Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-11-20

JUDGE GOULD on NATURALIzATIoN.-I
Hon. George Gould of Troy, while holding
circuit of the Supreme Court in the Third
District. was applied to by a stout Hibernian,
for "his papers" in the following manner, to
wit:
The clerk informed the Judge that the man
wished to be naturalized, and that he (the
clerk proposed to conduct the matter, as
usual, at his own desk, without interrupting
the business of the Court. The Judge replied
that he knew OF no business more important
than giving man the full rights of an Amer
lean citizen, and that he would himself con-
duct the proceedings in open Court
The applicant thereupon produced his GER
tiicate of intention, and his witnesses as to
residence, good character, sc. After, the
following eolloquy ensued.
Judge-You say you prefer living in this
country TO returning to Ireland +; will you tell
me why?
Pat-This is land of liberty, your honor.
Judge You show that you are attached to
our institutions; what are they
Pat-(No answer.)
Judge Who governs the country?
Pat-The President shure.
Judge Who makes the laws?
Pat-Sich as yer honor.
Judge-No; I only administer the laws.
Who governs this State
Pat no answer.)
Judge-M clerk, hand me the blank form
of the naturalization oath This being hand
ed to the Court, he addressed the applicant
again. There is IN this oath clause by
which you to swear that you will support
the Constitution of the United States.
Pat-Oh, yes, yer honor I'm ready to
swear to that
Jndge-Did you ever read that Constitu-
ton
Pat-No, yer honor.
Judgo-Or word of it
Pat-No, yer honor.
Judge-Did you ever hear word of it
readl
Pat-No, yer honor.
Judge-Can you read and write?
Pat-Yes sir.
Judge Do you know one word that is in
the Constitution of the United States?
Pat-lndeed, and [ do not, yer honor.
Judge-You have lived in this country
nearly six years you can read and write, and
you have been all this time intending to be-
come citizen here, yet you have never taken
the trouble to learn or know one word of the
instrument you are now ready to take sol
emn oath to support. An American born
here, and living here until he is twenty one
years of age, learns more or less of the Con.
stitution under which he lives, as well as the
rights and duties of citizenship. At any rate,
whether he does this or not, he is presumed
to have done it, and therefore the laws of the
land give him the right to vote without the
formality of an oath it is his biYth-right
To those not born on the soil, the law applies
different rule, and requires from them the
oath now under consideration in your case
l hold that the due, even the decent admins
tration of that oath depends in part on the
condition that the applicant should at least
andsrStc'ad it; and will never allow such an
abuse OF the law as would be committed by
your taking that oath in your present circum-
stances. You cannot be naturalized by this
Court.
The above, which is an exact relation of an
actual occurrence, touches the very root %
this matter of Naturalization and of course
applies to all nationalities as well as that of
the subject of the story. The evils Of which
the "American" party profess to seek. the
cure, are the conseq uences of the abuse of the
naturalization laws, not their proper admin
lstration. Had those laws been always, and
were they now, administered with the integ-
rlty OF purpose and common sense view of
their requirements, exhibited by Judge Gould,
there would be little ground of objection, if
any, to the effect of their operation. The
scattered remnants Of the Know Nothing
patty may make themselves consistently use
full in their day and generation, by endeavor
ing to secure the universal application of the
sound and simple principles of which this
case Is an exponent ~. r. Courier and En-
Qutrer.