The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-09-24
AS|AT|CS SEEK
CITIZENSHIP AS
WHITE PERSONS
Federal Authorities Oppose Ma
turalizati0n of Turks and
Hindus or Mongolians
Santa Rosa Chicken Fancier
and Other Applicants Re-
ferred to District Court

Are Turks and Hindus to be classed
as free white persons and admitted
to citizenship, or do they come under
the head of Mongolians and as such
are barred from naturalization? And
does their increasing number of ap-
plications presage a new yellow peril
coming out of the orient?
These questions are seriously agitat-
ing the government naturalization bu-
reaus throughout the state and have
been rendered specially acute by the
unusually large and growing number
Of this type of oriental in the great
hop and grape growing districts.
The naturalization authorities main
tain that the law plainly excludes
every person of yellow origin. It re-
mains. however. for the courts to de-
eide just what constitutes a white
person. and on their decision rests the
fate of score of applicants in this
city, Fresno and Los Angeles.
Hindu's Petition Opposed
Following the action of the Los An
Heles authorities along similar lines a
fight is to be waged by the San Fran
cisco naturalization office against the
admission to citizenship of Turks and
Hindus on this coast on the ground
that they come within the provisions
of the law, just the same as Japanese
and Chinese.
The local case is that of Gus Shierno,
Hindu, whose petition for naturali-
zation is to come before the United
States district court here the first
Monday in October. Shierno is
chicken fancier and lives at Santa
Rosa. His notice of application for
citizenship was filed some time ago,
but all petitions of this nature must
be posted for 80 days before they can
be acted upon.
Peter w. Blazer, chief naturalization
examiner, declares no Turk, Hindu or
member of any so called yellow race
will be permitted the sanction of his
Office.
White Person or Negro
Blazer cites the opinion of RI K.
Campbell, chief of the division of ma
turalization at Washington. who was
one of the original commission that
framed the present naturalization law.
In a letter to his subordinates Camp
bell says the law expressly bars every
body except white person. and per-
sons of African descent. There Is no
distinction of races, but the simple
49,
Campbell to mean the European races
only In other words, he would bar
all Asiatics, whether Chinese, Japanese.
Turk or Hindu.
There is a possibility that Shierno
win not appear to press his claim to
arisen In the past wherein the appli-
cant. after filing his petition, realized
that his quest was hopeless.
Turkish Subjects Protest
In Los Angeles quite a mild sensa-
tion was raised by the application of
George S. Sheishin Turk, for citizen
ship. Attorney Fred Jones. examiner
for the government, contended that all
Turks should be excluded, as they are
Of the same stock as Mongolians. He
| says he bases his claim upon the eth
nological researches of Prof A. G.
Keene of London university. The
southern court reserved judgment.
Similar complications have arisen at
Fresno, where Matros Hagopian, an
Armenian, attempted to secure natur-
alization papers on the ground that he
was free white person and his peti-
tion was resisted. The petitioner in
sisted that he was not born a Turk,
that Armenia is a Christian nation and
that his allegiance to the Turkish
| throne had been given unwillingly. The
point raised put the case over until
| December.