Chapter II: Foreword

This volume is the result of studies in methods of Americanization prepared through funds furnished by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. It arose out of the fact that constant applications were being made to the Corporation for contributions to the work of numerous agencies engaged in various forms of social activity intended to extend among the people of the United States the knowledge of their government and their obligations to it. The trustees felt that a study which should set forth, not theories of social betterment, but a description of the methods of the various agencies engaged in such work, would be of distinct value to the cause itself and to the public.

The outcome of the study is contained in eleven volumes on the following subjects: Schooling of the Immigrant; The Press; Adjustment of Homes and Family Life; Legal Protection and Correction; Health Standards and Care; Naturalization and Political Life; Industrial and Economic Amalgamation; Treatment of Immigrant Heritages; Neighborhood Agencies and Organization; Rural Developments; and Summary. The entire study has been carried out under the general direction of Mr. Allen T. Burns. Each volume appears in the name of the author who had immediate charge of the particular field it is intended to cover.

Upon the invitation of the Carnegie Corporation a committee consisting of the late Theodore Roosevelt, Prof. John Graham Brooks, Dr. John M. Glenn, and Mr. John A. Voll has acted in an advisory capacity to the director. An editorial committee consisting of Dr. Talcott Williams, Dr. Raymond B. Fosdick, and Dr. Edwin F. Gay has read and criticized the manuscripts. To both of these committees the trustees of the Carnegie Corporation are much indebted.

The purpose of the report is to give as clear a notion as possible of the methods of the agencies actually at work in this field and not to propose theories for dealing with the complicated questions involved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Publisher’s Note v

Foreword vii

Table of Contents ix

List of Tables xvi

List of Diagrams xxi

Introduction xxiii

CHAPTER

I. OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL 1

These Are Our Voters! 2
Primitive Attitudes Toward Immigrants 3
Legal Position of the Alien 5
What Is an “American”? 7
The American Has No Racial Marks 10
Not Racial, but Cultural 12
Essentials of “Americanism” 14

II. NEW MEMBERS AND AN OLD GAME 17

Factors in Immigration 18
Politics Welcomes the Irish 21
They Always Have Been Democrats 21
Early Germans Became Republicans 24
Effects of the Gold Craze 25
Vast Naturalization Frauds 25
First Choice in Politics 30
The Politician Close to Humanity 33
Political Aspects of Social Clubs 35
Politics a Great Americanizing Force 37

III. CITIZENSHIP: UNDER THIS FLAG AND OTHERS 40

Roots of Political Society 42
Influence of Emigration to America 43
The Right to Emigrate 44
The Subject _vs._ the Active Member 45
Essentials of Citizenship: Ancient--and American 46
Bases of American Citizenship 49
Common-law Definition Taken for Granted 50
Concerning Americans Born Abroad 51
Children Born at Sea 52
Question of Dual Nationality 53
Countries Denying the Right of Expatriation 54
Conditional Recognition 55
Naturalization Treaties With the United States 55
Great Britain 56
Germany 57
Citizenship Takes No Account of Sex 62
“A Woman Without a Country” 63
The American Under Three Jurisdictions 64

IV. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATURALIZATION LAW 69

Our “Charter Members” 69
First Naturalization Laws 70
Efforts Toward Uniformity 73
Bars Up Against Alien Anarchists 77
Various Presidents Discussed Naturalization 77
Definite Reform at Last 80
Naturalization Commission Appointed 80
What the Law Requires 83

V. THE LAW IN OPERATION 89

Restrictions of Race 92
Limitations Regarding Age 95
The Declaration of Intention 96
“Declaration Invalid” 98
Should Declaration Be Abolished? 102
Naturalization Judges Favor Its Retention 105
The Seven-year Limitation 107
The Certificate of Lawful Entry 109
The Vexatious Question of Names 112
The Petition for Naturalization 115
Ninety Days’ Interval Before Hearing 119
The Final Hearing in Court 119
Must “Speak” the English Language 120
Attached to the Constitution 123
In the Matter of “Continuous Residence” 124
The Absurdity of the “Incompetent Witness” 126
Judges Denounce the Absurdity 129
Depositions of Witnesses 133
“Good Moral Character” 135
The Final Ceremony--Oath of Allegiance 137
Ceremonies of Initiation 138

VI. PERSONAL EQUATION IN NATURALIZATION 143

A Function of Local Courts 145
“Personal Equation” of the Judges 147
Bird’s-eye View of the Questionnaire 154
General Trend of Judges’ Opinions 158
The Clerks of the Courts 161
The Question of Adequate Clerical Force 163
When the Clerk Pockets the Fees 164
Forms of Petty Graft 165
“Personal Equation” in the Naturalization Service 167
A Scrupulously Honest Service 169
Need of Unifying Influence 170
“Nothing to Litigate!” 171
Confused State of the Educational Test 173
The Craze for “Americanizing” Somebody Else 177
Extra Responsibilities Self-sought 180
Enormous Arrearage in Bureau’s Work 186
The Aliens Support the Bureau 189
Fitness of Candidates 193
“Personal Equation” of the Public 195

