The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-10-10
Those Not Reporting Will Be
Subject To 81. 900 Fine
Or Jdil Term
UNIONS AID ASKED
Act Represents No Change
OF Policy Towdrd Aliens
In County

LA S0OAAly
Earl G. Harrison, Director of the
Alien Registration Division, Depart
ment of Justice, is requesting the CO.
operation Of trade unions and organ
izations in helping non-citizens comply
with the Alien Registration Act of
1910. The registration, which started
on August 27, continues through De-
cember 26, 1910. All non-citizens ID
years Of age or older are required to
register; non-citizens under IA years
of age are to be registered by their
parents or guardians. 1t is estimated
that registration post Offices will reg
lister about 100000 aliens by the end
of the registration period.
Director Harrison points out that
all workers organizations can do a
great service to their non-citizen men,
bers by acquainting them with the re-
quirements Of the law. Some aliens
have difficulty with the English langu-
age and do not fully understand the
steps they must take to register.
Others, who do not understand the law
or its intent may have certain fears
about it, and would need such assist
ance as the organizations to which
they belong can give them. Inasmuch
as an alien is subject to $1,000 fine or
six months Imprisonment if he does
not register by December 26, it is i'm
portant that non-citizens be made
aware of the registration requirements
in plenty of time to get the inform
alton called for in the registration
questions and report to post offices
for Registration and hngerprinting.
The cooperation, of many workers
groups with the Alien Registration
Division has already been favorably
noted in Washington. Those organ
izations in communication with the
Alien Registration Division have in
dicated real desire to be helpful to
their non-citizen members in meeting
the requirements of registration. This
help is, of course, purely voluntary
since the Alien Registration Act, as
passed by the Congress, imposes no
obligation on citizens to see to it that
non-citizens register.
AS has been indicated by the Presi-
dent and officials of the Department
of Justice, the Alien Registration Act
of 1910 represents no change Of policy
toward the non-citizen in this country.
He retains all of his rights and privi-
leges as an American resident. In a
talk on alien registration Attorney
General Robert H. Jackson said: "Con-
gress has authorized and have at all
times favored registration and iden-
tifcation of aliens. This is not an
anti-a]ien move. The alien who
promptly registers and obtains GER
tificate Of registration will undoubted-
ly be relieved of much local embar-
rassment and suspicion. l am con-
vinced that if it is properly presented
to the aliens, and carried out with a
decent regard to their feelings and
rights, registration will be a welcome
protection to those who comply. 1t will
be carried out in that spirit"
That the Alien Registration Act is
being administered in that spirit can
be observed from some of the steps
taken to maintain "decent regard"
for the feelings and rights of those
who are required to register. Several
million copies of the specimen regis
tration form, to afford advance prep
aration for registration, have been
distributed through the post offices
and many private agencies. Also, non
citizens may register at any post Of
flee at which registration is conducted.
Thus an alien, for reasons of his own,
may register at any registration post
office away from his home town. An
other ruling states that the alien need
only answer the seventeen questions
that appear on the registration and
fingerprinting forms. Other than these
questions, the only other question the
postmaster may ask is the following:
"Have you exhausted every possible
source of information in getting the
answers to these questions 2"
The Post Office Department has CO.
operated in giving careful consider
alton to the feelings and convenience
of those subject to the Alien Regis
tration Act. The Department, for ex-
ample, has required it's registration
offices to remain open for registration
at times which will not interfere with
working hours of applicants. Post
masters have been instructed that
there is to be no cross-examining OF
registrants or questioning Of the in
formation given them.
Many non-citizens have an under,
standable sensitiveness concerning
their statement of race, and specifying
the name of the country to which
they owe allegiance. The Alien Reg
Continued on Page Two)