The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-08-24
NOT EASY AFTER SEPT. II
THEN NEW STANDARDIZATION
LAW IN FORCE.
Candidate for American Citizenship
Must Be Able to Speak
English.


congress goes into effect
In the future the federal govern
ment is to supervise all naturalization
business. The old plan OF leaving ev-
erything to clerks Of state and other
courts is to be abolished A new Of
fee Is now being organized in Wash
ingtOn-a department OF naturalist
tiOn-under the department Of com
becomes a citizen viii do so with the
knowledge and consent Of this de-
Partment-
What are the requirements Of the
new law? The answer is long and
complicated. But here is a typical
case.
Let Us suppose that Joseph Spagetd
comes to America from Rome, arriv-
ing September q. The new law viii
then be in effect.
Suppose Spegettfs decides to go TO
HazletOn, Pa, to work in the coal
mines He has no friends there
Now there is no hurry about JO-
seph's first papers" He will gain
der the new law he must have lived in
the country five years before he can
become a naturalized citizen, and he
must wait two years between his first
and second papers.
Suppose, at the end Of a year or two
Joseph Spagetu decides that he viii
stay He Will have to go TO the clerk
/ OF the court (either federal or state)
1 z
and make his declaration This VIII
cost 81 He can do il through an in
/ terpreteT, if he is unable to speak
English The clerk Of the court viii
fill a form, stating that the applicant
is white, or a negro, etc.
There are nine states in which this
simple declaration Will entitle him to
vote 1t will also entitIe him to take
up public lands.
Joseph Spagetti must now wait two
years That much time, at least, must
/ elapSe- So Joseph waits until the five
/ year period has expired-five years
I from the date Of his landing.
1t will be 1911, in September. JO-
| seph looks up two neighbOrs for wit
nesses-fOr this time he must 90 to
I the court with witnesses. These wit
nesses must be American citizens.
I They must be persons Of good charac-
\ ter and they must be able to swear Of
I their own knowledge that Joseph Spa
| getti has lived in the United tSates
| five years
This time Joseph must take 81 as
fee for the clerk Of the court
/ But, before he goes to the clerk, he
must do another very important thing,
I He must write to Washington, to the
I bureau Of naturalization, asking the
/ bureau to send him a certificate show
/ ing that he has been in the United
! States five years The bureau Will ex-
anime the immigration records at New
York, and finding everything as he has
| represented, will send him this Certifi-
cate free of cost.
So Spagett goes to the court for
I mai citizenship with his certificate, a
copy Of his original declaration and
/ his two American citizen witnesses.
! This time, the law specifies, he must
I tell his desires to the clerk in English
/ and the clerk must find out if he can
/ talk English.
Then the two witnesses will be
questioned The answers to these ques-
tons will be made under oath, and
I will be put into the shape of two af-
| hdavits- The witnesses will be asked
/ whether Spagetu is a good law abid-
/ ing person; whether he has been ar
rested or sent to jail; whether he
| knows about the American cOnStitu-
I ton and form Of government, and
I likes it. The witnesses will also be
/ asked few questions about them
selves.
If everything appears satisfactory,
Spagetu will sign the formal appIica-
/ ton and the witnesses will sign the
/ affidavits. Then the clerk will tell
| Spagetu to come back on a certain
/ date-abOut three months later
/ when court is in session. So he gives
/ up his 81 and all his papers and goes
! away.
! Thereupon the clerk Of the court
/ starts the ball rolling The appIica-
/ ton IS made out in duplicate, and one
/ copy, with the aff1davits and certifi-
/
| ty days, sent to Washington to the
/ bureau Of naturalization. Here it is
| estigated. The .aw al
/ lows the bureau sixty days for this
/ sole purpose, and no final certificate
| OF citizenship can be given until this
/ time has expired
/ And this is where Jn-le sam gets
busy 1t is not enough that Spagettl's
/ papers are all in proper SOTnI and
/ look straight The bureau will send
| out inspectors to find if in fact things
I are what they seem If a special
! agent fOu I'd the witnesses To he pro-
/ feSSiOnal witnesses, or Spagetd to be 4
/ felOn, or a bad character, he would so
/ report, and the bureau would send
I word to the district attorney to appear
! in court ON the day set for Spa geJti
to come in, and t. oppose inc grant
ing OF citizenship to him If the cOuI
persisted, the district attorney could
note an appeal to the higher court
If, however, Spagetd is found to be
/ a good peaCeable man, and his wit
E6SSeS good American citizens, the
agent so reports 10 the bun cal and
the bUrSGI retJ rms the papers 70 tn
clerk Of the court. without objection
to the granting OF a certificate Of CjJi-
zenship.
So. on the final day, Spagetti goes
/ to the court with his witnesses; he
shows that he can talk Eusssish &c
answers any questions the court de-
sires to ask, and any which may be
I
ter interpOses objections Then he pays
! another 50 Che has paid IS in AID,
and is handed a beautifully engraved
cetificate Of citizenship engraved in
the bureau of engraving and printing
in Washington and printed on money
I paper-and he is a citizen
Every care will be taken to prevent
I forgery or COunterfeiung OF the new
certificate OF citizenship. Every blank
/ will be numbered and clerks OF court
can obtain them only fl ON the Wash
ingtOn authorities and On showing the
/ authority OF the court Each blank
will have to be accounted for, and
/ the law provides a fine OF $50 for any
clerk neglecting to account for 4
l blank so furnished.
No court IS permitted to issue nat
uralization certificates within thirty
l days prior to an election.