Judsonia weekly advance., 1915-09-15

the administration of the naturalization law It is safe to state that although S5O00 foreigners have been refused citizenship because of mental and moral unfitness, at least that many have been admitted to citizenship, in spite of these def c1enc1es. during the period of federal supervision The courts have been reluctant to refuse citizen ship to a candidate, even though he be ignorant or our institutions or of the privileges conferred upon him. Especially Is this so where there are no facilities offered by the cities and towns where the petitioners live for overcoming these defects In many places the public schools have under the inspiration of the bureau of naturalization opened their doors to the foreigner and have taught him the duties of American citizenship and, in these places, the courts have readily re- sponded to the new order of things and refused citizenship unless the candidate could come up to the higher standard which has been brought about by the federal supervision This system the bureau mas tried out for years and with cess in various localities throughout the country There is scarcely state in the whole country that does not now have citizenship classes car r1ed on either by the public schools or under the direction of private agencies.
 In many localities where there are hundreds and indeed thousands of citizens admitted an- nually, no cogniZance had been given this im- portant proceeding by the general public muni cfpal oficialdom, public school or other authori- ties until brought to their attention by the repre- sentatives of the bureau of naturalization This was so evident that the bureau through it's off, cers, brought to the attention of the mayor of the city of Philadelphia, last winter the fact that about 4000 petitions for naturalization would be heard during the spring months and as a result or this, approximately $500 new citizens would De made at that time in the persons of the cand dates and their wives and children born abroad 1his resulted in the first reception extended by any municipality in the United States to it's citi- zens of foreign birth
 This reception was but one of the activities of the bureau of naturalization to bring to the atten ton Of the entire nation this most vital activity or citizenship. In the press of the day preceding the reception, there was published throughout the United States announcement of the nation wide movement for the education of the resident alien body through the candidates for citizenship
 Heretofore the activities of the schools have been directed almost wholly to the candidate for final papers, while the foreigner possessing his first papers, who has just declared his inten- t1on to become citizen at some future time, has been largely neglected. The bureau has recog- nized however, that there has been a constant and steady, though silent appeal coming annually from the hearts of hundreds of thousands of for egners holding first papers, for relief help and assistance to the attainment of their hopes and desires in this country
 The law permits an alien to declare his inten- tion who is terate In from two years to five he is eligible to petition for naturalization During that period while the United States holds the candidate to be on probation, it has done nothing heretofore to help his claim except in very meager way. The bureau of naturalization has been the only governmental agency which has extended to him the helping hand It has now arranged and perfected plans for the help- highland to be extended to the nearly half mil lion foreigners who each year ask for cftizenship
 During the last year over 335 000 foreigners declared their intention and pettioned for natural lzation. This is the highwater mark since fed eral supervision The federal census records for the United States show that the foreign popula