Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-15
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

One OF the major issues which viii
be before Congress at this session is
that of registration of aliens. A bin
has been introduced by Representa-
tive ASwell of Louisiana III. r. 1922,
which, 1t is understood, has the gen
eral Endorsement of the Department
of Labor. 1t will be taken up by the
committee on immigration within a
few days.
The bill provides that every alien
shall register Immediately upon en-.
try into this country. and each year
thereafter. For the first registration
a fee of $40 and for each subsequent
registration S. will be required
When a registered alien removes per.
manently from the district wherein he
Is registered he shall report to the
post Office Of the district from which
he removes and to the post office of
the new domicile. Keepers Of hotels
and boarding houses are TO be re-
quired to report to the post Office any
guest suspected of being an alien.
There are 100000 unnaturalized
aliens in the country. No other ma
ton holds so large a percentage
Every alien eligible to citizenship, who
can show registration cards covering
FIVE years and can read and write the
English language, may. without any
previous declaration of intention, ap-
by TO any court within, or nearest,
the district in which he Is registered
authorized to naturaliZe aliens, and.
If found qualified shall be admitted
to citizenship"
ANY alien who is sentenced to i'm
priSonment for violation of any pro-
vision of this act shall, upon the ter
mination of such term of imprison-
ment. be Immediately taken into Gus
tody and deported.''
X * X x
Not all parties, either in the De-
partment Of Labor or in Congress,
who are supporting the general pro-
posal to register aliens agree with all
details Of the Aswell bill.
Chairman Johnson of the House
committee on immigration does not
favor compulsory registration, but
supports voluntary registration, which,
he argues, will benefit the legitimate
immigrant by giving him the means
of proving the legitimacy of his pres
ence in the United States; and, after
five annual registrations will enable
him to get full naturalization, without
the very great trouble of bringing two
citizens as witnesses, who have known
him for five years.
1t is common for immigrants to
move from State to State within their
first five years, and. therefore, 1t be-
comes very expensive and difficult for
them to produce the required two wit.
nesses when they ask for citizenship.
Voluntary registration, Mr. Johnson
says, will separate the legitimate i'm
migrants from those who have entered
through immigration "bootleggers"
The Secretary of Labor, Mr.. Davis,
said in his last annual report:
Linked with the proposal for a bet.
ter selection abroad of immigrants to
this country, l favor this plan for the
enrolment, or registration, Of the
alien. following his arrival in the
United States, with provision for an
and a system of education in Ameri.
canism which would give every alien
an opportunity to learn the English
language and something of American
history, traditions, ideals and institu-
tons. Primarily, I recommend this
enrolment as means of helping the
alien to help himself to the best that
America affords, because only by real
izing the best in America can America
realize the best in the alien" The
Secretary questions the possibility Of
developing a good American out of an
immigrant who has been struggled in.
He Is a law violator when he arrives
and he remains one," says Mr.. Davis.
He ought to be weeded out and sent
back whence he came.
ENROLMENT would enable us to
know those among our alien popula-
ton who are here to preach the down
fall of all law and order and the OBJ
struction of authority. 1t will mean
protection to the alien from the wiles
and schemes of the nationals of his
own country and those born here,
through the establishment Of places.
the creation of committees. and so on.
from which he can secure reliable and