Speech #590088975

Before the adoption of the fourteenth amendment the argument of the gentleman from Ohio would have been very pertinent and. no doubt. sound. but at the present time his argument upon this point has no application. The gentleman also argues that Federal citizenship confers no political rights. It is true that per se the naturalization of an alien does not confer the right of suffrage. though It does other political rights. Suffrage has been repeatedly held to be not a right. but a privilege. which a State could extend or deny to any class of its citizens. but. as a matter of fact. the result of naturalization today in threefourths of the States is to confer all political rights. including suffrage. upon the naturalized alien as soon as he gains the necessary residence within the State where he takes up his abode. This will continue to be so until the constitution of thirtythree of theStates of the Union are amended. From these considerations. and there are many others that might be suggested did I have the time. I submit to the ccmmittee that uniformity in the requirements for naturalization and in the methods employed in admitting aliens to citizenship becomes of the highest importance. That Federal supervision and control of naturalization are absolutely necessary to prevent the frauds and crimes that for fifty years have been perpetrated in admitting aliens to citizenship. all students of the subject admit. In his annual message of 1884 President Arthur states: It might be wise to provide for a central bureau of registry. wherein should be filed authenticated transcripts of every record of naturalizatlon in the several Federal and State courts. and to make provision also for the vacation and cancellation of such record in cases where fraud had been practiced upon the court by" the applicant himself or where he had renounced or forfeited his acquired citizenship. In 1885 President Cleveland. in his first annual message. used these words: I regard with favor the suggestion. put forth by one of my predecessors. that provision be made for a central bureau of record of the decrees of naturalization granted by the various courts throughout the United States now invested withthat power. In 1904. in his annual message. President Roosevelt backed up these recommendations in the following language: The courts should be required to make returns to the Secretary of State at stated periods of all naturalizations conferred. A thorough Federal supervision was also recommended by C. V.