The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-07
GREAT HUMANIZING
FORCE DEVELOPED
Routine Governmental Agency Trans
formed by Linking the Public
Schools with the Depart
ment of Labor.


Washington, D. c., D"o--7.--The annual
report of Commissioner Richard X.
Campbell, of the bureau of naturaliza-
ton, to the secretary of labor, for the
last fiscal year shows how a routine gov
ernmental agency has been transformed
into a great humanizing force. This has
been accomplished by linking together
i those state Americanizing agencies, the
public schools of the entire country with
the department of labor, through its nat.
Iuraization bureau in the definite and
concentrated action of helping our for
eign friends qualify upon higher stand
ard OF admission TO American citizen
ship.
! The most striking feature of this con-
structive and humanitarian work is the
startling fact that all OF this departure
and expansion has been accomplished
without taking an additional money
! from the Golfers of the United States
/ treasury This ia indeed injecting the
/ most modern business methods OF mon
ey saving. if not money making, into
governmental operation in the place OF
! the proverbial high cost 81 operation due
/ to the red tape usually supposed to be
iunwound by the agents of Uncle sam.
Indeed this bureau of naturalization, by
reason of its high efficiency and measures
iof economy, has turned an otherwise
costly system Of administration into a
revenue producing machine,
| In 1908 when portion of this bureaus
activities were conducted by another de-
partment the cost ran more than 5000
above the naturalization fees collected,
! but since all OF the affairs looking to
making citizens have been turned over
/ to this bureau of the department Of la
/ Dor there has been an annual average Of
/ over S65 00o in fees in excess of all cost
/ of maintenance. This bureau is not sup
ported from the general taxes collected
by the government Indeed. the citizens
4 of the United States do not bear one
cent OF the expense Of this governmental
agency. 1t is all paid for by the foreign
/ er who is admitted to citizenship. In
other words from the S. paid by each
/ foreigner for a good administration OF
/ the naturalization law, all of the ex,
lpenses OF his Americanization are paid
/ ana over $4,000, on an average, has been
turned into Uncle Sans pocketbook ev.
cry year
To confer the title of citizenship le
gally upon our foreign friends is no diff
iculty at all as shown by the wholesale
method which prevailed before the gov.
eminent became a citizen maker. Now
with the linking together OF the public
schools the old order has ceased TO exist
and the three greatest Americanizlng
forces have joined together in seeing that
citizenship is kept clean and the title
conferred in such manner that any Amer
lean may have a sense Of pride when a
lnaturali2ed citizen is referred TO instead
! of one of shame, as heretofore. These
three agencies are the federal and state
courts throughout 2,345 counties in ey.
cry state in the Union, and Alaska and
/ Hawaii, the federal government and the
public schools. In every state in the I'm
ion these courts have worked hand in
hand with the federal government for
ten years but during the last two years
the people have been brought into the
support of this la, through the third
element, the peoples public schools.
Last year every superintendent of
schools in every city and town OF $500
population and over was appealed to by
the naturalization bureau to join this
nation wide AmericaniZation movement
Favorable responses came from every
state in the Union expressive of de
sire TO cooperate. Six hundred and thr
teen cities and towns opened the dooL>
of the public schools To the foreign born
friend in order that the names of all the
candidates for citizenship and their wives
might be sent to them by the bureau OF
naturalization. In this way the schools
and the candidates for citizenship were
/ introduced to each other. At the same
time the bureau sent a letter TO the can
ididate and his wife urging them to learn
1 American English, better their condi'
ton, and to establish an American home
through this distinctly American institu-
ton, the public school, and to go to the
school nearest their home Nearly a
quarter of a million foreigners were APP
preached in this way by Uncle Sam.
1 The helping hand was extended for the
\ first time and is a>:ll held out with a
beckoning wave. to the millions who are
seeking citizenship who came to this
country with dreams of betterment of
i their condition. The United States gov
eminent has expressed a personal in
terest in every one OF these in the let
| ters sent to the candidate and their
wives.
The prospects are that over a thous-
and cities will have joined these con
stantly increasing ranks before the end
OF the current fiscal year in carrying for
ward this great work. With the end of
November approximately eight hundred
and fifty cities and towns had already
enlisted.
During the past year there were filed
207 ,935 declarations Of intention, los 900
petitions for naturalization. and 93,9ll
certificates were issued by the courts.
All told these figures approximately l5O,-
coo. representing the wives Of the candi-
dates for citizenship, and the result il an
imposing army OF half million or more
marching through the bureau Of naturali-
zation toward the goal Of its ambition
In addition to ihe administrative Of
flee maintained 10 Washington. the bu-
rcsu's field service, covering every state