Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-16
DUTY Of ALIENS
WHO LIVE IN i. S.
Their Obligations and Response
bilIties While We Are at War.
Detailed by u. S. Judge.
Nv Joseph Burlington. of Philadelphia,
Judge o. the Unite States Circuit
Court.


Court.
To-day there are IA, 5000 OF men
III America of foreign birth; there are H.
OoO.000 children of those of foreign birth.
\ census recently taken of plant in this
State shows 25oO0 workmen of foreign
birth OF these 10000 came from
C,nt'al L wer OF IN 10000, l,iO0
nrc naturalizcd citizens. THESE facts and
figures may starte those who do not
know the foreign born but to those of
us who know them they cause no alarm.
Almost n quarter of the foreign born
who come to the United States have
lattcrlv made PENNSYLVANIA their home.
William Penn WAS the first founder who
brought to his colony men of different
races These different races have helped
build up this State, they have bought
homes in if. have their children in our
schools and Pennsylvania knows the
foreign born, believes IN the foreign
born, and today We have l,5OO,0N OF
them among Us
RELIEVES IN ALIENS.
In the twenty-five years | have been a
United States Judge have been brought,
through these naturalization courts, INTO
,.losc touch with the foreign born, have
learned to understand them, have be
that when war faced us these foreign
born men would prove themselves Amer
leans
The crux is not the fact of the hyphen.
but whether the mans heart Is nj the
american end of the hvphcn
have signed the decrccs making thou
sands and thousands If them citizens,
and am always glad when one of them
comes to me and tells INC made hun
Il citizen In these ANXIOUS times, when
there are fears among our forcgn-born
ritlzcn~ Of mtcrnmCut or imprisonment
or some hardship, these men have been
corning to me for advice, and ! have
been able 10 help them. and. because
found it did help them | thought II
right that should Just now give gen
cral message Of cheer and counsel. Of
warning and advice. 70 our Pcnnsyl-
yania fnrclgn-horn people And SO !
have asked the district judge to let me
come into his court today and admit you
10 citizenship and am going, through
Nou to give a message 10 the thousands
and thousands Of the foreign born in
Pennsylvania
Will. INTERN HIMSELF
Ia tho first rlacc. want ~ sav that
| have made IL my duty to find out what
our government would III IN case Of war,
and whether il would follow the exam
plc II the nations abroad. and would
inte,nc men who had at ono time been
citizens Of countries at war with US
am glad To say 10 Nou that the govern
ment has no purpose 10 intern any men,
an that any man who Is lnterncd will
lptcrn himself by proving that the gov
clnmcnt ought to intern him. The gov
crnmcnt Is gong to start ont with trust
IN all vi hn
here. and there will he no intcrning or
de1rlVing any forcign-born man Of any
country Of his liberty 50 long as that
unan Is truly loyal 10 America.
And I want tc tell Won, further. that
orr government feels very strongly that
any .il-vill or had treatment Nv an
American citizen toward any foreign
born man simply because he was born in
y country with which America Is al
war would be 4 serious blot upon the
coed name Of America am glad to
give this assurance to our forclgn-born
people. and to let every man who does
no wrong To the government know that
the government VIII not imprson or
disturb him - much for the good
viii OF the government toward them.
WAR DIVIDING LINE.
And how about their goodwill toward
a further message Of caution and
friendly advice to those who NAV have
bad viii toward our government or
who arc listening TO bad advice, or who
Tor any reason are becoming dlsloyal
10 america, or turning their faces away
-irom her Ny advice to such men and
women IS To stop, l0nS, and listen before
they GO further. for IN times like these
such a course cannot tut lead 10 a sorry
end War IS the dividing line Remem-
bfr what was only foolish and unwisc
in word and deed las; week, in peace,
NAV he treason when war comes. Re
member. when war comes. no man can
serve two masters As Of old the mos
sage comes, Choose YOU tins day whom
We wll serve.
There Is no such thing as half treason
ANY treason Is ali treason. And let
no forcign-born man " ho IS today in the
United States comfort himself that, be-
cause he has not become a naturalized
citizen. he owes no allegiance to the
United States and that he cannot be
punished for treason to the United
States That l. not the case. and il is
we'll for Us all-whether native born
naturalIzed, or unnaturahzcd to under
stand Just where We each stand with
relation to the government In the crime
of treason
SELF PROTECTION, DUTY OF GOVERNMENT.
The highest duty OF any government is
self-protcction. Therefore treason against
a government, because II strikes at the life
Of the government, Is the highest form OF
crime Let me state TO you the law
J. Whoever, owing allegiance TO the
United States levIes war against them