The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-01-24
glorious. 1t is burning Shame to dis
criminate against poker in this way.
PARTY NATURALIZATIONS.

The civic federation of Chicago,
while it agrees with the Purdy COM
mission as to the abuses of naturaliza-
ton, does not think it necessary to
confine citizen making to federal
courts. The facts adduced by the fed
Grafton are startling enough to make
reform a live issue 1t shows that in
Chicago between Oct. l and Nov. 5.
1900, first papers were granted to
10,449 applicants. This was an aver
age of fifty a day for all of the courts
if they did nothing else, but everybody
knows that the judges attended to
their other duties, and the making of
citizens was purely incidental
Citizens are usually made at night
sessions of the courts, where the grind
is incessant while it lasts, and where
the personal examination is perfume
tory. Professional witnesses are used
to a large extent. Political commit
tees deposit with the clerk of the
court lump sum to be drawn
against for the expense of naturali-
cation and the precinct workers go
out in search for aliens who may be
made citizens and partisans at the
same time. The worker" is sure to
a citizen and a member of the repub-
lican or democratic party, as the case
may be- If the alien is too sharp or
well-informed to swallow such a large
dose, his sense of gratitude to the
party which is paying his way into the
great family of voters is drawn upon.
Politicians realize that it is the first
vote that counts. The man who has
declared himself a member of politi-
cal party, even if he did so without
much knowledge of the party's princi-
pies, likes to indorse mis- own action.
The first vote so far fixes the political
status of many men that party man.
ayers take all kinds of ways to get it,
OiiO VI tAS SHScpSSl is 10 pay lot a
mans naturalization
The objection to it is obvious. TAX
ing the oath of allegiance to the Unit
ed States is a different act from de-
claring faith in the principles Or poll
cies of this or that political party To
mix them looks like making merchan-
disc Of citizenship
The national commission recon-
mended raising the naturalization fee
and requiring the applicant to produce
it personally in court.
The raising of the fee is a reform
measure of doubtful efficacy. Hun
dreds of applicants are really unable
to pay the present fees. To raise
them would put the men more firm
ly under the thumb of political COM
mittees. Moreover, it would give the
richest committees the MONOPOLY of
making citizens. The desired result
might be better attained by removing
the fees entirely and by instructing
the new citizen that he owed nothing
to anybody for his admission. The
federation recommends that the hurry
up night sessions of the courts for
naturalization be prohibited, that the
witness industry be broken up by linn
lting the number of cases in which one
person may testify to five in a single
term of court. Further, it is recon-
mended that all naturalizations be
made in open court in the regular
hours, when no other business is before
the court.
1t is to be observed that none of the
reform measures suggested show any
spirit of hostility toward aliens becom-
ing citizens They are all directed
against the applicant being brought
into citizenship under the surveillance
of political committees. Ii is a move
ment to guarantee his independence
as citizen and not to prevent his be-
coming SUCH