The Washington herald., 1909-03-07
" From VaSSaIage to Freedom"
Converting Aliens Into Citizens

That Pittsburg-huge. seethihg mass OF
energy that It isis down on Uncle sam $
administrative map as the headquarters,
and one Of the most important headquar-
tiers. OF that most interesting Of all en-
franchising processes-the one by which
men Of foreign birth. born subjects TO
kings and emperors. are nodded into free
American citizens-seems fact unknown
except 10 the comparatively few ex-im-
migrants who come into contact with the
process. says the Pitssburg Dispatch.
But the methods used 10 transform a
kings subject in.o one OF our own -'fel-
low-citizens" is NOS at all lacking in in
terest 10 those who WeIF DOrn into the
real purple OF traditional liberty and who
never knew what It was to land almost
penniless On a foreign shore and to walk
J as an alien. for the first time on the
land which you mean 20 adopt as your
own, but which receives you coldlv and
without the welcoming shower OF gold
dollars you were taught TO expect when
dreaming OF that earthly paradise. Amer
/ lea, in your dark-as-night room IN a pow
erty-stricken sIum Of 4 pitiless European
/ city or, II you spring from the soil. in
your humble hovel Of mud and sod set in
I the bleak landscape Of a barren land.
But Plttsburg's place IN the scheme OF
naturalizing foreigners is a most fmpor-
lant one. The naturalization bureau on
iHe fourth floor Of the Federal Building
/ IS one OF the busiest Offices in that center
OF activity which contains the p0st-ofice.
/ ana the Held OF its work Is a tremen-
oousiy wide one Filing cases Of great
iScapaclty in the Office have in them rec
/ oros OF foreigners whose naturalizina, is
! not yet completed by the thousands. and
] these cases originate in many great cities.
/ smaller towns, and country districts OF
/ pennsylvania, Western New York. Ohio.
I West Virginia, and Western Maryland.
for Pittsburg Is the headquarters O. all
naturalization affairs OF those States and
/ parts Of States.
Making American Citizens.
Rather a big work 20 be going on con
tinually. even In this metropolis or work
that is Wen accustomed 10 big things
done on a large scale and pass almost
unnoticed. isn't II? But whether the pub
lie Is aware Of Il or not, the work IS go
ing on and 20 good effect Il has been
going on for several years now. and its
fun fruit is found IN the fact that the
standard OF the f0reign-born voting popu-
lation is being raised 10 an extent con-
/ sidered beyond the bounds OF possibility
! before the law which increased the. pow
ers of the bureau Of naturalization and
made it q really effective wing Of the na-
| tonal Department OF Justice went into
| effect only a few years ago
one OF the Pittsburg members OF the
naturalization forces states positively
f. that the standard has been raised easily
. per cent. but that the improvement IN
I the caliber Cf the foreigners who are
| becoming American citizens is probably
Just as near 80 per cent as Il Is . over
} former conditions. At any rate, the pres
I ent system has done much 10 keep out
the grossly ignorant foreigner from shar-
ing in all the privileges oS American citi-
zenship and TO let in only the man capable
/ Of appreciating his new status and OF be-
coming a self-respecting citizen. with
ability 10 make a clean, honest living
F., IN the land Of HIS adoption.
Field Is Extensive.
one hundred and seventy-hve courts are
/ included in the territory Of the Federal
/ Building naturalization Office. and several
cities OF first Importance are included ir
the scope Of its operations. In PennsyI-
vania its field is co-extensive with that Of
the United States Court for the Western
district Of Pennsylvania. in New York
with that Of the United States Court fol
the Western district In Maryland the
western part OF the State IS covered also
but IN both Ohio and West Virginia the
/ Pittsburg Office has jurisdiction over al
| the State
] In the smaller cities the Courts OF Com
mon Pleas. or the county courts. called in
New York State the Supreme Courts
have jurisdiction in naturalization cases
and the clerk OF county courts has the
/ power 10 I'll out papers, and the county
! judges may convert the foreign-b0rn into
/ American citizens or dismiss their cases
/ as the evidence directs. But IN Pitts
burg and the other large cities of the
district in which United States District
/ Courts sit the case is different In these
/ the United States commissioners receive
/ applications and the judge OF the District
/ Court has the final word that admits the
| applicant or leaves him out in the cold.
] There are IN the whole Of the United
| States but eleven naturalization districts
That one with headquarters In Pittsburg