Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1857-12-04
From the New York Courier and Enquirer.l
JUDGE GOULD ON NATUALIZA,
ep.is-.~-Nsa. TION. 4nr Uf sfN

Il H.fIH'.-'"t. 900 IIOINs tH'. Hl4
The Hon. Geo! 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
manner following, to-wit E tf
The Clerk informed the Judge that the
man wished to be naturalized, and he (the
Clerk proposed to conduct the matter, as
usual, at his own desk, without interrupt
ing the business of the Court. The Judge
replied that he knew no business more
important than giving man the full rights
of an American citizen, and that he would
himself conduct the proceedings in open
Court.
The applicant thereupon produced his
certificate of intention and his witnesses
as to residence, good character, &c. After
which the following colloquy ensued:
Judge-You say you prefer living in
this country to returning to ireland will
you tell me why s-. s....,.
Pat-This is land of liberty, yer
Honor. --sle-r..f g..
Judge-You say that you are attached
to our institutions; what are they2
Pat-(No answer) e
Judge Who governs the country?
Pat-The President, sure. e .a{
Judge-Who makes the laws?
Pat-Sich as yer honor.
Judge-No; 1 only administer the laws.
Who governs this State
Pat-(No answer.) -....
Judge-Mr. Clerk, hand me the blank
form of the Naturalization Oath. This
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 to
swear to that. ...F...
Judge-Did you ever read that Con-
stitution? ls.- -es.i
Pat-No, yer Honor.
Judge-Or word of it?
Pat-No, yer Homer. .... ar.
Judge-Did you ever hear word of it
read?
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-Indeed and do not, yer Honor.
Judge-You have lived in this country
nearly six years; you can read and write,
and yon have been all this time intending
to become citizen here, yet you have
never taken the trouble to learn or know
one word of the instrument you are now
ready to take a solemn oath to support
An American born here, and living here
until he is twenty-one years of age, learns
more or less of the Constitution under
which he lives, as we'll as of the rights
and duties of citizenship, At any rate,
whether he does this or not, he is presum-
ed 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
birth right. To those not born on the soils
the law applies different rule, and re-
quires from them the oath now under con-
sideration in your case. L hold, that the
due, even the decent, administration of
that the applicant should at least under
stand 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
naturalizcd by this Court.
The above, which is an exact relation of
an actual occurrence, touches the very root
Of 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 consequences of
the abuse of the Naturalization Laws, not
their proper administration. Had those
laws been always, and were they now, ad-
ministered with the integrity of purpose
and common sense view of their require
ments, exhibited by Judge Gould, there
would be little ground of objection, if any,
|
to the effect of their operation, The scat
tered remnants of the American party
may make themselves consistently useful
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.