Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-01
CITIZENSHIP 100 EASY
New Chief OF Immigration Says
Naturalization Reform is
Walking OH Clutches
NO MONEY TO EMPLOY HELP
Scheme Proposed to Hurry Pension
Work by Bunching lt-senate to Be
Prodded-President Posted on Canal
Washington News Of General
Interest.
Interest.

Interest.
Washington. Nov. Naturalization
reform is walking with clutches, so 10
speak, according to the view OF Rlcn-
ard X. Campbell, chief of the new
division of naturalization. The COM
nrehensive program mapped out IN
1905 is being only partially carried
out. because Of the congressional view
of economy. Citizenship petitions, filed
in accordance with the new law In
every part of the country, are allowed
to go unexamined, in very large pro-
portion. The natural effect of this
loose method, according to naturaliza-
ton officials, Is to render very much
less effective the reform contemplated
when congress enacted the new law.
The administration of the naturaliza-
ton laws Is no-' In a peculiar mix-up.
The respon .pility Is divided between
the department Of justice and the bu-
reau Of immigration and naturalization.
department Of commerce and labor. IL
was contemplated that the department
of justice should have a hand in the
legal side Of the laws administration,
as the cases came up In court. The
opinion Of Attorney General Bonaparte
was that many district attorneys would
be unable to look after the naturaliza-
ton business. in addition to their regu-
lar work. and so he secured from con-
gress last winter an appropriation OF
100000. This amount was to be ex-
pended according to the understanding
of naturalization officials. for the en-
ployment Of lawyers to appea, for the
government In contested cases.
1t was part OF the plan that the d.
vision Of naturalization should also en-
ploy examiners, who would assist the
lawyers in the preparation Of their
cases. They were to scrutiniZe every
they were to make sure, by careful and
they We're to make sure by careful in
vestigation, whether such candidate
was fit for citizenship. But congress
refused a separate appropriation for
these examiners.
Officials here say that experience has
shown the necessity for examiners, and
1t Is planned to ask congress for the
money at the coming session. The de-
partment of justice has found itself
unable to proceed without the help Of
examiners. and so 1t has taken part of
It's 100000 for the employment OF
men who scrutinize petitions and as
sist in the preparation Of cases against
doubtful aliens. The men so en-
ployed have been able to examine only
a very small proportion of the petit
tons filed. The rest have slipped thru
the courts in the same old way. Mean
while no one quite knows who is the
boss Of these examiners.
Nominaly the department Of justice
has control of them. But that ar
rangement cuts off one of the
chief purposes of the division of
naturalization, and the department nf
justice has partially smoothed things
ever by freely consulting the natural
ization officials. 1t is understood,
however, that the attorney general will
advise congress next winter that the
examiners ought to be placed in the
division of naturalization.
OF course, conscientious congress-
men are always careful about increas-
ing expense by establishing a new
branch Of government activity, and to
this caution the division of naturali-
Zation doubtless owes some of it's OPP
position. The question appears to
have been whether examiners were abb
solutely necessary. The law provides
that the government may be represent
ed by counsel in each case, and that
each witness in citizenship case may
be cross examined. This enables the
government lawyers to have hand in
court at any time. The argument for
examiners is that the lawyers have
nothing to work upon, unless the facts
in each case are known to them. Were
they to cross-examine all witnesses
and all applicants without any fore
they would, it is claimed,
not only accomplish almost nothing,
but they would seriously interfere with
the other business of the courts.
With a complete system Of examin-
alton, it is contemplated that the gov
eminent lawyers would appear in court
only when an alien was regarded with
suspicion. 1t is estimated that the
number of examiners required for the
entire country would reach sixty or
seventy, but it is admitted that this
is very rough estimate.
Robert H. Farrar of Wahpeton, N.
D., clerk to the senate committee on
pensions, is preparing to spring new
suggestion on the staid United States
senate. He believes that that body
wastes a whole lot Of time in the ag-
gregate in a session of congress in
passing individual pension bills. He be-
lieves that much time can be saved by
passing an omnibus bill, containing all
the bills introduced by the individual
senators and acted upon by the COM
mittee during each week Of the ses-
sion.
II believe that I have a good idea,"
said Farrar ut will save not onlv
time but money. 1t takes the senate
an hour or two each week to pass the
pension bills on the calendar. Under
my plan these bills could all be dis
posed of in less than half an hour in
one measure.
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