The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 1/Naturalization during the war

NATURALIZATION DURING THE WAR

 

The naturalization law, as it now stands, forbids the conferring of citizenship upon alien enemies. Different courts have interpreted differently this provision. All apply it to German subjects, some few apply it also to subjects of Germany’s allies with whom we are still nominally at peace. Thus in Chicago Bohemian applicants for citizenship who made their application in the state courts were naturalized, if otherwise qualified, while those who happened to file their application in the federal court were held to be alien enemies and their cases were continued until the end of the war.

War upon Germany’s allies cannot be delayed much longer, and then all the Bohemian applicants, as well as many Poles, Italians, Roumanians and other races of immigrants hostile to the German cause and anxious to assume the duties and burdens, as well as the privileges, of American citizenship, will be ineligible for it during the war. Now it is true that naturalization should not be conferred lightly, particularly in time of war, and that the government examiner, as well as the judge, should have clear proof of the candidate's loyalty to the United States, before conferring upon him the rights of a citizen and exempting him from the restrictions placed upon aliens, especially enemy aliens. But former political subjection is not a fair test of a resident alien’s attitude toward America’s political institutions and ideals, and it is no test at all of his sympathies in this war. A French Alsatian or a Pole from Prussia is probably far more determined on complete defeat of Germany than the average native-born American. And of immigrants from Austria-Hungary by far the larger part hate the Germans and are thoroughly loyal in their sentiments to this country.

Repeal the provision prohibiting the naturalization of alien enemies and give every alien, eager to become an American, a chance to prove that his heart is with this country. Should war be declared on Austria, as seems most likely at the time of this writing, a provision of this sort will be necessary in order to make hundreds of thousands of Austrian and Hungarian subjects available for service in the field. There are many thousands of Bohemian, Polish, Slovak and other soldiers in the first select army who will be placed by the declaration of war upon Austria in the category of alien enemies without an opportunity to become citizens. Do not take away from them their chance to become American citizens.