Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-03-13
-CHIEF JUSTICE CORNISH
GIVES POINTED ADDRESS TO
CITIZENSHIP APPLICANTS

lied by Chief Justice Leslie T.. Corn
ish in his address to a large class OF
applicants for naturalization on the
second day Of the present term Of the
supreme judicial court for kenne-
bee county. His discourse was les
son in good citizenship and contain
ed the keynote Of Americanization.
He spoke as follows:
have asked you to stand that I
might say a word to you before we
begin the formalities OF naturaliza-
ton.
am looking into the faces Of men
and women of various countries.
From the list which the clerk hands
me I see here Germany, Austria,
Russia, Italy, Syria, Canada and
other parts of the British Empire.
You are standing here today at the
portal of this court house and at the
! portal Of American citizenship, ask
ing to be admitted and to have the
| same rights. the same powers and
the same privileges that a native
| born American has. / am wonder
| ing If you appreciate what you are
! asking for, and if you appreciate the
| significance of this day to you in
| your lives. How does this appear to
! you? AS a mere business transact
| ton, a commercial enterprise, by
| which you come in here and purchase
a certificate, as you would at the
| book store magazine or a paper?
! Far from it. This is not a CONNER
cial enterprise on the part of the
United States of America. They do
not sell citizenship. Citizenship can
not be bought. Were the Kaiser to
appear here today and ask for cit
izenship with a million dollars in
his hand do you suppose he would be
admitted? Not for a moment. The
mere pittance that YOU pay is for the
papers that are made, the clerical
work involved in the issuing of those
papers and the copies; but SO far as
citizenship is concerned, and that is
what you are asking for, that is a
free gift on the part of the United
States, and like all the best things in
| this world it cannot be bought.
Now. what are the qualifications
which the United States has estab-
! lished? First, residence; that YOU
must have been in this country at
least five years and in this State at
least one year. Second, education.
Under the statutes of Maine in order
| to become registered as a voter you
must be able to read and write and
! understand the Constitution of the
! Country. In the third place, the chief
| qualification outside of these tech
, nical ones is character. You must
be men Of good character, law abid-
ing citizens, willing to do what is
right, obey our laws, and be attach
! ed to the principles for which this
| Government stands. Those are the
| qualifications which have been fixed
| by the Government. If you measure
| up TO them and the words of recon-
| mendation in your favor by your
| friends are sufficient, YOU will then
receive what YOU came here today t.
| receive.
Do you know that this Country is
practically the only Country that
grants citizenship TO any number
| How many Americans ask citizenship
| of Great Britain or of France or Of
Italy? How many OF them renouncc
| their American citizenship and ask
for another. Very rarely we see that
| someone becomes a Britisher for So
cial reasons, possibly for business
reasons; or French citizen for the
same reasons, but they are very. very
rare. This is the Country where peo-
pie ask to be admitted and where
| they say 1--WE renounce the old. We
ask you to give us what America can
| give u.s.
| what are the privileges which You
ask? First, the privilege of voting,
| % taking part in this Government,
where the people rule. The little bal
! lots that go into the ballot boxes de-
termne who shall be our rulers in
| this Country. and if you are admitted
| TO citizenship you have the same
privilege of casting your vote and
determining, so far as YOU can. your
choice Of the rulers who shall be over
| YOU. In the second place YOU can
! claim the protection fthe United
states at home or abroad. Wherever
you may go that flag there will wave
over You as your flag. The old flag
| Is gone; new flag has come. or
course without citizenship YOU are
| protected here, every one of YOU:
your life. your liberty and your prop
erty are protected by the laws of this
country, but away from here, in a
foreign country, the American flag
does not follow.
Ihose are the privileges YOU ask
and those are the qualifications
winch YOU must have to be admitted.
What about your duties? What is
there for You to do? We hear a
, good deal in these days about rights.
People are clamoring for their
rights. We hear too little about dut-
| les; what they ought to do themsel-
YES What must you give if this
great favor which cannot be bought
win money, is conferred upon YOU?
In the first place you must give your
| loyalty to this country. do NOT
ask you to forget the old country.
You cannot do it. Where a man was
porn and perhaps reared the greater
part OF his early life, is to him his
ola nome, and I cannot ask Won to
| forget 1t. If l did it would do no
good. Your hearts cannot forget it.
But you can be loyal to the new
country and serve her: loyal in time
OF war, loyal in time of peace. We
nope that as the years roll on war
Will not come again; at least for a
generation, and we hope never; but
human nature does not change by