Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-25
THE PASSPORT NUISANCE
How Il Leads TO subornation of Per.
Jury and Other ThInss-The Un.
serupulous Evade the Embarrass.
Ing Questions, the consel.
entlous Suffer
by GEORGE NOX Mccain

ny GEORGE NOX McCAIN
| THERE is certain Federal regulation
L that encourages premeditated perjury.
Particularly 1t encourages subornatiOn OF
perjury.
To the unthinking this may seem an ex.
| travagant statement. 1t is fact.
| Have you, gentle reader, ever applied for
to 60 sCS sncs the
the foolish and irrelevant questions that the
smiling clerk in the Passport Division Is
compelled to address to you?
Then try It; and form your opinion later.
! You are. let us say, a native born citizen,
well past fifty years Of nge and Of decent
repute in your community.
Moreover. you are aware that the ma.
5ority Of the questions asked are not only
1t would be impolite to say that some
conditions imposed verge on the idiotic in
a highly civilized and democratic country
that is. in times of peace.
As, for instance, from the smiling clerk
"A this query:
voS c1G rsysjS.n yG" a1y"''h birth certificate from
AS If the physician who oficiated at your
entry into this vale of tears had not been
dead for quarter of century.
The absurdity, too. OF requesting birth
certificate for a long distant time when
dreamed of such things is apparent.
But here are the instructions under which
the smiling clerk in the Passport Division
| is compelled to act:
"a person born in the United States
should submit a birth or baptismal certificate
with his application (for passport). or
II the birth was not recorded. afdavits from
s hnvs SAse s
able to testify as to the place and date Of
the applicants BIRTH
Is 1t any. wonder the Passport Division
| clerk smiles?
IF 1T Is youy first experience you will
become gently sarcastic or mildly indig.
nant as you reply in the negative.
| =, WITHOUT relaxing his amused expression
the clerk tackles you from a new angle:
| In such case you must have somebody
who has known you twenty years appear
here and take affidavit that he has known
| native born Citizen
| Possibly you have resided in Philadelphia
only six or at most dozen years. The posi-
| tion in which you are placed Is apparent.
| You are conscientious. You desire to obey
| the laws OF your country. and yet you are
faced with the alternative Of producing
| some one who has really known you that
| long or of getting some one to swear falsely,
or perhaps of failing to secure your pass
port.
That is, If the law is rgdly enforced.
But If you intend truthfully and exactly
to answer the questions required on your
| applications, your troubles have only com.
menced. You must also give the name. place
and time Of the birth of your male parent.
Furthermore, If at any time in the course
don, Paris, luarez. Mexico; Toronto. Can:
ada, or any other place outside the United
States you must specify the date Of your
| departure and of your return.
After that you will be required to tell
| when and where you obtained any previous
passport; the months or years you expect
to be absent on your present trip and name
! specifically the countries you expect to visit.
Of your departure. the vessel upon which
| you expect to sail and the date.
Then you take the oath Of allegiance and
afix your signature.
THE ordeal Is completed when a few mo-
L ments later the smiling clerk lamps you
with his camera eye and notes your height,
shape of forehead, color Of eyes, hair and
complexion; character Of nose, mouth, chin
and face together with any birthmarks, de-
formities or physical defects that may dis
tinguish you from the rest Of the human
herd.
Then the individual who is to testify to
acquaintanceship with you Is hailed to the
| bar and swears to your residence and the
fact that You are a native born citizen.
II he has known you only twenty years
and you are tifty-fv how can he be ex-
pected to swear you are native born. except
by admissions from you at tines
self and paid SO, you foolishly imagine that
you are at the end.
You are not. 1t makes no difference,
either, whether you travel first or second
class or steerage, the ordeal Is the same.
THUS far you have contributed $15 to the
i United States Treasury: IS war tax on
your steamship ticket and SO for passport
II your itinerary embraces London. Paris
and Rome, you must now interview the
consular representatives Of Great Britain,
France and Italy.
At each consulate you secure a wise which
costs $3.50, with an additional fee to the
notary who swears you all over again.
When you have finished you have con-
tributed 50 more to the gayety of nations.
And gentle reader, the war has been over
nearly four years.
TINE particular point where subornation Of
i perjury is encouraged can best be illus
trated by this actual occurrence.
A personal friend seated In the Passport
Division in New York patiently waiting his
turn for permission to leave the country
fell into conversation with the man on the
bench beside him.
lie was q plain working man, a bachelor,
MS he informed my friend. naturalized
citizen, sixty years of age, on leave from
his employment to visit England. :,
said, "Ive never made many friends out :
side the men worked with. The older ones
are all dead or moved away, and the younger
men don't like to lose day in these hard
times to come down here and identify me"
.s\AIHAT are you going to do'" inquired
w my friend.
over last year. and he told Inc how he
| cd IL.