Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-11-19
naturalization.

| We nave seen EOtb!bS tlal SO HucH
pleases US upon this subject as the following
/ Ii strikes,us we conceive, at the very root Of
The evil We suffer from the present laws.
The greatest enemy to Republicanism is
| ignorance; and The foreign influence TO be
dreaded, is that which can be bought and
nCrant of the duties of citizens, who are
unacquainted with the Institutions of our
government, and swear tealty to our Con-
stitulion without knowins what they DO
Was the law as strictly enforced as did
Judge GOULD in the following case, we are
satisfied there would be no call for difficulty
on this ubject.
The Hon. Geo. Gould, of Troy, wh lie
holding circuit of the Supreme Court in
the Third Dis ricl, was applied to by stou,
Hibernian for "h papers, in the manner
following, to wit:
The Clerk informed the Judge that the
man wished to be naturaIized, ard he (the
CIerk) proposed to conduct the matter, as
usual, at his own desk, without interrupting
the busnes oil l,e Court. The Judge re-
piled that he knew no business more impor.
| tant than giving a man the full rights OF an
American citizen, and that he wou d him.
sell cond let the proceedings in open Court
The ap pIicant thereuPon produced his
| ,fir nd
to residence, good character, &C. Alter
which the following colOquy ensued:
Judge-You say you prefer living in thi;
country to returning to Eelind; will you tel
me why.
Pat-This is land Of liberty, yer Honor
Judge-You show that you are attached
TO our institutions; what are they!
Pat-(No answer)
Judge-Who governs the country!
Pal-The Pres dent, sure.
Judge-Who makes the laws!
Pat Sich as yer honor.
Judge--No; | only administer the laws
Who governs this State!
No answer.
! Judge-Mr. Clerk, hand me the blaul
form OF the Naturalization Oath. CIhis
being handed to The Court, he addressed the
applicant again.) There is in this oath {;
clause BY which you are to swear that you
will support the Constitution of the United
States.
Pat-Oh! yes, yer honor. I'm ready e
swear to that.
Judge-Did you ever read the Conslitu.
tionl
Pat-No, yer NOR.
Judge-Or a word of it,
P~t-No, yer honor.
Judge--Did you ever hear word of i,
readl
Pat-No, ,er honor. .
Judge-Can you read and write1
! Pat-Yes, sir.
Judge-Do you know one word tha; is in
the Constitution OF the United Statesl
Pat-lndeed, and do not, yer honor.
| Judge-Yuu have lived in this country
nearly six years; you can read and write.
and you have been al! this time intending
to become q citizen here, vet you have
never taken the trouble to learn or know
one word of the instrument you are now
ready to take solemn oath TO support. An
American born here, and living here unit
he Is 81 years OF age, learns more or less Of
the Constitution under which he lives, as
well of the rights and duties of CITIZENSHIP ip
At anu rate, whether lie does this or not, he
is presumed to have done it, and, therefor
the laws of the land give him the right to
vote without he formaliiy of an oath; it is
his birth right. To those not born on the
soil, the law applies different rule, and re-
qui,es from Them the oath now under con-
sireraiion in your case. heid, that the due,
even the decent administration of that OATH
depends in part on the condition that the
applicant should al least understand it, and
will never allow such an abuse of the law
as would be committed by your taking that
oath in your present circumstances. You
cannot be natura ized by this court.