The Washington times., 1905-03-11

With the appointment yesterday vi tiie
three commissioners, one each from the
State Department, the Department Oh
Justice. and the Department of Com
merce and Labor, who will investigate
and report upon the naturalization Of
aliens and frame a proposed law ito
regulate the admission of men of for
eign birth to citizenship in the United
States. GENES the first active step look
ing TO the correction of what is recog-
n1zed as a long existing evil.
just when the commission will get
down to hard work cannot be deter
mined, even by the members, until they
have a preliminary meeting, which will
probably be early next week.
Quarters for Commission.
AS contemplated by the Joint resolu-
lion of Congress, which was first offered
on January % and finally adopted late
in February, the commission will have
permanent quarters in the State Depart
ment section of the State, War, and
Navy building Ten thousand dollars
was appropriated for the expenses OF
the investigation and report, but the
commissioners will draw no extra pay
and will be required to perform their
regular duties in their departments in
connection with the special work.
The secretary Of the board, who will
probably be appointed from one of the
| divisions of the State Department, will
draw extra remuneration to the extent
| of 800 per month.
Speaking unoff1eially one of the mem
bers of the commission said:
Il know of no statute in the country s
| book of laws which is In such crying
need of reform as that relating to nat
| uralizatior. Surely none Is subject to
such constant and comprehensive abuse.
and unless some radical steps are taken
soon American citizenship will not be
worth having
Defects More Apparent.
In recent years the defects of the
naturalization law nave been brought
more and more glaringly to the fore,
| Not an annual report of the Commits
| sionar Generalzof immigration but con-
| tains pa ges upon pages Of examples OF
| frauds perpetrated by designing foreign
| ers to get around possibly just laws
| OF their own countries. In the report for
last year, Inspector Braun, one Of tbs
field men, takes up naturalization
frauds among the Jews.
| Speaking of Syrians, whom he found
in Beirut, Mr. Braun declares that al
of them continue TO pass as Turkish
StI D ectS, carSfuiiy cOnceannS tneil
American naturalization papers, unit
such time as they get in trouble. Ther
the certificate of citizenship is produced
and the American consul appealed tC
for protection. Many times just sucf
| a falpabIe case of fraud has threatened
TO develop international complications
! and instances could be cited whert
| United States battleships have been dis
patched post haste to command respec
FOR the rights of some American
! citizen" who knows neither tht
language of the country he claims b.
: adoption nor aught of its customs saw
| that it affords him a most convenien
cloak.
Another evil for which the commits
sion will be called upon to suggest
remedy, is the frequent use of Ameri
/ can naturalization by foreigners, par
ticularIy young men. who seek TO ayoi
the compulsory military service of thci
) native land.
But more pertinent to the American
born citizen, who has a deep-seated 1oV
for his country. and who by inheren
/ right is entitled to voice in the Gov
; ernment is the prime object of thi
newly created commission-the estop
ping of ballot box frauds perpetrate
by unprincipled party heeieers, whe
aliens by the score or hundred are mat
uraIized" and voted
: Frauds Without Number,
; Frauds almost without number coul
be spread out. and all of them will com
in for careful scrutiny by the commits
, sion. Travelling expenses are provide