Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-09-01
Judge DeGraf Bars
Ignorant Foreigners

Fort Dodge. Sept. 1.-Only four out
of thirty applicants for United States
citizenship were admitted at natu-
ralization hearing in district court
be fore Judge Lawrence DeGraR two
immigration officers, w. e. Rhea and
A. III. Bode.
Among the twenty six applicants
whose cases were either dismissed.
continued, or whose petition was de-
MED, the main barrier between them
and American citizenship was ig
norance OF the United States govern
ment and It's institutions.
Judge DeGrafr. acting district
judge and candidate for the state SUI
preme bench, spared no pains In in
vestighting the record and fitness Of
the Foreigners who came Into court,
seeking the privilege of American
citizenship. Each one Of the petition
ers was quizzed closely as to his edu-
eational qualifications, his knowledge
of the United states constitution and
it's institutions.
The judge believes in hospitality on
| the part of America toward it's as
psring citizens but does not believe
in carelessness in their selection.
In giving his views on the natural
ization aspect '-of the immigration
| problem Judge DeGraff stated that
he considered it one of the most i'm
| portant links in foreigners Am
| ORGANIZATION.
ut doesn't improve a foreigner as
| pirfng for naturalization to grant
him citizenship. We should not allow
| an imnni grants ignorance to be as
| weighty as our intelligence. That is
what happens If we allow an ignor-
ant and untitled foreigner the rights
of citizenship. and the right to vote
Such voter at the polls despite his
ignorance has the same power as
any one of our intelligent American
citizens. We do not want to cease
to be hospitable but we must cease
to be careless as to the calibre of
foreigners We admit to citizenship" ,
| The real agitators, and socalled
radicals, ip this. country. the judge
has found consist mostly of unedu-
Gated. un-Americanized foreigners.
| Judge De Gaff refers to himself as
regards his attitude on the immigra-
ton question as a strict construc-
ZIONIST" His conviction In brief on
the naturalization question Is "Edu-
cation, instruction and Americahiza-
tion come Arst; citizenship and the
fright to vote should be granted after
wards"
In choosing the elements that are
to make up the contents of the Am
erican melting pot we should, exer-
else greater caution in the future, the
jurist believes.
I'VE have heard lot about the
great American melting pot. The bad
feature OF it 10 that tere is too much
scum on the surface" said the Judge.
He likened the process making up the
contents of the melting pot with
bread baking.
Good bread will not be forthcom-
Ing from the mixture If the ingre-
dents are thrown in at random"
In speaking of the unfitness of the
applicants whose petitions were de-
MED or dismissed. Judge De Graft
told Of one petitioner who had been
In America ten years and could read
neither English nor Italian, his native
tongue.
Citizenship was denied to another
applicant who has the duties OF the
state legislature and city mayor con-
| fused. The question Of who made the
state laws brought the startling re-
ply that they "all were made by
Mayor Scott, Of Fort Dodge"