Montana labor news., 1938-04-07
Rep. (ELLER DEFENDS
ALIENS IN HIS BILL

Congressman Celler has offered a
bill Oh. R. 1901 for the purpose of
facilitating naturalization of aliens
Oft times complaint is heard about
hardness of aliens in perfecting
naturalization, but the compliments
as often fail to consider the high cost
of naturalization-especially in these
days of depression when every dol
lar is precious.
Mr.. Celler believes naturalization
should be made easy as to cost
within the reach of the pocketbooks
of the lowliest alien. If the alien
and declarant has satisfied all con-
ditions as to morality, patriotism,
and complete understanding of his
oath of allegiance, the question of
monied fee should not bar him. The
present fee of $3.50 is entirely too
high. 1t buys, in these days of eco
nomic %privation, shoes for the chill
dren and food that might otherwise
mean starvation of loved ones. In
addition this bill will give deserved
and needed relief to some 1000, 900
aliens, most of whom have spent
years in this country and are now
well past middle age, and enables
to attain their rightful and legal
status as citizens.
This bill would reduce from $3.50
to So the cost of procuring %naturali-
cation papers. The present fee, Con-
gresham Celler pointed out, does
not seem prohibitive and is probably
no hardship upon the restricted
number of immigrants who now en-
ter this country on consular visas.
I'm thinking about these 4,000,-
900 elderly people" Mr.. Celler con-
tinued, "who came here years ago
when this country was glad to have
foreigners for hard, manual labor at
low wages. Many of them came;
they worked hard and many of them
put off naturalization. Now they
find they are disseminated against
at every turn they attempt. 1t is
almost impossible for them to get
jobs in private industry or with the
government, because they are not
legally citizens. They are almost
completely barred from WPA en-
ployment; they face steadily aug
mented threats to bar them from re-
lief; they are denied old age pen
sions in many states. In California,
courts recently denied citizenship to
aged applicants on the ground that
their only purpose was to become
eligible for old age pensions.
Most of these persons have done
valuable work in helping to build
up this country. They have support
ed and educated families of good
citizens; they have paid taxes; many
of them even served their country
in war-but that didn't make them
citizens. 1t is for these elderly peo-
pie this bill is intended. They are
now in such straitened circumstances
that the difference between $3.50
and So is a very broad chasm. 1t
won't mean very much to the gov
eminent, but it means everything to
these people. They are in fact citi-
zens and have been for years. /
want to remove this obstacle to their
becoming legally citizens" Mr.. Gel
Ter also pointed out that in some
cases the cost of naturalization is
$40 to $40 or $50, or registry
certificates are required and wit
nesses' expenses paid.
The year 1887 was the first since
1880 when immigration has exceed
ed emigration, Cellar added. In the
last six years, the number of immi-
grants has been exceeded by the
number who have departed from this
country by 233,54O according to La
Dor Department figures. Harry Hop
kins, WPA administrator, recently
told John j.. Cochran, chairman of
the committee on expenditures in
executive departments, that to dis
legally entered aliens from
the WPA program would deny WPA
benefits to more than 100000 Ameri-
can citizens, most of whom are
children of aliens. Two-thirds of
alien WPA workers have dependent
children, he said.