The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-10-12
sSTt NAV Rev.

with all the rights, privileges, and immu-
mites OF American citizenship by two
tpstaves of the Supreme Court Of Pennsyl-
vania, in defiance of the letter and spirit Of
the law. In reference to them Mr.. Shars-
wood says:-"IT MAY BE THAT AMONG so MANY
CASES THKRE ARR INSTANCES OF FRAUD, Perjury,
AND FALSE PRRsoNATIoN ~ When we glance
at the facts which have been developed during
the past ten days, this timid and hestating
may be" assumes the proportions Of down.
right and positive certainty.
l. In examining the petitions on file in the
Prothonotary's Office, we have encountered
numerous cases in which the blank for the
vouchers attestation remained. just as it came
from the printers hand.
ii. In this same examination we have en-
countered cases in which two persons have
acted as vouchers for each other, one of them,
in swearing that he was a citizen, being guilty
OF perjury by the plain and undisguised con-
fession of his signature and oath.
I'LL In this same examination, we have en-
countered the name of James A. Watson, OF
Germantown, as voucher for at least seventy
two persons, with not one of whom, according
to his subsequent confession under oath, was
he acquainted. Timothy Donohue and Ed
ward McNulty have each appeared in the
capacity Of voucher more than forty times,
and Hiram Jacobs, Bernard Mullin, George
Palmer, John Ward, and Hugh Brown more
than thirty. five times each.
w. In this same examination we have dis
covered that nearly every applicant out
$500 swears that he came to this country be-
fore attaining the age Of eighteen years, and
in nine cases out of ten he has perjured him
self in SO doing.
V. On the 2Sth OF September, not less than
72O times did Colonel James Ross Snowden
attx his signature to certificates of naturaliza-
tion, accomplishing the work at the rate of 25
seconds to each application, without presuming
to examine the papers, and without dreaming
referring them to the Democratic judge who
sat behind him writing letters and reading
newspapers.
vi. On one occasion we saw person in no
way connected with the Court pass beyond
the railing and place ON the desk of Colonel
Snowden naturalization certificate, which was
duly signed by the latter, and 'no questions
asked"
| VII. Under oath before Alderman BETTER,
Colonel Snowden has admitted that he may
have attached his name to certificates ''without
their having been sworn to.'
VIII. One of the vouchers has been proven
to have said that he ''oould swear fifty times
for glass of lager"
TX. Numerous persons have testified un Ter
oath that the men who vouched for them had
never seen them before the day on which they
went into court and swore they had known
them for years.
Certainly, with these facts in view Mr.
Sharswood could run no risk of "extra-j Judi
cial impropriety'' by bringing discredit upon
the records of the court of which he is a mem
ber, and confessing that "it may be there are
instances of fraud, perjury, and false persona
tion.'
What is the remedy Let every man whose
sympathes are in favor of the purity of the
ballot-box and the cause of liberty and JUS
| tice, hasten tomorrow to exercise the full
rights Of his citizenship. Every honest vote
that is cast for Hartranft Tyndale, and
Gibbons will counteract one fraudulent ballot,
if the judges of election are so derelict in the
discharge of their sworn duties as to permit
these fraudulent and illegal votes to be polled.
The Judicial Champion of Democracy.
"THE personal integrity of the respondent is
therefore fully vindicated." Stripped Of all
its verbiage and special pleading, the decision
rendered by Mr.. Sharswood in the case OF
the fraudulent naturalization certificates may
be summed up in the single sentence which we
have quoted. And with that, Mr.. Shars-
wood thinks that he has done his whole duty,
for, as soon as he had finished reading his deci-
sion he ordered the Court to adjourn sine die,
thereby preventing the Attorney General ana
his associates from suggesting any sup
Elemental action. The "personal in.
tegrity" of Colonel Snowden was never
assailed by the prosecution. They went into
court for the purpose of calling the attention
of the Judge to gross fraud upon the rights
of the people, perpetrated in the name Of the
tribunal over which he presided. II was al
his suggestion, and not of their own mo
tion, that rule against the Prothonotary was
granted. And when the proceedings thus in
augurated by Mr.. Sharswood resulted
as every one in advance fell
confident they would be made Il
result, in the entire exoulpation of the Pro
thonotary, the original object of the investiga
tion-the detection and punishment of tn,
guilty parties-was defeated by the summary
adjournment of the Court. more shameless