Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1870-07-16
DEMOCRATIC AND CONSERVATIVE
STATE TICKET.
Shares and Mantraps.

The Baltimore Sun aptly characterizes the
naturalization bill recently passed by the Sen
ate as an invention Of snares By which citizens
NAV be involved ia the consequences Of a vio-
lsti5n Of the law in ignorance fits provisions,
We shall be greatly surprised if the foreign
element. especially the German, now identified
with the Radical party, when they read and
scan the iuiQuitous measure, do not cut loose
en- masse from the proscriptiye crew. The
bin not only throws difficulties in the way Of
the naturalization of foreigners, but it nuliics,
in a measure, the acts oft State Courts, and
renders it dangerous 10 use the papers upon
which men have voted for years. The Sun so
well describes the operation Of this proscrip-
tive scheme that we insert its remarks at
length
"Tbe Senate has been engaged in passing a
hin 20 amend the naturalization laws, oStensi-
biz with the purpose Of preventing natu-
raiizltion frauds. With this view the
bin proposes to take the whole bust
ness Of naturalization out Of the hands Of the
STATE courts and 10 vest it in those Of the Uni
tel States courts and registers in bankruptcy.
Iii argued that while shutting one door against
the preparation Of frauds, the bill opens wide
another and that partisan registers will be
found Just as lax and culpably negligent IN the
administration Of the law rs ever the Judges
and officers Of State courts dared to be. Fur
Their. il is argued that the cumbrouS machinery
which the bill introduces AMI the numerous
and complicated f1rmaTitieS it requires, fire.
quently vexations and sometimes insulting, to-
eether with the DELAYS il interp0SeS. will Ope-
rate as q check and barrier to naturalization.
and o. that extent % emigration. But these
features Of the BILL however impolitic and OBJ
iectiOnable. are not those to which we have
present reference. Like the act TO enforce the
fifteenth andmement the proposed amendment
70 the naturalization laws Is designed to inter
fere with the operation Of the State laws in
regard % elections. and % take out Of the hands
of the State authorities the control Of their own
internal concerns. Il is another blow aimed
nj loca. se'f-governmeut and the principles
upon which our whole republican system, which
has descended from our fathers, has been sup
posed 90 rest.
&C. It is also bin of pains and penalties. In
the language Of Senator Thurman, II bristIeS
an over with penalties. IL creates. according
q that Senator, more than eighty iudiCtabe
offences. punishable by fine and Imprisonment.
one section alone bristling with sixty Here
are suarcS and gins. man-traps and spring
Guns set with a vengeance. Next In order %
taxing everything we cat and drink and use
and wear viii be o. make punishable we sup
mn Cn HIn Nur
Is 10 intended that the act shall remain JB ter
rortn merely I'm order to insure compliance
with It's provisions. and more eilcctua.y t.
override an State law and state authority upon
the subject Of elections the bin has bccnameud-
ell by the Senate So as to provide for the APP
pointment Of United States election commits
sionerS 10 supervise elections in each election
district of cities containing twenty thousand
inhabitants and upwards while swlrmS Of Spc-
cial United States deputy mlSha's are % at
tend % preserve order 40 elections and arrest
anybody whomav De gui'tvof auyof The eighty
iniictabIe offences created by the act. IL will
be as much as a mans liberty viii be worth. il
the bin becomes q law. % venture near the
polls on election day without first committing
the act and an its numerous sections. clauses
and proyiSos carefully On memory.
What a poor foreigner, imperrect'y ac-
duaiutcd with our language and uuacqua'Uted
with the intricacics Of LEGAL phraseology. is %
DO 10 avoid the Scylia and Charybdis between
which a republican Congress seems disposed to
direct bis course. it passes our comprehension
90 understand Better. we should saw for him
o. hang himself before breakfast than venture
% vote at all Il will be dangerous 20 have a
naturalization certificate in the house. No
European passport in the old days Of Austrian
dc,ulti,m was ever required 20 be more fire.
ouentlv rissf No whjskey barrel now has
O. undergo more stamping and gauginc than
q naturalization certificate under the proposed
law viii require. and IL one Of the prescribed
hruafties is buuglcl or omitted there /, fine
and imprisonment ready to be inflicted for the
offence. As 20 the funny part Of the bin, that
black men may he uaturolizoi, but yellow not
though the word white has been stricken from
the bin, 10 is past commentary.