Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1915-09-17

the administration Of the naturalization law It
is safe to state that although $4,000 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
ciencies during the period of federal supervision
The courts have been reluctant to refuse citizen
ship to a candidate, though he be ignorant
or our institutions 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 has tried out for years and with sue
cess in various localities throughout the country
There is scarcely state in the whole country
that does not now have citizenship classes car
ried 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
nualy, no cognizance had been given this i'm
portant proceeding by the general public, NUM-
cipal offcialdom. public school or other authori-
ties until brought to their attention by the repre-
sentatives of the bureau of naturalization. This
GERS, brought to the attention of the mayor of
the city of Philadelphia last winter the fact that
about 1000 petitions for naturalization would be
heard during the spring months and as a result
of this approximately $500 new citizens would
be made at that time in the persons of the candi-
dates and their wives and children born abroad.
This resulted in the first reception extended hy
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, or who has just declared his inten.
tion 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
eigners 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-
ton who is an illiterate. 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 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. 1t 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 citizenship.
During the last year over $4,000 foreigners
declared their intention and petitoned for natural
ization. This is the highwater mark since fed
eral supervision The federal census records for
the United States show that the foreign popula-