Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-04
Birth Certificate Plan
For Passports Scored
To the Editor of The Star:

TOE 4 dSSPOksS OCOTcU
To the Editor Of The star:
The passport division Of the State
Department, with its usual brilliancy,
now refuses to issue passports to Amer
tcan Indians who fail to present EVIL
dence that they were born in America.
according to your issue of October /,
citing the case of Jackson Barnett, re-
puted wealthiest Indian in the United
States.
Barnett, born probably in an isolated
shack or tepee on the Southwest plains,
at q time when no register was kept
even Of white births In our larger cities,
Is out Of luck in so far as going to
Europe Is concerned unless he can dig
up from the dim past another Indian
who was present at his birth and who
can make afddavit Of that fact. The
State Departments passport division
evidently conceives births in Indian
tepees to be tribal levees, public in
character, with mother and papoose
the star performers. White, red and
fidavits averring exact knowledge Of the
American birth Of the applicant, signed
and sworn to by physician, nurse or
supposed eyewitnesS-in the case of
persons of mature age, an impossible
thing to secure in majority Of cases.
If courts can, and do, take judicial
notice of facts well known to even SIM
plest minds, isn't 1t about time that
Secretary Stimson, able lawyer, should
inject the principle of common sense
into the passport division Of his de-
partment?
I had a somewhat similar experience
to Barnetts last Summer, although not
tracing my Americanism so far back as
Barnett. My wife and desired to Sc
cure passports to Europe. We went to
the State Department. The passport
clerk was courteous, but inSistent that
before issuing passports we must pre-
sent evidence of American birth, either
a birth certificate or aff1davits from at
tending physicians or nurses, or others
who could swear we were born on
American soil. Unfortunately, I was
born in a Nevada mining camp, in the
not reported in the newspapers with
any degree of accuracy. If the death
register was wholly neglected, one can
imagine that the arrival of squalling
newcomers was not a matter for his
torical indictment. The State and city
In those days kept no vital statistics Of
any sort. Not being officially born, ac-
cording to the State Department, due
to my lack of birth certificate, and
not being officially dead, either. was
in a deuce of a fix. My folks had al
ways led me to believe that was an
American citizen by birth, and was
bar as an American and married as an
American. Officially. however. I was in
a category along with the Chinese, Hot
tentots and Zulus.
The passport clerk then asked II
I could furnish affidavitS OF persons
who could swear that was born in
America-doctors, nurses, for example.
In despair I confessed I could not.
Even had known their names. mani
testify it would have been a task TO
ferret them out after SIS years. even II
trip fading fast No Trafalgar Square
or Rue de la Paix for me. was a
prisoner in America.
In a lucid interval recalled that
had in 1918 secured passport to
South America. At this information
the brow Of the passport clerk cleared
perceptibly. I could see ray OF hope.
Yes, the problem was solved. II I had
secured a passport in 1918 was en-
titled to another one in 1928, American
or no American. The records were
verified and I was saved!
Then my thoughts reverted to my
wife, poor wretch, as o. o. Mcintyre
terms the better half. For moment
I saw visions Of Montmartre alone and
unchaperoned. There might be some
Slight balm in Gilead, at that.
My wife, born in Chicago, where they
now certainly need vital statistics, while
young in spirit and not very old In
years, still was older than the date Of
attending physician and nurse were old
people at her birth; of course, being
human, they were now dead; her par
ents had died years ago. Her case
looked pretty bad. No passport had
been issued to her In 1918 for South
America, or anywhere else. Clearly the
lady was out Of luck. She was conf
dent that she was an American; that
her father had been United States Min
lister to European countries, but she
couldn't prove her own advent into this
world of woe.
Finally the clerk, after much brow
wrinkling, suggested that an affidavit
might be secured from some relative,
a brother or sister. We pointed out
that there was no brother, but that a
sister 2 years older now resided in
Chicago. We suggested that. only
being years old at the date Of Mrs.
Jones' birth, her personal recollection
Of the actual event would be nebulous.
We were informed it would be given
consideration If and when received.
Accordingly, after some delay, the sis
ter prevaricated nobly as to her re-
membrance; the AFFIDAVIT was accepted
as proof, and the passport was granted.
have always wondered why John
D. Rockefeller never goes to Europe.
I know the reason now. He can't get
a passport. Being 80 years old, he
can't secure a certificate from the
attending physician or nurse; his CO.
temporaries at birth are dead; he can
get no affidavits. Officially he is not
an American. He Is tnterned in Amer
lea forever.
Methuselah certainly would be out
Of luck with the passport division, If
alive and an American national.
CHARLES w. JONES.