New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-05-30
TO SPEED CITIZEN MILL
amendment to adjudication Lac
Viii Help Bureaus.

Word was received in this city yesterday after
noon OF the passage In the Senate OF an amend
ment to the naturalization law of 1905 which 1t
is expected will do much to relieve the pressure
on the naturalization bureaus here and enable
them to catch UP in the work of making citizens
The present law has been in operation since sep
tember, 1906, and in that time the naturalization
bureaus, for lack of proper clerical assistance
have fallen so far behind that at present there
are So 900 persons waiting to receive their natural
ization papers At this rate it was estimated
IN five years there would have been 100000 persons
waiting for papers
To Arthur Won Briesen, well known lawyer ana
friend of President Roosevelt, is due in large
MEASURE the amendment passed yesterday. He
has a large practice in the federal courts IN this
city and the long line of men in front OF the
naturalization bureau in the federal building rang
ing from 800 LOCO some mornings atuac'eu
his attention He learned that whereas between
10000 and 10000 persons made application ior
naturalization papers each year, the bureau IN the
United States Circuit Court had been able 10 pre-
pare and give only 1000 first papers last year
Some men had to and stand in line SIX OF
seven times before they could get their papers
One man made thirteen visits the bureau before
he got his All this not the fault OF the
bureau but was because the law was so construed
that it. would not permit the hiring OF additional
clerks.
The original law read that any office taking in
decentralization fees to the amount of $500 a year
could retain $500 clerks, and that part OF all
moneys above 5000 could be returned by the
Secretary of the Treasury if needed for additional
clerk hire But the Controller of the Treasury
ruled that another law declared no money could
he maid ONT nv him unless il should be specifically
appropriated. So he refused TO allow any more
than 50 900 the maintenance OF the naturallza-
ton bureau In the Circuit Court although II TOOK
IN more than 5000 between June 80, 1906 and
June 80. 1907, and this year VIII nave taken III
about $1,000
With 5000 spend. John Lewis Donovan, Dep
uty Clerk of the United States Circuit Court. VINO
is In charge Of the naturalization bureau or that
court, has had two clerks under him UP 10 May
/; but the meagre appropriation having more than
run out one the clerks had to be transferred to
another department. Deputy Clerk Donovan and
two men able to make out about fifty papers
a day With only one assistant not more than ten
to twenty papers being made out
Last September Mr.. Briesen wrote to Presi-
dent Roosevelt describing the conditions. and AS
sistant Secretary Murray of the Department Of
Commerce and Labor detailed by Secretary
Straus to make d investigation. As d result Con
gresham Moore. of Texas. drew an amendment
t. the naturalization act which specifically ap-
propriates such parts of all moneys over 5000 re-
ceived as the secretary of the Department of Com
merCe and Labor may certify to be necessary for
additional clerks any particular bureau. This
bill passed the House on May 8. Senator billing
ham took the bill up in the Senate, but the Sen
ate COMMITTEES showed a disposition TO amend the
bill and the chances of its passage seemed dubious
on Thursday. Yesterday. however, Mr.. Won Brie-
sen received a dispatch that the bill had gone
through.
Deputy Clerk Donovan said last night he had
heard of the passage OF the bill and would apply
for authority to engage two additional clerks at
once With four work in the department
they might be able to get out many one
hundred papers a day. The fact that the law re
quires that the papers be copied consecutively by
number means that only record book can be
kept going. so that limits the number of papers
that can be put through in a given time. But it is
the opinion Deputy Clerk Donovan that the
amended law will result in the courts and
the United States District Court doing "A larger
naturalization business than they do now, which
will of course. relieve conditions. AS it is now
the Circuit Court does about two-thirds of the
business Under the conditions It may be
possible to make n mans first papers the same
day he makes application.