Evening star., 1905-03-10
MANY ABUSES FOUND
The Subject Of Naturalization
to Be Studied.
WORK OF COMMISSION
THE PRESIDENT IS PERSONALLY
INTERESTED.
Startling Information Contained in the
Report Made by Mr.. Gaillard Hunt
and Laid Before Congress.

The special commission created by the
President to consider the whole subject of
naturalization will meet in the near future
| and will, it is hoped, be prepared to submit
to Congress at the next regular session a
full report upon this important subject
The President has shown lively interest
in the matter, not only having before him
reports of federal officers containing many
specific instances of gross fraud and error
in connection with the application of the
present naturalization laws, but having
himself while connected with the munich
pal government of New York city noted
many of these evils. One curious case in
the reports was that wherein some police
court justices in certain city naturalized
large number of aliens. who repaid them
by casting their votes for the reelection
of these justices.
Besides internal fraud, the insufficiency
of the existing naturalization laws has in
volved the State Department in endless
correspondence with European govern
ments growing out of cases of doubtful
naturalization.
Gaillard Hunts Investigation.
Mr.. GaillarJ Hunt, chief of the passport
bureau of the State Department, who will
be chairman of the new commission, has
given much study to this subject, and his
gress 1t reveals an amazing number of
cases of false, fraudulent. improper and
improvident naturaliZationS, and a whole
sale forgery and sale Of spurious certifi-
Gates, particularly in the case of those is
sued to Italians and Iia1tlanS. There mad
been many cases of false impersonation,
and much complaint that our naturaliza-
tion laws are being evaded and that natu-
ralization is conferred upon unworthy men.
Many cases have been reported to the
State Department where both federal and
state courts have issued certificates to per
sons under twenty-one years of age and to
those who had not resided at least five
years in the United States, and the most
primitive ignorance is occasionally shown
by the Judges of local courts on that sub
ject.
Questions to Be Taken Up.
So some of the questions which are likely
to come before the commission as having
been suggested in the report are these:
The propriety of restricting closely to
certain courts the right to naturalize
particular definition of the testimony neces-
sary to secure naturalization, the advisable
ity of printing certificates ON distinctive
paper to prevent counterfeiting, and to
separate declarations of intention from
the final certificates, the ACCESSIBILITY of re-
quiring in the certificate a statement of
birth and of date of arrival in this coun-
try of the holder and finally, the pro-
DDS to the general government of all natur-
alizations and declarations of intention TO
become a citizen.
Preliminary Work Done.
Much of the preliminary work of the
new commission has really been already
executed and the State Department now
has in its possession compendious
reports of the practices of the courts of
each of the states. supplemented by full
notes of the essential points of variance
and of defects developed, so that it is ex
pected that speedy progress can be made
in digesting that material and completing a
report which may serve the next Congress
as basis for legislation intended TO mod
ernze the entire system of naturalization
in this country.
Richard K. Campbell of Virginia, law
officer of the Department of Commerce
and Labor. has been appointed by Secre-
tary Metcalf to membership in the COM