550
Green Bag.
est, busy and conscientious lawyers in Amer ica who have had to patiently teach popu larly-elected judges their duties, or who have seen the judiciary acquire the science of judgment at the expense of their clients. The Government has introduced a bill founded, in some respects, upon the example of legislation in America to restrict the in flux of undesirable immigrants into this country. It is claimed that at the present time there are thousands of aliens in Eng land, who, coming from Russia and south eastern Europe, with the hope of ultimately reaching America, have settled here, because, either by reason of lack of health and consti tution or money to pass the requirements of the American immigration act, have settled down in the East End of London, where they are adding to the normal state of social con gestion. It may seem strange to an Ameri can that a measure of this kind should meet with opposition, but thus far the proposed act has encountered such strenuous objection from the opposition that practically no progress whatever has been made in com mittee with it. The ground of objection is, that as England has always afforded an asylum for oppressed of all lands, it would be unfortunate to close the doors in the face of refugees driven by harsh political conditions in their own country to seek shelter here. Just now the discussion provoked by the bill has received additional interest from the problem that must be raised by the influx into American ports of what are here known
as the two-pounders"; that is, immigrants who are availing themselves of the twopound steerage fare across the Atlantic. Happily, the political danger in unrestricted immigration is not as great in England as it is in America, owing to the great care with . which the Naturalization Act is enforced. In England, as in America, five years' resi dence in the country is a pre-requisite to naturalization, but here the application must be made to one of His Majesty's Secretaries of State, and the Home Office, or what answers in a measure to the Department of the Interior, is vested with authority to ad minister the law. The applicant must support his application by affidavits from two resi dent householders, that they have known him to be an actual resident of the country for the full term of five years, and from two other persons of position that they deem the applicant to be, in their judgment, a proper person to be admitted to the privilege of citizenship. These affidavits- are not mere matters of form, but are scrutinized with care, and if the zealous officials who admin ister the law are not thoroughly satisfied with the facts disclosed in the affidavits or question the position of the affidavits, an in dependent inquiry is made by officers of the department. As a result of such inquiries, numerous prosecutions have been instituted, one of which occurred within the past few days, resulting in the conviction and exem plary punishment of all of the parties con cerned. STUFF GOWN
