The native American., 1838-09-08

subject. am not prepared to say that the charge
of the judge the verdict Of the Jury in this case
was not agreeable to law; but the facts evolved
by the trial develop some of the means by which
so many thousands of foreigners are annually
made citizens. Although the fact that whole
sale business has been carried on In thus manu-
featuring American citizens has been notorious
| for many years, and Notwithstanding the COM
plants of our native citizens have been SO long
made and so often repeated yet nothing would
seem to have aroused our Legislators to sense of
the evil The case in question (Which is one of
frequent occurrence) is Illustrative of the long
continued practice of some of our courts; SO long
and SO often repeated, that much less is thought
of it than il merits. Indeed, our most patriotic
citizens have been compelled, however reluctantly,
to consider these things as 'necessary evils, and
have quietly submitted to the outrage upon our
laws, and the painful conviction that our rights
and our liberties are fast being wrested from us.
The opinion of very many most respectable cltl-
Zeus Is, that onelourth part at least, of the cert
hcates OF naturalization are obtained in a manner
similar to those indicated i'll the case alluded to.
The number thus obtained can be conceived by
the vast numbers made voters at our elections. 1t
Is truly painful to one jealous of our natural and
dearlv-bought rights, and ardently attached to our
political liberties, TO see, without any apparent
means Of redress, his dearest privileges and the
best interests of his country recklessly barter
ed away and made the sport OF party strife; yet
such has been his misfortune, in this CITY, for
many years past. TO the mad desperation of
party spirit, in fact, to attribute the extent
and continuance of these evils. The almost
equally balanced power Of the two contending
parties here, has impe.led rash and over-heated
politicians to resort to this one, the most sue
ressu, vet at the same time the most bane!ul and
destructive, means Of adding strength and num-
bers to their cause, regardless of the fatal ef-
tects which necessarily must fall upon our i'll
stiutons and all else we hold dear Were
TO add that this spirit has infused itself into some
of our courts. and evInced itself in manner in
which aliens have purchased for bare pittance
the sacred rights Of American freemen, | should
but reerate the opinions of my fellow-citizcns.
| have attempted i'll vain to obtain access to the
hooks III which the names and numbers of those
made citizens are regisered-those only which
have been made at one of our elections. | have
i'll vain inquired of the clerks and of the Judges
: for the most simple verbal information-even the
number naturallzed at single election; and have
been promptly and cavaliery repulsed with an
expression which it is not now necessary to re-
? capltulate This want Of success. in matter of
so much importance, yet Of so little trouble to
communicate, Is IN accordance with that expert
enced by many others of our fellow-citizens.
Foreigners coming into the courts in bodies,
2 usually attended by few interested individuals,
and the slight forms Of law having been hastily
gone through with, (eycn if these trihing pre-
liminaries ar discharge at a,) the ignorant and
: generally unknown recipients of our greatest
blessing, the right Of suffrage are soon despatch
ed, without revealing any particulars of their
Hmerican history. Besides this, great care is
r commonly taken by those interested in the vote
or voters thus secured to the party to screen the
facts from the results of inquiry. Among those
: attending on such occasions, and Immediately
interested in the issue of the business transaction,
: have oftentimes seen some camorous or leading
politician of party, but more frequently still
more violent partisan, echo IS aforeigner. When
ever it is clearly or subsequently known that GER
tiicates have been unlawfuly obtained, it is very
: rare that any attempts are made to convict the
individual before the United States courts. The
facts are subjects of temporary discussion, and
then the circumstance rests among the things of
the day; besides, there appears to be extreme
reluctance among our citizens to become public
lntormers, and to pursue the facts to the convc-
2 ton OF the offenders in these cases.
t During the last election, it has been estimated
+, by the most active and distinguished politicians
. of both parties, that from three to five thousand
y illegal votes were polled in this city-very pro-
e bable still greater number; and though in nu-
. merous cases, frauds are well known, vet have
t not heard of solitary instance of Indictment on
Il that account.
Instances have occurred in which individuals
: have sworn to facts OF a similar fraudulent cha
: racter; and that too, where some forty or fifty
i participated alike in the transaction and were
alike liable to the penalties of the law. In these
. cases all were foreigners; and the circumstance of
: their going from one ward to another, and voting
in direct violation of law, is notorious at every
election. AS a remedy for these aforementioned
evils. our legislature has been memorialized for
the passage Of law requiring registration of
voters; but party spirit has inerposed its objec-
tons; which, in point of fact, have been nothing
more nor less than that such law would prevent
the party from securing the votes which would
be thereby excluded. Here is strong evidence
Of the force of party feeling, in the disposition,
however sacred and important the objects, to
sacrifice them all to the political Juggernaut
The prayers of the petitioners were disregarded,
and made to yield to the all-predominant god of
the day.
As to remedies to be suggested for the pre-