The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1910-09-23
Want THEM GOOD
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LOOK
ING UP RECORDS OF CIT
iZENS BY ADOPTION
WEED OUT UNDESIRABLES
The Alien Who is Seeking to Become
q Citizen Of the United States
must show he is worthy
in Every Particular

Sioux Falls-W. V. Kasper, inspector
nj the naturalization department Of
the government, is in Sioux Fails,
making inspection Of the natura liza
ton records at the office of the clerk
of courts of this county and of the
clerk of the federal courts, for the
purpose of gathering information upon
which he may base an investigation
into the claims of the men, who
since the last investigation, have de-
clared their intention to become citi-
zens of the United States and have re-
ceived first papers.
It may be that the general public
has an impression that all there Is to
this matter of becoming a citizen OF
the United States, is to declare your
intention so to do and then go ahead
and become one, by waiting five years
for the second or final papers.
But this is a mistake. The United
States does not stop its investigation,
with the inquiries made Of the appli
cant, by the clerks Of courts or other
official who issues the first papers.
The United States wants to know
just how worthy man is, before she
admits him to the blessings of citizen
ship in this nation and for that pur-
pose she sends out inspectors who go
to the records and get the names OF
the applicants and then seeks out the
applicant and his history. and learns
what his standing Is before the law
and in the community in which he
resides.
A reporter for The Press interview
ed Mr. Kasper yesterday afternoon,
and learned something about this in
vestigation.
"There are certain conditions under
which the government will not issue
to an applicant for full citizenship,
his second papers," said Mr.. Kaspar,
"and it is my business to learn wheth-
er or not any of those conditions ex-
ist
''If a man has been convicted of any
crime or Of drunkenness in any court,
it may be considered sufficient reason
for denying his application for citi-
zenship.
.If an applicant fails to support his
family. he may also be denied final
papers and never become citizen OF
this nation.
"If he is man of immoral char
acter. and that kind of record stands
aginst him, the government refuses
to make him a citizen
.If he is entirely illiterate and
knows nothing about the form OF gov
ernment of the United States, he will
never secure the boon of Citizenship
A man must be able to write his own
name legiblv and speak the English
language so that he may be clearly un-
derstood, before he gets into our
class
"And another feature Of this exam
nation and investigation has to DC
with the witnesses who make afilda'
Wits for the applicant, when he de-
clares his intention.
"These witnesses must be of goot
moral character and must be citizens
of the United States. If either one
of them has ever been convicted OF
crime. he is not qualified to act as
witness for his friend. And the wit
/ nesses must have known the appl1
\ cant for five years continuously, be-
! fore he is a com petent witness.
"The United States throws every
4 safeguard around the citizens OF tins
country, in admitting new citizens
The applicant for naturalization find:
that to be true, in case he loses his
papers. He has the gretest difficulty
in securing duplicates of them and II
applying for duplicates, he must pro
duce conclusive evidence under oatf
where and when and how he los
them.
'In short the man who wants TO be
come a citizen of the United States
through the process of naturalization
must be acceptable from every posi-
BILE point Of view and the government
takes every precaution to see that
is not imposed upon in that particu
lar.