The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-09-17


consists in the work of making citizens out OF tn
raw material of the resident foreigner who ha
been coming to this country from all of the nation
of Europe ever since its discovery, and in vast an
increasing numbers during the past three genera
tions.
The making Of citizen, In far the require
ments or the law are concerned, is no difficult maj
ter, but to make citizen in spirit sympathy an
loyalty one imbued with all Of the essentials O
love Of country, is a vastly different matter. Fo
over century the nation quietly and PERSISTENT
slept upon this most important duty and pei
mitted anyone, even the most INSCRIPTIONS, to vic
late the naturalization laws and to add hundred
OF thousands annually to the enjoyment of the priv
feges OF the franchise, the holding Of Office, AM
all OF the other rights held In ancient Rome t
be sacred to the natural-born citizen.
Congress, however aroused by the report
Of the commissioners OF naturalization appointed
by the president and on June 90 1906, passed the
current naturalization law. BY this law all OF the
courts, both state and federal and the officials OF
these courts, in their ministerial relationship
placed under the supervision of the United States
government. This administrative authority rests
with the bureau of naturalization of the depart
ment of labor
With the creation Of this federal control all
OF the lawlessness ceased, except in sporadic
cases which arise because OF the ignorance of
some particular candidate for ctizenshipr his in.
born fear of the government and the law which
make him the prey of the unprnciped, willing
to win few dollars by quick rather than honest
methods.
Almost two and one-half millien foreigners have
asked for citizenship during the first eight and
threefourths years Of federal supervision of the
naturalization law. Almost one and three-quarters
million of these have declared their intention or
taken out their first papers. Something
threequarters Of million have asked for final
papers, and, OF these, about $50 900 have been ad-
mitted to citizenship during THAT time.
Dlir fha ma iOna hava hoo rdo
of $4,000 foreigners who have been refused ad-
mission to citizenship. Over one-haf Of these
have been denied because of mental and moral
unftness, The bureau has kept close supervi-
sion over this phase OF its work and as early as
1907, through its activities, the public mind was
directed to the necessity for providing some
means to enable these unfortunate candidates
from the vast foreign populace not only to
complish the act Of admission to citizenship, but
to equip them better to carry on the daily fight
for their livelihood. For 1t Is among these that
the fight for their existence is carried on under
the most adverse circumstances
While the above figures indicate large num-
Der among the foreign element of this country
coming forward for citizenship, the number does
not appear relatively very large when It is known
that in 1910 there were nearly 100000 foreign
ers in this country, that of this number 100000
were not citizens and that the foreign body has
been increased nearly 100000 annually since
then. BY far the larger portion of the foreign
residents or this country have retained their al
legiance to the sovereignty of their birth. Re-
cent reports in the public press have shown
many of these are ready to respond to the be-
hest OF these soveregnties. Il is well known that
large numbers returned Immediately upon the
call OF the country of their nativity, leaving the
ties, personal. family, industrial, and others
which have grown up in this country for the
stronger call Of allegiance to the foreign SOW
ereignty. This was the case prior to the great
war OF Europe, in the lesser wars among the Bal
kan states. Many have gone back to the old
countries who have declared their intention Some
OF these afterwards returned to this country and
presented themselves before the courts of citizen
ship for admission. Judges of the naturalization
courts have held that such absence from this
country in the armies and fighting under their
native allegiance broke the continuity OF resi-.
dence for naturalization purposes, and denied
their applications
Among the approximately 140OO,OOe foreign
alien residents. 1,650361 are classed as illiterate
These illiterates are the natural ppey OF the de-
signing and schemng foreigners and natives, as
well, at every turn They compel them TO pay
tribute, both in cash and blood. for every service
both real and imagined. and i'm the qualification
of their desires. however unscrupuous or un.
natural
For years this conditions has been studied bv
the bureau OF naturalization in it's application to