Precisely. but I want to add a word in that connection. I am coming now to the second section of the bill. which relates to naturalization. During the World War there was put into one of the World War acts. an act passed in July. 1918. I think. a provision allowing the immediate naturalization of these men. A good many thousand aliens then in our Army took advantage of that provision. It was discovered afterwards that a requirement had been adopted here by the Bureau of Immigration. which was not communicated to the oflicers of our forces abroad. that the naturalization papers then issued should be invalid unless they were filed in the office of the clerk ofa district court in this country. Possibly that was in the original law. In any event. it was not known to the officers who administered the naturalization. I know of several instances in my own State of men who came back and regarded themselves as citizens and went ahead voting. Some of them are voting yet. But technically their naturalization was not complete. because on their return to this country they did not file their papers with the clerk of a district court. The provisions of the bill are entirely temporary. Immigration is allowed only for a period of one year from the passage of the bill. It is not intended to be a permanent policy. Naturalization is allowed only for a period of two years from the passage of the bill under the provisions of the war time law. Neither section changes the permaient policy of the country.
Keywords matched
naturalization Immigration Naturalization