The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-10-31
TRAINING FOR CITIZENSHIP.

EAGsaL4Is the STANDARDS Oh
ship Is t:e task which the bureau OF
naturalization In the department OF
commerce at Washington has taken
upon itself. The effect OF the cam
paign is being felt In every part OF
the union where there is an alien born
population. says the Quincy Herald.
In the eight aud three-fourths
years in which there has been feder-
al supervision Of the naturalization
laws almost $500 900 foreigners asked
for citizenship. Three hundred and
fifty thousand declared their tnten-
tons last year alone. or the $500
900, $4,000 have been denied, while fin
al papers have been issued to CSC, 900
applicants. The other cases are
pending.
But the issuance OF final papers to
$4,000 means the creation Of many
more citizens than that. The naturaif-
zation OF the father also carries with
it the naturalization Of the minor chill
dren. Immigrant families are not
small. The census of 1910 showed
nearly 100000 foreigners in this
country and nearly a million a year
have been. added since. OF the A.
600 900 in 1910, 100000 were not citi-
zens.
Time was when citizenship was
easy to obtain. Courts, in the periods
preceding elections, were transformed
into yeritabel naturalization mills.
A change has come. Back in 1905
the naturalization Of aliens had be-
come little short of national scan.
DIAL The president thereupon APP
pointed a commission to draft a law
designed to cure the existing evils.
Richard K. Campbell, the attorney for
the immigration bureau in the depart.
rnent Of commerce and labor was a
member The Law was enacted by
congress In 1906. and is the naturali-
zation law of today. The division OF
naturalization. with Mr. Campbell at
it's head. was created.
Federal supervision Immediately
produced uniformity of practice, and
results were shown almost at once in
keeping out OF citizenship the undesir
able and those who could not clearly
prove their fitness, so far as the tests
prescribed by the law were concerned.
But this was not enough. To quote
from recent publication by the bu-
reau of naturalization:
THE making Of a citizen. in SO far
as the requirements Of the law are
concerned. is no difficult matter, but
10 make a citizen in spirit sympathy
and loyalty, one imbued with all OF
the essentials Of love Of country, is
vastly different matter"
Secretary Wilson Of the depart
ment Of labor. a man who had to
train himself IN citizenship. Is the
first secretary we have had to see
how vital part the element of train
ing plays in the making OF good citi-
zen" said Commissioner Campbell. In
discussing the new campaign
ITO my delight he suggested that
we take MP this matter OF training.
Hence our Iabors IN getting in touch
with the state aand county superin-
tendentS Of public ingfruction through
out the country. and with the various
benevolent and patriotic societies
that are working 10 the same end, all
with a view OF securing for the po-
tentiai citizen OF alien birth that pre-
lfrrinary education and training es-
sential to good citizenship.
The response that has come. the
earnest manner in which the Judges
OF the courts are cooperating and the
wholesome results already apparent
are most gratifying.
"The practical immediate purpose
on our part r. 10 furnish to the edu-
Gators lists Of all aliens within Their
respective districts who are contem-
plating becoming American citizens.
"If this bureau IS OF any use to
the nation at all II can be OF no
greate- use than in insuring that
when a man rs admitted TO citizen
ship he knows what citizenship 10
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