The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-12-05
Big Movement is Started to
Force Aliens to Be Citi-
zens or Give Up Lucra-
tive Employment.
Big FACTORY TO LEAD
First Papers to Be Demanded AS First
Requisite for Employment and
Aliens Must Got Out OF the
Way Of Returning Soldiers.

| To make Kenosha an American city
for American citizens is the purpose Of
"a big movement which has been started
among manufacturers of the city and
which is expected to be announced
within the near future. The move
ment is one which promises some time
in the future to close the doors Of a
lot of big plants in Kenosha to men
who are not sufficiently interested in
this country to take out first papers
for citizenship.
For many years men who came from
other countries to America and who
have shown no willingness to accept
the duties together with the privilege
Of citizenship have found profitable
employment IN Kenosha factories
Many Of these men are high grad
workers who have contributed consider
able to the success Of institutions O.
an industrial nature in Kenosha. Hun
dreds and thousands of them have 0
the suggestion of their employers
placed themselves in line for citizen
ship. Possibly thousand of thes
men have declared their unwillingnes
to become citizens of the nation which
has furnished them place to work
and place to live.
One Of the largest manufacturers in
the city has served notice on B. M.
DeDeimer, Clerk of the Circuit Court
and in charge of the naturalization
! Bureau of the county that with the
decentralization of the army one of the
first requisites to be demanded Of any
employed man will be that he be able
to show that he is citizen of til
United States or that he has takel
steps to claim such citizenship.
Men who decline to show such pa
pers will not be employed in this plan
and it is expected that within few
weeks similar notices will be poste
in every one of the large manufactu'
ing concerns of the city. "These me
must get under the flag or get out
said leading manufacturer this morr
ling. sNThere has been conisderab'
feeling among Americans on account c
the fact that men who refused to tax
out first papers remained in Kenosb
and earned large wages while othc
men gave up their places in industr
and went to war. When these me
were called for service they refused t
accept the call claiming exemption o.
the grounds that they were citizens o
either enemy or neutral countries
These men must not be allowed to pre-
vent Kenosha from furnishing placc
for every returning soldier. They mus
be citizens Of this nation and ready
to bear the obligations Of citizenship
or they must get out and stay out. We
are not going to allow these men t.
claim privileges longer without accept
ing responsibilities Of citizenship
The movement has not as yet attain
ed the velocity Of "city wide move
ment but it is expected that the
matter will be taken up at the meet
ing of leading employers Of labor in
the city in the near future.
/ Lists which have been made show
that there are hundreds of men now
at work in Kenosha many of them earn
ing wages more than double that they
ever earned in their native countries
who have made the public statement
that they would not take out first pa
pers and that they did not care TO
become citizens Of the United States.
| The elimination of the non-citizen
from Kenosha is going to be one of
1.-THE first things to be brought about by
the reconstruction and the readjust-
ment of conditions. Many of the men
who are not citizens have already been
informed that citizenship is to be
made the basis for employment in
many plants and many Of these men
are now applying to the prcrer officials
for first papers.
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