The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1927-05-19
NATURALIZATION

The scene was the Carbon County
Court Room. The time was Tuesday
May 10th. The matter at hand was
naturalization.
Presiding was District Judge, Rob-
ert c. Stong, earnestly intent on the
proceedings he had before him. He
glanced at the applicants as they
took the witness stand and occasion
ally asked a question for information
that would aid him in judging the
qualifications of the applicant for
American citizenship. The Clerk of
Court, G. L. Finley, was in his place,
to administer the oaths to the candi-
dates and their witnesses and the
examinations We're conducted by Fred
Emmerich, Inspector from the Denver
office of immigration Service.
One by one the applicants for citi-
zenship took the stand, answered the
questions put to them and heard the
court render his decision as to whether
or not they were to be promoted from
aliens to Americans. If his decision
was favorable the applicant stood be-
fore Mr.. Finley and with uplifted
hand answered, 81 do" to the follow
ing oath: "Do you solemnly swear
that you will absolutely and entirely
renounce and adjure all allegiance
and fidelity to any foreign prince, POI
tentaten state or sovereignty and par
tlcularly to ---s-... .-sss.sl;, of whom you
have hereunto been a subject; that
you will support and defend the Con-
stitution and laws of the United
States of America against all enemies,
foreign and domestic, and that you
will bear true faith and allegiance to
the same, so help you God?"
To the casual observer such a pro
cedure may appear to be a matter of
mere passing moment. Far from it,
for it means something to become an
1t means something for
5hese aliens to renounce all allegiance
TO all foreign kings, potentates and
powers and swear unwaivering al
egienee to this land of their adoption.
Such proceeding is second in impor-
lance only to the salvation of a soul.
Somehow or other, it seems to me
that we Americans-we natural born
Americans-lack full appreciation of
the blessings that are ours. Citizen |
ship was simply thrust upon u.s. We
we lived for time in foreign
country, and under a foreign flag, it |
night tend to increase the love we
bear for this, Our Native Land.
We didn't brave the seas and the
of foreign country, study |
strange constitutions, learn new
language, become accustomed to new
avs, hunger for civic, and polite
equality with our neighbors for the
Welfare of ourselves and our children |
md then go through the ordeal of ma
in order to become Amer
cans.
The very fact that these aliens
zane here, lived exemplary lives for
several years and then sought citizen
ship papers, is indeed a pretty high |
for them When the
native born, who ought to know bet
ter, break our laws and deport them
selves in manner to bring scandal
TO their family, their country, and
themselves, they are not setting a
very good example for these new citi-
zens to follow. 1t is all right to teach
them Americanism and patriotism
and loyalty but the native born would
10 well to practice those virtues them
selves. il
We profess much loyalty to our
and well we may9It is
;he charter of our liberty, but l Won
Ter how many of us have read it over
since we were in the seventh grade. !
We should read it and know it's pro-
visions. We should cherish the liber-
ties it guarantees to us, as we should
cherish the meaning of our flag and
what is represents.
The real test of Americanism; the |
real test of good citizenship is res
pect for law and the support of our
government, not loud talk of patriot
ism.