Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-02-01
THE NATURALIZATION LAWS.

A bill was reported in the Senate by Mr.. BERRIEN
on Monday, from the Committee on the Judiciary,
to amend the Naturalization Laws. The subject
being one of the highest interest to many OF our
readers, we have run our eye over the bill so as to
enable us to state briefly its leading features.
Tile bill proposes to enact that Collectors of the
Revenue at all the ports of the United States shall
open and keep books Of registry, in which, at the
request of any alien arriving in the United States,
his name age, stature, DC. shall be registered, and
certificate Of such registry granted to the said alien
The Clerks of Courts of the United States may
at any time being at least three years after such
gistry, on presentation of the certificate thereof
record the declaration Of the intention of such alien
to become permanently citizen Of the United
States, and grant him certificate Of such declaration
Two years after the record Of such declaration
and five years after the registry before mentioned
on the exhibition of the certificates of registry and
declaration, and proof Of good character and at
tachment to the Constitution and Government OF
the United States, any court of the United States,
such alien may be admitted to become citizen Of
the United States, on certain conditions, the most
important of which appears to be that he shall have
resided one year at least preceding the application
in the State or District in which the court is held.
No duplicate Of such certificates of citizenship or
registry shall ever be issued except upon proof in
court and public advertisement of the loss of the
original. Children under sixteen years Of age at
the time Of arrival in the country not required
to produce certificates Of registry Of declaration
of intention, if they are proved to have been five
years resident and otherwise entitled.
The most conservative provision of the bill is the
next in order, viz: That no decree of naturaliza.
ton shall be made, or certificate of naturalization
granted, within - months before the time of any
election of President or Vice President of the Uni.
ted States, or of the Electors thereof or within
- months of the time Of any general election in
the particular State or District in which the appl
cation is made and such decree and certificate shall
confer no right privilege of citizenship whatever
except in the State or District wherein the same
may be granted, for the term of -- months after
the date thereof.
DEGREES and certificates discovered to have beer
obtained by fraud false pretences may, upon hear
ing in court after previous notice, be set asde
all persons concerned in such evasion Of the law
may be punished as for high misdemeanors.
Persons now in the United States may, at an,
time within six months after the passage of thi
bill, avail themselves of the general provisions Q
it to become naturalized without the previous re
gistry required Of aliens hereafter arriving in tn
United States.
The provisions of the bill which we have thu
abridged, passed into a law, would, we have n,
doubt guard against the mass of the abuses which
are known to have been perpetrated under the ex
istng laws, and accomplish salutary and effectv,
reform Of our system Of Naturalization.