The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-04-25
HIGHER GLASS
OF IMMIGRANTS
FOREIGNERS WILL BIZ EXAM.
INED IN FUTURE.
SMALLPOX ON THE DECLINE
Vaccination Said to Have the Upper
Hand Of the Disease Maximum
Tax Put on Coffee By French.

VoDAAuS las = result Oh uum-
Der Of conferences held recently be-
tween officials Of the Department of
Commerce and Labor and the Depart
ment Of Justice, plan has been de-
vised for securing proper examina-
ton Of aliens before certificates Of
naturalization are issued to them. It
looked at one time cs though the
good features of the new neutraliza-
ton law would be wholly neutralized
by the failure Of Congress to provide
funds to enable the government to
find out whether applicants for citi-
zenship were entitled to neutraliza-
ton certificates.
Part Of the plan to raise the stand
ard Of citizenship in the foreign ele-
ment was corps Of special examiners
to be stationed in all the large cities
for the purpose Of looking up tho
antecedents of prospective citizens.
These examiners were to utilize the
interval Of ninety days between the
fling Of the petition for naturahzs-
ton and the hearing on the petition
by finding out all about the charac-
ter and general qual1ncations OF the
alien. In all cases where the appli-
cant was found to be eligible for
citizenship the district attorney was
to offer no objection to the issuance
Of the certificate.
The corps Of special examiners was
to prepare the facts and evidence for
immediate use by the legal Offices
Of the government in cases where
petitioners failed to live up to the
requirements Of the naturalization
law, or where they were found to
be barred from citizenship by reason
of past misdemeanors. With this
evidence and the necessary witnesses
the district attorney could quickly
prove the disqualification Of petition
ers, and have their application reject
ed. It was estimated that perhaps
only 10 per cent Of the applications
would be found short Of the require
ments Of the law.
Chairman Tawney and the other
members of the House Committee on
appropriations took the view that
this was too small percentage TO
warrant the employment of corps
Of special examiners, and refused. to
grant the appropriation for the sup
port of the proposed detective force
The result Of the withholding Of this
fund has been considerable embar-
rassment and Generalization in the
naturalization bureau. The new law
provides for many reforms calculated
to improve the quality of citizens
obtained from the foreign element,
but leaves the authorities powerless
to enforce them, thereby greatly linn
iting the benefits Of the act.
This difficulty has been met by a
fortunate combination of forces on
the part of the Department of Com
merce and Labor and the Department
Of Justice. The latter department has
contingent fund which will provide
the necessary force of examiners to
pass upon the credentials Of petition
ers for citizenship.
This force is soon to be organized
in the various cities. Young lawyers
will be employed as United States
attorneys and assigned to the special
work Of looking up the records Of
aliens applying for citizenship. Until
this force is organized the Federal
authorities must content themselves
with finding out as best they can
whether or not the candidates for
naturalization are entitled to their
papers.