VII. SOME STATISTICS CONCERNING IMMIGRANTS, “NEW” AND “OLD” 197

Paucity of Dependable Information 199
Vast Arrearages in Examinations 202
Report of Immigration Commission of 1907 204
Legend of “The New Immigration” 204
Disparity in Numbers Among Racial Groups 206
The Factor of Length of Residence 208
The Factor of Language 214
Length of Residence and Earning Power 215
Voting on “First Papers” 217
What Becomes of the Declarations? 218

VIII. LATER STATISTICS--IN WHICH SOME TWENTY-SIX THOUSAND
PETITIONERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES 225

More Than a Fifth of All Petitioners 226
From Twenty-eight Representative Courts 226
In a Reasonably Normal Year 227
The Racial Groups Are Typical 228
Relative “Civic and Political Interest” 231
How Did These Petitioners Fare? 231
As Regards “Immoral Character” 234
The Showing as to “Ignorance” 235
Time-intervals in Naturalization 236
How Do the Racial Groups Compare? 238
They Are Young People 241
Relative Age and “Political Interest” 242
The Real Racial Distinction 243
Race and Relative Age at Arrival 244
At the Beginning of Married Life 247
As for “Stability of Residence” 247
Intellectual Equipment and Occupation 250
General Conclusions 252

IX. CITIZENSHIP VIA MILITARY SERVICE 255

Position of the Alien Soldier 256
Revolutionary Legislative Action 258
Citizens at Heart, but “Enemy Aliens” 260
All Safeguards Abandoned 263
All Race Restrictions Removed 265
Ordinary Naturalization Disputed 265
Statistics of Alien Registration 267
Aliens and Military Service 269
Foreign Born Eager to Serve 272
Austrians Who Were Not for Austria 274
There Was Human War-time Psychology 275
Diplomatic Requests for Exemption 276
Reciprocal Conscription Among Cobelligerents 278
Of German Descent, but Loyal Americans 278
Desertion, Among Aliens and Citizens 279
War’s Test of “the Melting-pot” 281
An Old Practice with a New Significance 282
What Some Judges Thought of It 283
Here Was “Attachment to Our Principles”! 285
Assimilating the Enemies of Tyranny 287
Episodes of Military Naturalization 288
Those Who Went Without Citizenship 292
A Great Composite Record of Loyalty 294

X. THE FOREIGN-BORN WOMAN, HER HOME AND HER CHILDREN, IN
AMERICAN POLITICS 296

Regardless of Qualifications 298
Unmarried Women Have Male Rights 298
Dangers of “Derivative Citizenship” 299
Children of Aliens Here American Born 301
“Derivative Citizenship” Almost Equals the Direct 302
Woman Suffrage Was Widespread 303
Applicants Came as Young Married Men 304
The Mother Must Be “Americanized” 305
Must Learn Politics by Political Activity 307
Few Women Seek Naturalization 309
Some Courts Notice the Wives 311
Obstacles of Distance and Expense 312
Woman Suffrage Opens a New Era 314
Opinions of Naturalizing Judges 315
650,000 “Derivative Voters” Extant 317
Largely an Ignorant Vote 318
Political Indifference Not Peculiar to Foreign Born 320
Many Were Called, but Few Responded 321
Foreign-born Women Without Political Experience 323
They Are Good Material 324
How the Women Can Be Reached 327
A Specific Example--It Works 330
What the Children Did 333

XI. THE FOREIGN-BORN VOTER IN ACTION 335

Divided by Racial Traditions 338
Aliens Not Without Political Influence 339
There is no “Foreign Vote” 340
Old Evils Abolished 341
Corruption Was Not an Importation 343
Home-grown in Adams County, Ohio! 344
Who Is the Buyer of Votes? 345
Attempts to Find the “Foreign Vote” 347
Response to Progressive Ideas 354
Some Results from Cleveland 357
“Civic Interest” in Grand Rapids 365
Municipal Voters’ League of Chicago 369
Some Other Instances 373

XII. THE FOREIGN BORN IN RADICAL MOVEMENTS 377

The Socialist Press 380
Dues-paying Socialist Members 381
Racial Groups of Socialists 383
The Socialist Vote 385
German Influence in Socialism 387
Jews in Socialism 390
Effect of the War on Socialism 391
The Single-tax and Agrarian Movements 393
The Nonpartisan League 397
Ultraradical Movements Nonpolitical 401
The “I. W. W.” and the Homeless Worker 403

XIII. SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 410

No Lowering of Standards 416
A Function Administrative or Judicial? 420
Physical Conditions and Dignity 422
Function of the Naturalization Bureau 425