The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-19

AHssastea JIsai tas IB~lutsgsHe Vetsv ~
laoeses pgyiyfle 1Age

- rHe fbtfas nv fHp srs gEl ~ ne
aHieis m me Standardization bl N Tvs AtN
NJ fuas 10 ocepf tteas hhss
M NV su NV, sssi M stfass ~ Nnss sts
NuHid Hsss HN feeship NJ tessfd ~ Hnif e0n
sssssuav A. sp4 efsi men NJ NTfea 'afte
an me NJ fbsss VIA hoid ~ thai pfope.
NiieH snd heIsve that sht ltw ehlfh d"sshei
fssffisf naturalization Nv fhsf eissa ~ Shteh
Ssuid add st itsss ~ shfef ann snd
SuHlvfts M fnhne tsHdG fslis ~ hen'set
0uf reufffv Ard Ne uavefH fuehi ~ ~ rHthi
~ from me dsn sofs NJ m iWlegsts hohs
tnetsh speattna citizenship Tho tHl ~
hofhtHa mrfe Than = fshipTftstnf HiatsshiN
~ N fetAiNs and 10 hssed ufHn ne Hfi eihsi
sffHf, Whst ths Constitution calls 'unifofff
iaSa ~ hatuffiga1iun. IN effNf thst would
N0t hHve 6eeuffcd n the aHfhdfa ~ me fnhs
dsmehtai Law could htve f~ofsseen ma efeaf
ehaHfs that hsa taken plafa m ma naVtess
tlon N mo ssas ahles NJ htsh sfsed aad
enoffnous esracliv tfiheirs ~ NNr shores
thousands NJ i%rn0fsnt peasants ffofn The
aisVNtit COMMITTEES w could have f~0tesern
tho DEGRADATION NJ mo practical roli'trs "
Tho SNnaffv ihr existence NJ professional
politicians who utityr me Immigrants ard
tshe ehatss NJ Them M arrival snd see ~ "
that 'hsr Afs made voters and vho alsn
sne ~ n that they vote
II Ia ebnmon knowiedse mat when the
Consultation was adopted and out Governs
meht organized under n there weto but few
Immigrants. and they mostly Thaiiah ard
French and NJ anne degree NJ culture, ana
the population NJ Ill tho States vac Ices than
the present population ~ The cltv NJ Vow
Yorh therefore. an acquisition NJ citizens wae
not only desirable hut q necessity, and a
general naturalization law was not hazardous
az that time Had the esrly Congress fore.
seen the present condition Il would not have
exercised its discretionary power "a II did,
nv %enactinR a uniform naturalization law
hut would have made fitness = basls ~ con-
ferred citizenship and enacted instead dis
cretlonary laws
That tho present Congress, acting In the
full light Of existing conditions. both Of immi.
grafton and Of the fraudulent uses made 81
naturallzed citizens NJ the polls, should have
retained In the present bill the original error
Ia lncomprehenslble upon any other theory
than that the crime has existed so long and
the power Of the naturalized vote has srown
il, have not the courage 70 exterminate y,
root and branch. and. thereby restore oiti-
zenship to its proper dignity and relieve the
votes. What this Congress should have done
was not only TO repeal the existing naturaii;
n make c isT SSI e The eP nsSaf Sin Si BENEFITS ,nSa "o con-.
o.. industries by men q foreign birth. Ger
under a general law, but by speoial, acts OF
Con gress, In much the same manner that spe-
cis sos tensions : cn,d ARE Sr Hnnld clear the political
parties Thousands, Of native citizens OF intel
ligence who have been driven from the ballot
box by the existence Of the multiplying votes
Of naturallzed ignorance, and would drive
the vote lending "P 'bR,nr out ol sns'1 Ths
President concluded his Muck Rake" speech
with these wise words;
The foundation stone Of national llte Is; and must
ever be, the high Individual character OF the aver
age citizen.
Have We found In the ignorant naturalized
citizens heretofore. or can we expect 70 mig
IN th nGdr class sh OF citizens b heTe@ cnes t ntes h htRe
foundation stone Of national life?
In his. Decoration Day speech the Presi-
dent said:
In the last analysis II Is the man behind the ballot
who counts most In civic HE.
Is the ignorant Slav immigrant. who can
not read or write his native Language, much
less lds,t the sd EnSSlis n1a lsns sbsSind che ,b maF bs ths Pr fsr
the insurance OF good laws and an intelligent
administ ration of them? In the same Deco
ration Day speech the President said:
steadily In mind the fact that II In the last resort
the real power is his, 50 In the last resort The real
one else the responsibility for our Governments
shortcomings.
What manner OF man does that paragraph
contem plate? Can he be found in the igno-
Tdlil u IL nplI NHs opol
such a creature that great responsibility, OF
which he has no more comprehension than
man has of the origin OF matter?
The truth Is that conditions have become
such that our legislators dare not anita goniZe
the ignorant vote; 1t is public opinion that
many OF them hold their places by the potency
of that vote, which suggests tnat the only
way to remedy the evil would be by a refer
endum vote OF the people.
Respecting the provisions OF the Dill, l viii
comment upon but one section. The fourth
line in the second subdivision OF section I
citizenship must be signed in the applicants
handwriting" Had the words in the. pres
ence of the court" been inserted Immediately
after the word Handwriting" the effect of
that condition would have been almost as
efficacious in stopping indiscriminate natu-
for not one in a hundred of them can write
their own names. and therefore they would
not make application knowing that there
was a requirement they could not comply
with. AS the law stands the name will
be written and sworn TO with .impunity, as
the court has no discretion and must accept
the oath as true.
OF course there will be no more legislation
on this subject until extraordinary influences
arise 70 compel IL. That influence may, and
probably will, arise from the activity OF a
new society or order that Is being organized
Citizenship, the object of whose labors will
be. to see that a Congress is elected that will
rid the country of the curse OF the uniform
natura lization laws" and the enactment of
laws that will confer the dignity Of citizen-
ship and the power OF the ballot only on men
who can appreciate such h hen rs at T. th hi true
and auxiliary clubs will be esta blished in every
county sent in the United States.
NEW YORK, June Is. ALBERT GRANGER.