The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-26
REORGANIZATION
drive SWEEPING
entire COUNTRY
Hundreds of Thousands of
Adult Foreigners Attend
ing Schools.

Washington. Feb. 26-There is 9
great characterization drive on al
over the country. Hundreds of thou
sands of the adult foreign born of the
United States, who are candidates fOr
citizenship, are attending public night
school this winter in large numbers
and over a broader territory. thar
ever before. The reason is their de
sire to learn the English language
and obtain a knowledge of American
institutions and Government so that
they may be qualified to enjoy the
privileges as well as assume the dut-
les and responsibilities of citizenship
when acquired.
The public school authorities of APP
proximately 1,40O cities and towns in
every State in the Union working in
close cooperation with the Bureau of
Naturalization Of the U. S. Depart
ment of Labor, are now maintaining
night classes for the benefit Of their
adult foreign born residents The
number Of schools and the attendance
have grown far beyond the expecta-
tons of the most optimistic and this
patriotic movement is now. generally
regarded as one of the great saving
forces of American National life.
This surprising growth has been
due largely to a series of mass meet
ings, proposed by the Bureau Of Natu-
radiation, for thel purpose of stimu
lating the interest of the candidates
for citizenship in the citizenship
classes conducted in the public schools
throughout the United States. These
meetings have been arranged by the
L of
| merce. municipal officials and various
| orga nizations and have had the cor
dial support of applicants for citizen
ship, the local resident foreign body
and leaders of the various racial as
sociations.> The results have been far
i reaching. Candidates for citizenship
| now know that they have real friend
! in the Federal Government and that
their exploitation for pecuniary OF
political benefit is a thing of the past.
In addition to this, discussions at
these meetings focused the attention
of powerful commercial, labor and
patriotic organizations throughout
the country on the vital importance of
alien instruction and closer Federal
supervision Of the naturalization law.
Evidence of this is seen in the reso-
lutions they have forwarded to- mem
bers of the United States Senate and
House Of Representatives favoring the
use Of all fees received by the Gov
eminent in naturalization matters for
the education Of the alien population
of the country. These resolutions
closely followed the information, that
since the Bureau of Naturalization
received from Congress few years
ago, the sole control of naturalization
matters, there has been an annual
average of over $4,000 in excess of
all cost of maintenance. The citizens
of the United States do not bear one
cent Of the expense of this govern
mental agency. It is all borne by the
foreigner, who applies for citizenship.
In other words, from the IS paid by
each foreigner for a good administra-
ton Of the naturalization law, all of
the expenses Of the naturalization of
over 100000 annually are paid, and
over $4,000, on an average, is turned
Il into Uncle Sans pocket book every
year.
The activities of the Bureau Of Ma
turalization show how a routine gov
ernmental agency has been trans
formed into a great humanizing
force. This has been accomplished by
linking together those important
agencies, the Federal and State
courts, the Federal Government and
the State public schols. The work of
this Bureau now stands for more than
naturalization, as the term is general
ly understood. It represents Ameri-
canism in it's truest sense. 1t cordial
ly welcomes and brings into the ma
tional family foreign friends fully
qualified, through public school in
struction, for the proud title of citi-
zenship.