The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-15
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
Blu REAU
FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Director.
Washington. d. C
ADVICE FOR FoREIGN.BoRN.
Washington. D. c.


young Greek in this country recently |
fell into company with a sharper who
told him that according to the draft
laws of America a substitute could be !
hired for fixed sum. The Greek,
thinking of his dependent wife. and |
knowing that Greek law permitted !
substitution, scraped together the two
thousand dollars demanded by his ad- !
wiser. A few days later his draft |
summons came, and he learned that
he had been deluded. Grief at the !,
loss of his savings. anxiety about his !,
wife's future, perpleXity and despair !
led him to commit suicide.
Such receptions of the ignorant for |
eigner are shamefully common. The |
immigrant who places his trust in
some fifteen English words and the
kindness of the American public is
overcharged in stores, doctors offices, |
and lodgings. If he is young or has
Quate English vocabulary, and, after
a few sad experiences, learns to take
care of himself The less adaptable
alien, however. accepts the handicap
of not knowing English as a part of
his burden which must somehow be
endured. and continues to be a guilt
BILE mark for the sharper.
The working methods of the sharper
with the foreigner are, as he himself
would put it. "on the quiet" For this
reason he is difficult to locate and
still more difficult to convict. 1t is
easier for the government to apply
preventive measures in it's efforts to
protect the more or less helpless ele-
ment of our population.
The most effective way of helping
the foreigner is to substitute for the
advice of the ubiquitous exploiter the
advice of q still more ubiquitous gov
eminent. To do this, information bu-
reaus especially for foreigners have
been opened by the labor department
in twenty or more cities and still more
are in process of establishment. EX-
iStence of these bureaus is announced
extensively by posters in English and
foreign languages and in the newSpa-
pers. especially foreign language pub
| LEGATIONS. Word of government aid is
| further spread thru night schools,
| moving picture shows, churches, ma
turalization courts-an places fire.
| quented by the foreigner.
Each government information bu-
reau is eSta bliShed in connection with
| the local naturalization examiner and
| located usually in his office. 1t offers
| to the alien advice in any difficulty. 1t
explains to him passport regulations,
| the draft system, naturaliZat ton law,
| the liberty loan, and helps him. when
| ever possible. to secure his rights If he
| has been victimized in the past.
The information bureau and the
natura liZation bureau work together.
The alien who applies for citizenship
| papers is told to come to the govern
| ment representative in case of diff
| Guilty. On the other hand, the alien
| who seeks out the information bureau
| finds himself in the office of the ma
| turaliZation examiner where he is con-
| fronted with statements in large print
explaining citizenship requirements. If
| he is able to read any of the signs his
| interest is aroused and often one more
| alien declares his intention of becom-
! ing a citizen of the United States. AS
there are now 17,500.000 foreigners in
| the United States. of which number
| 100000 are not citizens. these bu-
| reaus are important in their aid to cit
| izenship alone.
Gratitude of aliens aided by the gov
eminent thru the bureaus is expressed
| with unmistakable gestures by those
| whose limited English fails them.
Many offer payment to their advisers
and are told that they can better
please the government by investing
| the money offered in war saving
stamps and liberty bonds: This sug-
gestion usually is followed. Recently,
a stolid Swede, who hitherto had ex-
| pressed no interest in war investment,
| approached a liberty loan representa-
tive with a demand for him ito fix the
money up for the United States gov
Others for whom the information
bureau becomes the main point of
contact with the government bring in
reports of enemy alien activities.
Mingling as they do with other for
eigners, loyal and otherwise, these
self-appointed secret service aides are
one of the safeguards of the Ameri-
can people against the spy system.
More than one spectacular discovery
OF espionage by government secret
service agents can be traced to hint
in broken English by an apparently
n-Americanized foreigner.
OF all requests received by the bu-
reuas the most urgent are those for
AID in becoming citizens. When told
that they must learn to read and
speak English and know something of
that mystery, the government, becom-
ing citizen looms up fer many as a
task of almost insurmountable diff
Guilty. Here again the bureau comes
to their assistance with the address
of n night school for foreigners where
both textbooks and tuition are free
: For some to whom night school proves
too formidable or too announcement
there are classes in factories held at
the noon hour or late in the after
noon.
g, The greatest problem of the govern
ment in its 'help the foreigner cam
paign is reaching the woman alien.
Usually. it is not necessary for her to
learn English to become a citizen as
, she takes the citizenship of her hus-
band. Her children, who attend an
American school, soon speak English
with fluency if not accuracy. while
, her husband learns English in his bus
mess dealings. and is acquainted with
the government information bureau as
Y a help in difficulty. But in the home
the language spoken is the native
tongue which the woman can under
stand, and her contact with the Eng
lish speaking world is limited to the
grocer and insurance collector, both OF
- whom may be of her own race. With
, the foreign atmosphere retained in the
I home, the Americanization of the fam
Y lily is impossible.