The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-07
IMMIGRATION AND
 NATURALIZATION.

In dealing with the questions of immi- grafton and naturalization it is indispen- sable to keep certain facts ever before the minds those who share in enacting the laws. First and foremost, let us re- member that the question of being a good American has nothing whatever to do with a mans birthplace any more than it has to do with his creed. In ev- cry generation from the time this gov ernment was founded men of foreign birth have stood in the very foremost rank of good citizenship,and that not merely in one but in every field of American activity; while to try to draw a distinction between the man whose parents came to this country and the man whose ancestors came to 1t several generations back is a mere absurdity. Good Americanism Is a matter of heart, of conscience, of lofty aspiration, of sound common sense, but not of birth place or of creed. The medal of honor, the highest prize to be won by those who serve in the army and the navy of the United States decorates men born here. and it also decorates men born in Great Britain and Ireland, in Germany, in Scandinavia, In France, and doubtless in other countries also. In the field of statesmanship, in the field of business
 
 is equally true that among the men of whom we are most proud as Americans no distinction whatever can be drawn be- tween those who themselves or whose parents came over in sailing ship or steamer from across the water and those whose ancestors stepped ashore into the wooded wilderness at Plymouth or at the mouth of the Hudson or the Delaware or the James nearly three centuries ago. No fellow-ctizen of ours is entitled to any peculiar regard because of the way in which he worships his maker, or be- cause of the birthplace of himself or hls parents, nor should he be in any way discriminated against therefor. Each must stand on his worth as a man and each is entitled to be judged solely there by.
 There is no danger of having too many immigrants of the right kind. It makes no difference from what country they come. If they are sound in body and in mind, and, above all. if they are of good character. so that we can rest assured that their children and grandchildren
 will be worthy fellow citizens of our children and grandchildren, then we | should welcome them with cordial hospi- tality.
 But the citizenship of this country should not be debased. It is vital that we should keep high the standard of we'll being among oar wage workers, and therefore we should not admit masses of men whose standards of living and whose personal customs and habits are such that they tend to lower the level of the American wage-worlker, and above all, we should not admit any man of an un- worthy type, any man concerning whom we can say that he will himself be bad citizen, or that his children and grand children will detract from instead of add ing to the sum of the good citizenship of the country. Similarly we should take | the greatest care about naturalization. Fraudulent naturalization, the naturali- zation of improper persons, is a curse to l our government; and 1t Is the affair of 1 every honest voter, wherever born, to see | that no fraudulent voting Is allowed, | that no fraud in connection with natural | ization is permitted.
 In the past year the cases of false, | fraudulent and improper naturalization | of aliens coming to the attention of the l executive branches of the government 1 have increased to an alarming degree. Extensive sales of forged certificates of naturalization have been discovered, as | well as many cases of naturalization se- cured by perjury and fraud and in addi- tion, instances have accumulated showing that many courts issue certificates of nat | uTauzatlon careleSSly ana upon lnsuIIl- l cient evidence.
 Under the constitution it is in the power | of the congress ito establish a uniform l rule of naturalization" and numerous laws have from time to time been en- acted for that purpose, which have been supplemented In a few states by state laws having special application. The | federal statutes permit naturalization by any court of record in the United States having common law Jurisdiction and a seal and clerk, except the police court 1 of the District of Columbia, and nearly all these courts exercise this important | function It results that where so many courts of such varying grades have juris- | diction. there Is lack of uniformity in the rules applied In comforting naturali- zation. Some courts arc strict and others | lax. An alien who may secure naturali- | zation in one place might be denied 1t in l another, and the intent of the constitu- | tionai provision is in fact defeated. Fur thermore the certificates of naturalza- ton issued by the courts differ widely in 1 wording and appearance. and when they are brought into use in foreign countries, are frequently subject to suspicion.
 | NATURALIZATION LAWS
 |