Our land = La Nostra terra. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 191?-1913, 1913-05-17
AN APPEAL TO COMMON SENSE
BY Louis N. HammerIine

{
the desirability of attracting immigra-
/ tion and converting the immig ,ants in.
/ to American citizens by the familiar
I process known as naturalization. Sec.
/ tion of Article | provides that Con-
gress shall have power to establish
an uniform Rule of Naturalization,
and laws for that purpose we have al
ways had, these laws being as liberal
as is consistent with sthe welfare of
the country and of the immigrant him
self. He can not be naturalized till he
has resided here FIVE years, and then
he must produce in court two witness
es who can testify to his good moral
character and his length of residence.
He must renuo once all allegiance to any
foreign government, must divest him
self of any title that he may have
borne, must declare that he is not in
any way opposed to organized govern
ment mot an anarchist) and must
swear allegiance to the United States.
The object of all this is to give the i'm
migrant time and opportunity to be-
come acquainted with or system of 60
vernment and the ways of our people,
and to make sure that be really wishes
to establish here his permanent home.
For the same reason extended, if be as
pires to office he can not be a member
of the House of Representative till
he has been seven years a citizen, nor
a Senator till he has been nine years a
citizen, In the Convention that fran.
ed the Constitution there was a propo-
sal to restrict all Office holding to ma
tive born citizens; but this was quick
ly dropped when attenti IN was called
to the fact that two of the most emf
nent men in the Convention itself -
Hamilton and Wilson, were born in
other lands. The restriction was then
made to apply only to the Presidency
and with that regulation we are not
aware that any one ever has found
fault
When we have thus welcomed the i'm
migrant and recorded his oath of alle-
glance, every consideration Of fair
dealing, civic courtesy and even policy
demands that we treat him unreserved-
Is and cordially as one of ourselves.
. Whenever we fail to DO so we approach
the level of the ignorant populace Of
Oriental countries who stigmatize all
strangers as foreign devils.
Since the founding of jamestown
and Plymouth an ever increasing tide
of immigration has set toward oul
shores from Europe, bringing excellent
material for the citizenship Of p repub
lie sturdy muscle for develop ng tbs
riches Of the earth, and same intellec
for giving character to the common
wealth. Genuine philanthropy unite
with the shrewdest policy in debating
liberal treatment Of such men and wo
men, giving them every opportunity t,
earn fair wage and live a clean anC
happy life With such treatment few
of them will ever wish to return
whence they came, few will fail tc
identify their in erests with ours, anc
their children will be the native borr
of the succeeding generation.
Sixty years. ago party was organic.
ed with the purpose of Withholding
everything possible from foreign borr
citizens, especially preventing then
from being elected tc an office. Like
many another craze before and since
- that movement had many adherenJs
and in one place and another showed
surprising strength; but after it hac
passed through one Presidential cam
pagn, in which it carried one State
with eight electoral votes, it quickly
died Of its own needlessness and there
were none so poor to do it reverence.
ANY such movement is bound to fai
and the spirit that dictates it must be
rebuked because it contravenes The
simple principle that he who accepts
the price must deliver the goods. WheI
the foreigner crosses three thousand
miles Of sea. reuounces allegiance tt
his native land. swears allegiance t,
the Republic and engages ia honest la
Dor he mas paid the full price Of citzci
ship with all its privileges, and to with
hold it from them wogld be mon
strous injustice. The Republic does 40
owe him a living. but il does owe hin
an opportunity TO make & living. Il
the hgnt OF these considerations, it il
humiHatug to our pride as honorabl
and enlightened Americans to find Ger
tain Of our newspapers protesting
sDeeringIy, against the emp.oymen
IN our manufactures Of foreign bon
labor, pauper labor and "unssiIl
cd labor. We are all unsbiied untl
We have an opportunity to acquire skill
r And as for paoper labor, there s II
such thing, and there can be no sue.
thing. a man that sabors aLd receive