The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-11
Reform in Naturalization.
. AZ Az u HL.iInIa,n


We are not surprised that the articles which
we have published on the great naturalization
frauds i'll Pennsylvania, in behalf of the De-
mocratic party in 1867, should have brought
to us several suggestions from correspondents
whose attention has been attracted by the in
trinsic Importance of the subject. The under
lying idea Of liberal political institutions is,
that of the most perfect equity, and there is
nothing more aristocratic in its tendencies and
nature than double-voting. The felon who
votes more than once, when the law allows
him to vote once only, neutrallZes the
vote of his honest neighbOr, and may
defeat the will of a whole township
or county, or even State. correspondent
who has had a practical experience of the
evils and dangers attending the present
reckless and unrestrained use of naturaliZa-
ton papers in the promotion of fraud pro-
poses various changes in the law, which, if
they had been made soon enough, would have
electually blocked the pretty little game of
the Pennsy ylvania Democratic State Committee.
He would have the naturalization process per-
fected and both sets of papers granted in open
court only; he would have the interval of two
years between the issue of the first and second
papers rigidly insisted on he suggests that
those who mean to apply for naturalization
should give sufficient public notice of their in
tention and that printed lists of such appl-
cants should be posted in public places in each
election precinct for proper time before the
application is to be heard. These iudicious
suggestions are worthy of careful cOnsidera-
tiOn.
Our readers will remember that one of the
most shameful of the Pennsylvania frauds
was the voting by naturalized citizens upon
the strength of papers worthless at best in
half dozen or more precincts. Fellows who
resort to this game, and who are known tech
nicany ia Democratic science as "rouuders, -
k.l.l
tOus perambulations by untrustworthy In
spectors and judges of Elections, who are
utterly void of shame. Our correspondent
proposes, when any man registers or votes
upon the strength of his naturalization pa
pers, that the fact should be indorsed upon
them in black ink, thus: Registered at or
voted upon in this - precinct of the -,
-, by the within named -, now resident
and voter hereof" This certificate, signed
by the Register or Judge of Election, might
not prevent an unprincipled officer from
receiving fraudulent vote; but he would sin
with his eyes open, and he could plead no
honest mistake when brought to book for his
crime. Our correspondent says that when he
was Register in Detroit, in 1859, he took
the liberty, law or no law, of thus endorsing
naturalization papers. The local Democratic
journals of course set up howl OF indigna-
tOn, but their clamor did not kill him, nor
will like noise prove fatal to any Registers
elsewhere who may adopt this simple pre-
ventive, taking upon their own shoulders the
responsibility until We can get the procedure
authorized by the act OF Congress.
The honest and wellinformed citizen who
votes but once at an election, is defrauded of
his most precious immunity by the dishonest
or ignorant naturalized citizen who votes upon
the same occasion twice or thrice. To con.
siderable degree the liberty in quest OF which
he has crossed the ocean, aud the political
safety which he has abandoned his birth place
to secure, are filohed from him through the
ignorance or the dishonesty of his associates
of the same class, who should be as sorupulOus
as he is in maintaining the dignity and repu-
tation of the body to which both belong. He
should be az ready to have the swindlers of
the polls suitably punished as he would be to
send the petty larcenous rogue who picks his
pocket to the penitentiary.