The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-10-31
TRA|N|NqNC|T|zENSH|P
BOARD NdED FOR THE
WoRKiNTHIs CITY
NIGHT SCnOL LABORS
"Americanllpn"I TO Be the
PrincipalFeature Of Its
Efeavors

The follewina Smmunication from
one of the aut3rized representatives
-ee Of ftthe-AHfres of naturalization,
| Washington n been received by c
e. Bredes y leputy clerk, United
States dist u court, Mankato:
Il am W ting to cali your atten-
ton to the IEact that congress, in the
act approval May 9, 1918, selected
the bureauIof naturalization to have
charge of he training in citizenship
responsibilities sof applicants for ma
turaliZationl and to cooperate with
the lublic schools of the entire
country in their work of American
izing foreislers who are becoming
citizens of the United States"
"In this connection there is no
class of public officials who can be
of more ditct service and assistance
in this cred work than the clerks of
courts. II at the time the alien
makes his of intention
the clerk falls his attention to the
requiremets of the law that he
must be d5le to speak the English
language, Ind show sufficient pro-
ficiency I his knowledge of our
form of Government to- satisfy the
court tht he is attached to the
principles|of the constitution of the
United Shtes,. and we'll disposed to
the good brder and happiness of the
same, tbs should awaken in him
the desiA to prepare himself for
American citizenship"
1T is Alt that in times like these,
the dutes and responsibilities OF
Americancitizenship should ibe, more
than everbefore, properly impressed
upon the applicant for same. Feel
ing assur,d that all who have the
future greatness and peTmanency of
democracyat heart are willing to
do or say whatever may contribute
ever so lille to this desired ideal, !
am arpeallg to the clerks OF courts
to co-operte as above indicated OF
in any othr way that may Suggest
itself to tenn in this nation wide
Americanizfion movement along
educational lines.
Statement BY Bredeson.
81 would like to say win reler-
ence to this letter." said Mr.. Brede-
son, that it covers exactly what
has been dofe by the clerks and su-
perintendentY of schools for some
time past. iMankato had good
night school,for aliens last winter;
and those who attended were very
much delighted about the progress
they made. Mr.. Slatterly was spien-
did teacher
$50 far as this office is concerned
it did not have any time 10 devote 10
interests in the night school since
our entrance into the war. THESE
Offices were then the headquarters
of the district exemption BOARD ana
we had $4,000 questionnaires 10 lahe
care of, and were thus kept con
stantly very busy, sometimes Iarl IN
to the nights. l personally recaiie9
for reconsideration several tnousano
after having gone
more fully into cases Win the peo-
pie present to exEialh' ,aaor
There has been some misunder-
standing regarding German Aliens.
There were, of course nany n -
than those of German eAtraoeion w, VIZ
found out during the war ,na a h .em
parents in far years past nau peeh
Or careless ABOUT az
curing citizenship: and it Is reaily
the fault az the government ior MOI
having adonted more stringent rules
in those days when the present ell
derlv neonle were young. OF course.
to be called an alien e e to
not have been very s"at;pn to' rse
some. but 1t was no rene''