The record., 1918-02-01
THE ALIEN SLAcKER
AFTER THE WAR

r. n. Dunn OF Occur d'Alene, |
judge of the district court of the !
Eighth Judicial District, which
includes Benewah county, ap-
peared in a Spokane paper Sun
day. 1t will be of especial inter
est i'm this section where a large !
number of aliens who have taken |
out their first papers are claim
ing exemption on the ground they |
are not citizens. The article fol-
lows:
am informed that a large per-
.centage Of young men who are Of |
military age and who have de-
clared their intention to become
.citizens of the United States are
claiming exemption from service !
in the army ON the ground that
they are aliens. Strictly speaking,
they are aliens, that is, in the
sense that they are not yet clti-
zens, but if their declaration of
intention were made in good faith
they are not i'm a proper sense
aliens, but American citizens lin
the making" They can not vote
i'm some of the states ON their
first papers, but they have begun
the legal process that they expect
finally To result in their becoming
full-hedged citizens of this re-
| public. One would naturally cX-
lpect such persons to hesitate be
! fore placing themselves i'm the
same class as those who have
never made a move toward United
States citizenship. 1t certainly
can not be successfully cOntended
that such persons are wholly
without moral obligations toward
the government which they have
chosen to adopt as their own.
But, even if they feel no moral
obligation toward this govern
ment at this time, we certainly
have reason to expect love for
their native land TO move them to
service, for most of these young
men probably come from cOun-
tries which are neutral is this
war, but which have suffered
greatly from German internation-
al outlawry. They have now an
opportunity to fight not only for
their adopted country, and it is
to be regretted that many of them
fail to appreciate the opportunity.
However, if considerations like
these do not move them there is
another more personal and self
ish about which some of these
young men, | am sure, have not
thought. Probably it Will not be
long before some of them will
appear in court asking to be
. clothed with the sovereign rights
and powers that belong to Amer
lean citizenship. We may be sure
this will happen after the war is
over, if not before. When this
does happen will not the cOuri
ask these young men where they
were while the United States was
at war; whether they volunteered
if not, whether they were drafted
and, if drafted, whether they
. claimed exemption? If they an
swer that they claimed eXemp-
, tios, will not the court desire tC
know upon what ground? Their
will come the humiliating confes-
q sion that young, ablebodied meI
who had started ON the road tC
American citizenship and who
were i'm every respect able to rem
b der military service to this cOun-
? try i'm its time of need had turned
their backs not only upon tn,
2 land of their adoption, but alsC
/ upon the land of their birth; tina
/ they had said in effect that tn,
T great questions of human libert,
{ and free government, with al
2 their attendant blessings, made
no appeal to them. If this dis
2 closure does not keep them from
obtaining their final papers
will at least make a record o
u which these gentlemen ought {,
be ashamed as long as they live
and one which they will hesitat,
= to hand down TO their posterity
They Will realize that when tn
. supreme test came to them the,
were not equal to it, They vii
realize that they have descended
e to the level of some of our able
d bodied native-born young mel
a who not only do not volunteer
'' but almost move heaven AM
}, earth to keep out of the draft
This is a great time for max
o ing records. Let us be sure W
+ make one of which we need no
hn q u mod