The native American., 1838-09-08
FOREIGN PAUPERS AND NATURALl
ZATION LAWS.
ITO accompany bills II. r. Nos. 87s and S74.l
July 2, 1888.
". [coScLuDED.l
Mr.. Chnpin 10 M. Russell.

mr.. ClntDlH 10 Atlr. NuSSeu.
DEAR SIR: In reply to the interrogaories
which you communicated to me some time since,
in reference to the number of emgrans who
have arrived at this and other ports of the United
States during the past ten years; the number OF
paupers; their character; from whence they come;
together with other particulars relative to the vio
lation of the naturalization law, &C., proceed
to state the facts within my knowledge. 1t is
proper that should premise, however, by saying
that my public duties, i'll connection with the diff
iculties of obtaining many material facts which |
,,ave been desirous to secure, and which are not
even yet at hand, have delayed my reply to IN
unexpected, ana perhaps, an unreasonable time.
Some questions, indeed, it will be Impossible for
me to answer, inasmuch as the sources Of iniorma-
ton are at so great distance as to exclude the
possibility, under present circumstances of secur
ing such data as would justify positive conclusions
upon these particular subjects. Still, trust you
will have obtained the information desired, in re-
ply to the duplicate nterrogatorles, which, as you
inform me, have been transmitted to the places
referred to. From the sources to which you have
applied here, it is not probable you will receive
much intor nation at present. Mr.. Morse has
been, for some time past in Europe; and the ardu'
Gus official duties of our mayor prevent the requi-
site attention to the subject in question; he has,
accordingly, desired me to reply with few par
ticulars at my command would add, also, that
upon some subjects embraced in the inquiries, it is
extremely difficult, if not impossible, to obtain
that minute information which is so desirable,
when the effects are obvious and alarming
Local causes and political interests unfortunately
oppose serious obstacles in the way Of acquiring
many important and useful facts This circum-
stance, among others, renders the information
- -,lzl IL -
more necessary and interesting. But such is the
devotion to party with very many otherwise un-
exceptonable citizens, and such the political OBJ
iects to be secured by Withholding many particu-
lar causes of our just apprehensions, that little
success usually attends efforts to get possession
Of records which should yield us satisfactory de-
tails
It cannot be otherwise than painful to the really
patriotic citizen to notice this fact still, it is cal
culated to illustrate one of the principal causes
of our fears, and to awaken our native fellow
counrvmen to asense Of the importance OF secur-
Ing our privileges and liberties in such manner
as that they cannot be so frequently and recklessy
endangered.
It is well known that the influence Of foreigners
gives, or has heretofore given, predominancy to
that party into which its weight has been thrown
Ordinarily we poll from $4,000 to $4,000 votes,
about $4,000 of which are, it is computed, those
of foreigners or adopted citizens. Hence the IN
huence which they exercise over our destlnies, and
hence. also, the efforts and sacrifices made by
politicians and selfish and ambitious men to Sc
.ure the votes and partisan zeal of the thousands
of our poor and ignorant foreign population at orr
city elections. The objects, likewise, in with
holding or obscurng facts relative to these for
eigners, and which. if generally known, would
a.. 6 nf nttr H,t ~
from this circumstances, equally apparent. That
this great balancing power may be seriously per-
nicous, or fatally destructive to our institutions
need not remind vou; and that it has already
been so, is known to us all. | would not wish to
be understood that there not very many
among our adopted citizens who are highly respcc-
table, intellectual, moral, and patriotic; but OF the
pross numbers who flock to our shores, such Will
not be thought to constitute very large proper
ton The time required to g i've to foreigners the
majority of votes at all important city elections,
can be easily conceived from the above particulars,
in connexion with the increasing numbers added
to our population and to our natnrazad citizens;
certainly, when it is known that from one to taCo
thousand are manufactured on and forMe occa-
sion of each election. At the election Of last fall,
more than two thousand were nauralized; report
saws twenty-seven hundred; and at that of this
spring, more than eleven hundred. THESE es'l-
mates may fall short of the actual numbers bnt'hey
being ascertained, we are justified in the snppo-
sition that they may be even greater, from CIR
tur.stances connected with the exposition OF the
rsc.,rds of the court, as will hereafter appear
This fact should be noticed, in passing, as show
inc the importance of restricting the power to
rr,nt certificates of naturalization to the United
States courts to the supreme courts, or to the Le-
r;s,,tures Of the several States, or, perhaps, to
Conoress itself. But, as propose to refer again
to this and previous particulars will here subjo'n
some few statistical facts, in answer TO SO mnch
Of your first interrogaory ash included IN the iol-
lowing quotation, viz: "What NUMBER Oh lore,sn,
have done for the last ten years!
In 1927, 20.S24 In 1885, el'IoS
1923. 1898 1894, 4s,lll
1929, l5,O36 1885, 35'3oS
tu 1930 30224 1896, 6U,01l