Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-01-29
LETTER FROM u. S. MAR
SHAL FRANK O'CONNOR
Read it Carefully-If You Are an Alien
Go and Register Citizens knowing
Aliens Should Get Busy and Assist
in Making a Complete Registry.
(Western district of Wisconsin,
January 21, 1918
Madison. Wis.

January 21, 1918
Madison, Wis.
Dear Mr. Editor:
AS you doubtless know from the
press dispatches, the attorney general
has ordered the registration of all
natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects
of the German Empire or of the Ger
man Imperial government, being MAJ Is
of fourteen years of age or over who
are within the United States and are
not naturalized as American citizens.
This registration will be made by the
chief of police in all cities of five
thousand population or over and in all
other areas by the postmasters. The
registration will begin at six a. M,
on February 4th, and continue each
Gay between the hours of a. m. and
S p. m. until the close of the day on
February 9Th. All persons affected
by the order are required to report
TO their respective registration Off
Ger during the time specified and fill
out QUESTIONABLE, blanks being fur
nished by the registration officer The
penalty for failure to register is Sc
we're. Any person subject to registra-
tion who fails to do so will be sub
ject to arrest and confinement during
the remainder of the war, and / pre-
sumo in severe cases( deportation
back to Germany after the war is
over. A searching inquiry will be
made for all those who avoid or try
to evade regulations.
My experience in registering aliens
in the prohibited areas leads me to
know that the number of such persons
in the western district of Wisconsin
is very largely under estimated A
large number of people of German
birth who have been voting on their
so-called first papers, for many years
and many of them who have considered
themselves citizens of the United
States, are in fact not citizens. Some,
for fear of prosecution because they
have voted, have failed to reveal that
they are not citizens and for that
reason have claimed citizenship while
they in fact, were alien enemies There
is no intention on the part of the gov
ernment to disturb any person who
meets these requirements if he full
fills the obligation of the registry in
good faith. Any German of foreign
birth is not a citizen unless he has
received his full second papers For
their own protection they should be
urged to meet all the requirements
promptly, faithfully and fully.
AS this work is important in the eX-
treme, it is the duty of every Ameri-
can citizen to assist the registrar
and make known to the chief of police
and postmaster the name of any per-
son who he has reason to believe is a
German alien enemy and it should be
the duty of every good citizen to as
sist during the time of the registra-
tiOn in making the work complete in
every respect, even though he does it
at a considerable sacrifice to himself
The registration does not apply to
Austrians but only to German aliens.
There is but one way in which we
can get this work thoroughly done
and that is by giving the entire mat
ter publicity. In getting this pub
licity we must draw upon your patri-
otism and upon your desire to keep the
neighborhood in which you have in
fiuence quiet and peaceful. There is
no fund available for advertising this
registration. Every person subject
to registration is bound to observe it,
and the law pre-suppOses that he
has notice of the registration. know
you have been called upon to give
a great amount of space for adver-
tising in various matters which the
government has desired to bring be-
fore the public and l expect you will
be called on again and again to do
likewise. l appeal to you as a good
citizen to give this matter wide pub
licity in every issue of your paper be-
tween now and the 9th of February,
and / assure you that whatever you
may do for your country in this re-
gard will be appreciated.
Full instructions will be mailed to
your chief of police or to your post
master within a few days and he will
be glad to give you detailed informa-
tion regarding the registration.
Yours very truly,
FRANK O'CONNOR.
United States Marshal.