Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1844-11-21
From he NeD York Express
NKTURA LlZATION--ITS ABUSES
THE REMEDY.

LnCOfncO party IL view ioFA, ID Mdhu-
featuring rotss. We find upon 90 accu
rate esumate, that not less than $500
aliens were made sscaizens" during this
period Of time, while the Locotoco major
lily over the Wings and Native Americans
IN the city, is now fixed at 1900 on the
Electors ticket. Thus il viii be seen
that the votes Of men Just admitted to the
sacred right OF citizenship, have settled
the political character both Of the Guy
and The Empire State We wish, now
the election IS over, 70 speak dlsPasslon-
ately of this business. We wish 10 APP
peal 10 the leaders Of each and every par
" against this monsrous abuse OF Natur.
slization, that the remedy, If one exists,
may be applied
The first question which suggests itself
IS, were these $500 men morally and le-
gsHv entitled to become citizens Of the
United States By which we mean to
exercise the elective franchise, giving to
each and every one OF them The same pc
hticRi power possessed by Benjamin +.
! Butler or John jacob Astor. We solemn
Iy declare they 'eere not From care
ful, scrutnizng attention bestowed for
successive days in different courses, both
upon the manner Of the examination by
the Judges. the answers OF the witnesses,
the uniform similarity CT their replies,
and their utter incapacity to understand
the oatbs and the design of naturalization,
we have No hesitation in pronouEclng the
I III tod m
iniquitous. profiga,e, and stupendous
fraud upon the whole American people !
To begin with Judge anderpool,
whom we consider more loose and reck-
less than any other Jndge. His exami-
nation Of Witnesses was 70 less farcical
than it was contemplate and defective. -
In MS judgement, only two questions were
necessary to be asked Of each witness
"aow long has A or B resided IN this
country u Has he been out Of it since
he came IN 7" These are vital questions,
il is true, but the answers, in nine cases
out Of ten, were given in monysyllables,
without any test questions how the wit
ness knew what he was swearing 10, or
what evidence he had, except vague re-
lcollections Of important facts involving
the right Of this man TO receive tis Natur.
al;zatIon papets. Nearly every witness,
fearlessly would swear thnt his client had
10, been out OF the territory Of the United
States during the last fire years. Their
knowledge was generally founded upon
mere belief or supposlon, and not from
personal knowledge, which the oath ex.
pressy requires at the hands OF the wit.
ness. With the exception of Judge DAILY,
the questions in each Court were put in
most indecent haste, and crude, unntelli.
gibIe, inconsistent, evasivc, and uUSatis-
factory answers received without the
slightest rebuke of the witness, or q fort
to silt out the truth, much less by any
indication on the part Of the Judges tina,
they were dschaTging solemn, vastly
Important, and most responsible portion
Of their judicial duties. They conducted
the examinalion as if merely endorsing
drafts drawn by the Locofoco party.
Another thing. Every man who came
from Tammany Hall had received the
most careful instructions relative to the
questions TO be put, and the answe IS
which would be required of them. TIC
the same routine of questions, which the
Judges necessarily used from the avaan,
che Of Germans, Irish, Swiss, Prussisn
French, Russians, and Poles, which
crowded the Court rooms for successive
days, their answers were almost Uniform
ly the same. Nothing was left by which
truth would come out or perjury would
be detected. They were as well drEleG
10 this way as mnst of them ha been by
the Police III Ireland, or the military des-
pousm on the continent from which they
came. These men apparently und rstood
but little of The nature of The allegiance
they renuunced and less of that which
they assumed. Large numbers OF tn m
could not write, but we're obliged TO make
their mark. and nearly half couI3 nci-
Their speak nor understand our language
| Interpreters we've constantly required,
and the vaglrles, as vel as incongru ty
Of their replies, demonstrated how mon
sirously defective were tie Examinations
and the unflness oil such men TO become
''naturalzed citizens"
From the above brief statement, made
in good faith, and with full Pr rsonsl
knowledge of the matter, no rejecting
man, be he Wing or Democrat, can for
a moment hesitate to pronounce "Nalur.
allzalion," under such circumstances, an
aIrocious wrong, a high handed outrage
upon the native American people. Ii is
equally so TO adopted cItizrns who have
resided here for years. and whose inter.
ests as well as sympsthes have long
since become inlerwove1 with the social
texture Of society. Voting presupposes
intelligent action, but how can man re.
Gently from country groveling ia the
darkness of political despotsm. with an
unenliehteued mind, and perhaps incapa,
| BILE Of recording his own name or reading
the ticket he posts, how can such
man vote ihteliigrntly or coDformable 10
the oath he takes to support a Constilu-
ton which he never read, without perpe-
tra:ing an injury to others, if not 20 him.
self, which he has no power TO repair.
The laws infiict summary vengeance
upon the man who votes illegally, aud
every year there is more or less legisa-
ton to punish this sort of wrong-doing.
Yet the facilities which are giveE to aliens
V l. IL