New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1855-10-30
BEAUTIES OF MATuRALIzArIoN

l.
| The Baton Rouge Gazette, of the 9th, con
tains an. excellent article headed g Wholesal,
Naturalization" After saying "that tive
Judges (of the parish Of Orleans) are prostra
ting the dignity of our judiciary at the feet Of po
litical partisanship," with some other incidental
remarks, the Gazette goes on to state:
The very that there are hundreds literally dragged
to these courts that unable speak language
consequently have read the Constitution tbs
Language In which Is written and most probably in
other should quicken the scrutiny of judiciary into
their claims to be advanced to such high privileges
They should be asked II they had read the Cons
tuition Of the United Statesand examined it with
to it' leading principles The witnesses should kewiss
be required state ho they know he (the appican
ats ched to our Institutions and the principles Of the
Constitution.
knowledge connected with the granting of
papers by courts Of JUSTICE These Developments
make us hesitate however to endorse the definition given
nv Blackstone that court Is place where Justice
jdliciay administered
We have this moment seen the naturalization papers
Of foreigner who happened to be too honest to vote
upon them issued in 1868 by the Sixth District Court
presided over by Judge Cotton and Mr. Holland acting
~ deputy clerk He inquired of the gentleman how
long had been in the United States when thsse
were issued. His reply thirteen days. He further
stated that these papers had been brought to him and Tint he
tad nere been himself court Now does not follow that
some instrument OF party really represented this man In
open court, or that the officers Of corrt both
manufactured the papers, or that they themselves
grossly imposed upon We are unwilling TO make so
charge against officers ho have been elevated to
such places Of responsibility by the SURFACES of the
people Does not this instance demand an investigation
into thefraud perjury and imposition, whatever term
it may be designated by the Legislature some eompe-
tent tribunal? It is clear 70 minds that the holder
OF these papers, Is in manner to be blamed because
when properly informed he has refused to vote upon
them. They happened to get hold Of an honest man
Another instance iu this parish ht brought our
knowledge the holder Of the papers declaring that his
Papers icee brought TO him. and he hrd nepsr taken The oath
such startling Developments these staring tho
Commissioners Of Election in the face taken in
ton with other aspects Of this question: looking strongly
towards fraudulent result and determination to effect
suoh result are they not bound by every consideration
OF duty and their high constitutional responsibilities and
the solemn sanctions of their oahs to demand that the
NATURALIZATION papers every foreigner with the excep
ton Of those old nauraizsd cEens known to pceaes
them should be presented to them for examination
We unhestatiDgy affirm that such Ia their duty and
that they will disgrace their high position il they for
moment, shrink from its fem and manly discharge.
Our position is SO well known that we need
hardly say that we coincide in the deductions
of our capitolian contemporary. Neither quib-
bling lawyers, nor detached sections of laws,
nor quotations from authorities-which have
no more bearing upon the matter than extracts
from Mahomet's Koran-can, or should, divert
the great stream Of law and justice from flowing
on to triumphant contamination in this com
monwealth.
The case particularly quoted by the Baton
Rouge Gazette-and, before going further, we
must express the opinion that the Judge and the
Clerk Of the Court referred to, were shamefully
imposed upon by some perjured counterfeit
shows how the fraudulent vote Of November,
1868, was obtained-hoto, right in the face of
the ravages Of the pestilence of the preceding
summer, which could not have carried off less
than two thousand voters, the vote swelled
some three thousand beyond any previous emu
meration! s
No doubt hundreds of papers we're thus
fraudulently obtained-and, no doubt, hun
dreds Of dead mems papers found living, breath
ing, acting representatives for the papers of
dead men were cheapest. 49,
Such facts as these; takenain connection with
that other fact, that, in the Second District
Court, under the old regime, hundreds of natu-
realization papers were granted of which there
IS no record, make it the imperative duty Of
the Commissioners OF Election to enquire, ex !
anime, and summarily reject, when it becomes
necessary. The Commissioner who fails in this
Will fail IN his sworn. duty-Will he derslict to
his oath. No man has the smallest scintilla Of
right to vote on naturalization paper Of which
there is no record None but Courts Of Record
can naturalize, and where there is no record,
all documents purporting to be naturalization
papers, are worthless, and entitled to no more
respect than counterfeit bank note.
We are unable, for our part, to see how the
Commissioners can do justice to themselves, to
the community, and to the laws, without they
institute rigid investigation, wheneyera ques-
tionable case comes up. And, rs the Ameri-
conservatives OF the soilare always willing to
their right to the prerogative Of
suffrage, and will not object if the closest scru-
tiny is applied, we do not see why foreigners OF
foreign organs should object to similar scru-
tiny.