Evening star., 1939-08-20

"llllc Ic1uSccS lice 1TOHl prosecutions
In Europe, thousands upon thousands
of persons who have been living In this
country for years as aliens are now
beating on the doors of the naturaliza-
ton offices and pleading for citizenship.
Their applications to sign up" as
voting members of this country are
piled so high at Ellis Island that if
the filing clerks could shut the doors
and accept no new requests, it would
take them a year to catch up.
Every new day adds 900 more appli-
cations to the food.
Multiply 900 by 1865 days and you have
238, 500 applications year. This is more
people than were naturalized in the
busiest 12-month on record, and half
again as many as the average of 165 900
new citizens year.
Only six years ago, in 1888, the desire
for United States citizenship was at its
lowest ebb In history. Only 113 1863 per-
sons were naturalized that year. That
was the year Adolf Hitler came to power
In Germany.
Number Rises Swiftly.
Since then the number of new citi-
zens absorbed into America s blood
stream has risen swiftly, reaching 1872
078 during 1898.
Why those unsympathetic to the Nazi
regime In Germany and the Fascist
system in Italy should seek refuge under
American guarantees of personal free
dom is understandable. But why should
people already in the United States,
under the mighty protecting arm OF
this Government even though they are
aliens, be so anxious for citizenship?
For one thing, every citizen has the
right to vote And every voter has an
opportunity to influence congressional
action on neutrality legislation which
might retard or advance totalitarianism
Persuasive as it is 1888 900 votes is
a powerful voice in any Congressman's
ear) that reason is neither so immedi-
ate nor so practical as these:
Cd A citizen of the United States has
the right to protest, through his Gov
ernment, against confscation of his
lands or property abroad. Sometimes
such protests are sufficient to forestall
the threatened action.
Right of Protest.
Confiscation of the property of Ger
tain classes has been an avowed part
Of the foreign relationships.
(2) A citizen also has the right to
protest against mistreatment of his FAM
lily by foreign governments.
There are thousands living in this
country, notably Jews but others also.
whose families have been prosecuted in
Central Europe.
90 BY becoming a citizen, he makes
refuge here.
Under the immigration laws. only a
stated number of persons may enter
the United States for permanent resi-
dence from each other country each
year. The number that may come from
Germany is one of the low ones on the
list. Since Germany has the most
refugees today, the competition for
placement on that quota is keen and
the average person must wait a long
time-a recent study by the American
Academy of Political and Social Sciences
says to years-before his turn comes
unless he has some special privilege
That's where United States citizen
ship comes in.
A citizens wife and unmarried chill
dren may enter this country regardless
of the quota; they are not included in
the quota.
The same is true of the husband of a
citizen if he married before July /, 1882.
First preference in making up the
quota is given to husbands of citizens
married on or after July l, 1882.
Citizens 81 years old or older likewise
may claim first preference for their
parents.
Second Preference for Wife.
From this standpoint, the advantage
of being a citizen is further apparent
when it is noted that an alien resident
Of the United States has only the privi-
lege of second preference on the quota
list for his wife and unmarried children.
The difference between second and first
preference or between second preference
and non-quota rating may mean months
or years of wondering and suffering
Then, too, being a citizen makes it
easier for his family to become citizens
once they arrive in this country. This
may be important to the family in the
protection of its property rights and it's
other members who may still be abroad.
Whereas the general naturalization
law requires an alien to live here five
continuous years, formally declare his
intention to become a citizen and then
wait two to seven years before filing
his petition for citizenship. there are
exceptions.
The wife of citizen can become q
citizen after living here for only one year
and without declaration of intention.
The husband of citizen can become
q citizen after three years Of residence,
without declaration of intention.
These exceptions and similar ones are
so widely exercised that naturalization
staf1men say so per cent of their work
is made up of such cases.
Safest Flag for Travel.
These alone would appear to explain
why aliens in the United States sud-
denly want to be full-1edged members
Of the American political society. But
they do not tell the whole story. Other
factors listed by naturalization men are:
90 In these troubled times, people
feel the American flag is the safest one