Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1915-11-16
NATURALIZATION
INFORMATION
A. H. Bode Of Des Moines, Completes
an Examination Of the Records
in Clerk sterling's
Office.
APPLICANTS ARE NEGLIGENT.
Many in This County Take Out First
Papers and Then go no
Further.

l +
Further.
United States naturalization ex
aminer, A. H.. Bodes Of Des Moines
who is assigned to this state as tn,
Representative Of the st. Louis nat
uralization district, has just com
pleted an examination Of the natur
alization records Of the Office Of ]
C. Sterling, clerk of the distric,
court of this county. He states thai
this inspection indicates consider.
able number Of the foreign-born res.
idents of the county, who as pre-.
liminary step to citizenship, filed
their declarations Of intention (com.
monty known as FIRST papers") and
have been negligent in their efforts
to complete their naturalization.
Under existing naturalization law
the life Of declaration Of intention
is limited to seven years, It being
required that petition for naturali-
cation Commonly known as second
papers'') be filed thereon not less
than two years, and not more than
seven years. following the date Of
execution of such declaration. This
fact is apparently not generally
known among those who in this
county have filed their declarations
Of intention, as already a very con-
siderable number Of such papers
have expired" or ''lapsed" by rea-
son Of this limitation. 1t will ac-
cordingly be necessary Tor the hold
ers Of such papers to fils new declar-
atoms, II they desire citizenship, and
delay at least two years thereafter
before being again eligible to petit
ton for naturalization,
An equally large number of dec
larations OF intention in the hands
o. the foreign born residents OF this
county, though still good, will new
ertheless become worthless In a very
short time, through the Limitation
placed by law on the life Of such pa
pers, unless the holders at once ex-
ercise their privilege Of petitionfng
for citizenship thereon. This mat
ter, being one Of great Importance to
the individuals concerned, should re-
ceive their immediate attention. The
district court at Webster City is the
court having naturalization jurisdic-
ton throughout this county. All
candidates for citizenship, as well as
for declarations OF intention, should
present themselves before the clerk
Of the said court, ]. G.. Sterling, at
his ONCE in the court house. He will
gladly render every assistance in his
power in these matters. The filing
fee for a petition for naturalization
is 81; for q declaration Of intention
81. *
Applications for citizenship, as
we'll as declarations Of intention,
may be fled at any time during the
office hours Of the clerk Of the court.
Many aliens labor under the impress
sion that they must file their papers
during the sessions Of the court. This
Is not the case, however. It is bet
ter to apply when the court is not
In session, as the clerk will then
have more time to assist candidates.
No time will be lost In pursuing this
course as ninety days must elapse in
any case following the filing of a pc
tition before It can be heard. this
period being given. the government
in which to investigate the charac-
ter, ETC., Of the candidate. and his
witnesses.
The matter Of citizenship is one
Of increasing Importance, particu-
larly where those of foreign birth
are concerned. For instance, in case
Of war between the United States
and foreign power the subjects of
that country resident in the United
States at the time, would under our
laws be debarred from naturaliza-
ton during the period Of such war.
Again, property, as we'll as civic
rights, depend very often wholly on
the citizenship status of the person
Tho children Of those
who are foreign-born are especially
as the naturalization OF
the parent confers citizenship upon
his minor children who may at the
time be dwelling within the United
States. An American woman who
an alien thereby becomes an
alien, and she is dependent upon her
husband becoming naturalized to re-
gain her citizenship. The laws OF the
United States, in the protection &C