The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-01-15
(NEA TelephOtO)

and the difficulty of determining their actual status as citizens, is the problem. In the group of Chinese Americans, their problem is one ot identifying themselves as of Chinese and not Japanese blood.
 Chinese and Japanese born in the United States are citizens, except children born here of parents who are in the diplomatic service of their country. As citizens they have the right to vote, hold public office and to own property, even in those States that have restrictions against alien Chinese and Japanese owning property.
 Big Increase Tn Half Century
 The increase in the Japanese pop ulation of the United States since 1870 is revealed in the following figures: in 1870, Chinese 63,199 and Japanese 55, in 1880, Chinese 105, ,4G5 and Japanese 148; in 1890, Chinese 107 ,488 and Japanese 2,039; in 1900 Chinese 89,863 and Japanese 24,326; in 1910, Chinese Fl ,531 and Japanese 72,157; in 1920, Chinese 61 ,639 and Japanese 111,O1O; in 1880, Chinese 74,954 and Japanese 138,834.
 Of the 74,954 Chinese in the United States in 1930, 30,868 were citizens by birth and of the 138,83f Japanese in the United States in 1930, 63,357 were natural born citizens.
 No alien Chinese or Japanese In the United States can be naturalized under present law, but American born Chinese or Japanese woman who lost their citizenship by marry ing aliens before March 4, 1897 may apply for repatriation.
 Chinese and Japanese who entered the service of the armed forces of the United States prior to November II, 1913 and actually rendered ser vice with such forces between April 6, 1917 and November II, 1918 re- ceiving an honorable discharge for any reason other than his alicnage and who resumed a previous perm anent residence in the United States or Territory and maintained a permanent residence continuously since the date Of discharge, could be admitted to citizenship prior to January l, 1887, upon compliance with all the requirements of the naturalization laws, except that no certificate of arrival and no declara- tion of intention was required. TAe Chinese and Japanese who took ad- vantage of this provision are nov American citizens.
 Inherited Citizenship
 A son or daughter of a Chinese or Japanese parent who is citizen of the United States was held by law to have inherited citizenship, even If born outside the United States, provided the citizen parent had been a resident of the United States at some time before the birth of the child in question. This gives United States citizenship to some children who were actually born in China, Japan or other foreign coun- try
 Section IA of the Act of May G., 1882, specifically prohibits the nat uralization of Chinese and states. AildL llCISdlbCI IlO DIdUC COuTL or court of the United States shall ad- init Chinese to citizenship; and all laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed"
 There h no law which specifical- ly prohibits the naturalization of Japanese by name, but the courts have held that the naturalization laws apply only to members of the white or African race.
 The new Nationality code which became effective January 13, 1941 requires that when a child is born outside of the United States, one of whose parents at the time of the child'S birth was an alien and the other was and never thereafter ceased to be a citizen of the United States, can only claim citizenship if the alien parent becomes naturali- zed before the child's eighteenth birthday, and If the child also Is re- siding in the United States at the time of naturalization. Since alien Chinese and Japanese cannot be- come naturalized foreign born children of a Chinese or Japanese cannot claim citizenship of the United States unless both parents are American citizens.