestimiable heritage"
whether it proceeds from birth within
| the country or is obtained by naturali-
cation; and we poison the sources of
| our national character and strength
| at the fountain, if the privilege is
claimed and exercised without right,
and by means of fraud and corrup-
ton. The body polite can not be
sound and healthy if many of it's con-
stituent members claim their standing
through the prostitution of the high
right and calling of citizenship. 1t
should mean something to become a
citizen of the United States; and in
the process no loophole whatever
| should be left open to fraud.
Methods of the Frauds.
The methods by which these frauds
| now under full investigation with
view to melting out punishment and
! providing adequate remedies-are per-
petrated, include many variations of
procedure by which false certificates
| of citizenship are forged in their en-
tirety; or genuine certificates fraudu-.
! lently or collusiyely obtained in blank
| are filled in by the criminal conSpir-
| ators; or certificates are obtained on
| fraudulent statements to the time of
arrival and residence in this country;
| or imposition and substitution of an
other party for the real petitioner oc-
| cur in court; or certificates are made
| the subject of barter and sale and
transferred from the rightful holder
| to those not entitled to them: or GER
| tificates are forged by erasure of the
| original names and the insertion of
| the names of other persons not en-
| titled to the same.
1t is not necessary for me to re-
fer here at large to the causes lead
ing to this state of affairs. The desire
for naturalization is heartily to be
| commended where it springs from a
| sincere and permanent intention to
| become citizens, and a real apprecia-
tion of the privilege. But it is a
source of untold evil and trouble
| where it is traceable to selfish and
| dishonest motives, such as the effort
by artificial and improper means, in
wholesale fashion to create voters
who are ready-made tools of corrupt
| politicians, or the desire to evade GER
| tain labor laws creating discrimina-
| tions against alien labor. All good
| citizens, whether naturalized or ma
tive born, are equally interested in
| protecting our citizenship against
fraud in any form, and, on the 9TH
err hand, in affording every facility
for naturalization to those who in
good faith desire to share alike our
| privileges and our responsibilities.
The federal grand jury lately in
session in New York city dealt with
| this subject and made a presentment
which states the situation briefly and
forcibly and contains important sug-
gestons for the consideration of the
cluded as an appendix to the report
of the Attorney General.
The Antitrust Law.
In my last annual message, in con-
nection with the subject of the due
regulation of combinations of capital
which are or may become injurious
to the public l recommended spe-
| cial appropriation for the better en-
forcement of the antitrust law as it
now stands, to be expended under the
direction of the Attorney General. Ac-
cordingly (by the legislative, execu-
tive. and judicial appropriation act of
Feb. 25, 1903. 80 Stat, S54, 90D, the
Congress appropriated, for the pur-
pose of enforcing the various federal
trust and interstate commerce laws,
the sum of 100000, to be expended I'M
der the direction of the Attorney Gen
eral in the employment of special
counsel and agents of the Department
of Justice to conduct proceedings and
prosecutions under said laws in the
courts of the United States. now
recommend, as a matter of the ut
most Importance and urgency, the