The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-18
OUR CITIZENSHIP.
Does THIS Republic Try to "Force" II
Upon Unwilling Aliens?

To THE EDITOR OF THE suN-sir: With
regard TO the "Ammi Wright" letter and
more especially to the m IL has
evoked. will you permit me to make a
few remarks which I will try to make as
inoffensive as possible? The tenor OF the
letters is summed up in that Of IL" who
a The representatives OF those ma
tons among US who do no
consider this country worthy OF their al
legiance through naturalization should
vamose."
I an an Engiishman and have lived In
this country nearly twenty-five years.
for a considerable part Of which l was
on the stan OF one Of your largest en-
cheering companies AL my salary was
spent in and therefore was benefting
this country. presumably. as corpora
tons are not credited with souls. II I
vas getting $4,000 a ear I was max
ing $1,000 for the company. that ex-
ira $4,000 which represented my value
to the company was also being spent
here and benefting the country. More
over. I got money from home this too
was spent here. I married here. l OBJ
served all your laws, ordinances and
even local customs, some OF which
seemed to me supererogatory. but I did
not want to give offence by ootruding
my foreign views. especially in dis
cussing American politics. OF which. as
l was not ar American. I did not con
slider myself a competent Judge. To
all intents and purposes in my mode OF
living there was no difference etwee
me and my American neighbors except
tina they had the vote and I had not.
And yet I am one Of those who ought
TO "yamose" because I have not been
naturalixed
II seems 70 me that this attitude OF
mind on the part OF so many Ameri-
can Is extraordinarily provincial and
narrow. To begin with. I hould imag-
me that an American would consider Il
an impertnencs on my part rather
than a point in my favor II. after a
year or two OF residence here. | were to
presume 10 assist In the decision OF
purely American issues by casting a
comparatively ignorant vote. II this Is
50. then my duty TO become naturaliZed
would depend on my years OF residence
combined with my capacity for sssimi-
lat!ng the American view point. Aga!n.
! have met in Cuba. Venezuela, Peru.
Chile. for example. 20 say nothing OF
Europe, Americans whose business In
tereets have kept them there from Ave
10 twenty-five years. Would any
American Uphold the proposition that
NV VI@HA ~ bNNpAlH' 'b'aAH WIN
zuelan. Peruvian or Chilean citizens?
E~mphatically not, for when some %
your notable citizens have exchanged
their nationality even for that OF one OF
the great nations I have never heard
anything but sneering condemnation Of
their action. Then what Is sauce FOR
the goose - not sauce for the gander''
and the rule only works one way
But IL an American has the right 10 con-
s.der his own citizenship far above
that % any other nation. Is re too mar
row TO concede to others the same
right
As 20 the stock argument that the
alien enjoys the protection OF Amer.-
can laws. &C. his really amounts TO
nothing. for in these days OF interna-
tional comfy every citizen OF every
civilized country enjoys those rights II
he happens to be s%ojourning in any one
ot them. II Is merely a matter OF give
and take the American in England en-
Joys Just the sane protection. but
whether he lives there one week or
twenty years. he will not and anybody
Insisting that he ought to become a
naturallned Eng,ishman.
And this brings me 20 the final point
which. for all my twenty-five years
residence here. continues 70 b. a mys-
terry 20 ne. II YOU are 10 proud OF your
citizenship. why are you always trying
20 force Il upon other people From
my crude English point OF view. ~
were an American I should consider II
ar honor TO be humbly sued for by ar
alien ard TO be granted only on proof
Of fitness and due appreciation OF the
favor conferred. I should not cheaper
Il by treating Il like a patent medicine
which. as u has proved OF ine-timab,s
value TO myself. 7 therefore insist that
all my friends should t-y and become
reserttul II they decline.
J. AcroS LoMAx.
NEW YORK, August u.