New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-02-15
OUR NATURALIZATION LAWS.

| A bill proposing q radical revision OF Oul
Naturalization laws in the direction Of strin
gency is now on the files of the House of Rep
resentatives. 1t confines natuTalizatlOns to the
Federal courts, and allows any immigrant OF
good character to declare his intention to become
a citizen at any time after he shall have taken up
his residence among us, but requires of him a
probation of four years thereafter before he is
entitled to full citizenship. Thus his entire
probation is reduced from five to four years
but he must declare his intention at the begin
ming of it, not after residence of three years.
The remaining provisions of the bill are de-
signed to prevent and to punish frauds in
| Naturalization.
There is a particularly musty Joe Millerism,
which narrates how generous churchman
was once impelled to move, in parish meeting
an increase of the pastors meager salary; on
hearing of which, the alarmed shepherd rushed
into the meeting and thus expostulated:
For Heavens sake friends no higher pay allow:
Tn, plagued 10 deatA to get wh0t s granted no,o."
We are of like mind with the parsOn, and
beg Congress to heed the following cOnsidera-
tons
This City is the "head center of all election
villainies, and, having many more European
born than American born adults among her
inhabitants, is unsurpassed in the amount of
her fraudulent naturalzatiOns and fraudulent
voting. By means of these, Cornelius w. Law
renee (DemOcrat was chosen Mayor over
Cuban c. Verplanck (Whig) in 1884; by means
of these, James X. Polk was chosen President
over Henry Clay in 1874 by means of these,
Gen. Grant was swindled out of the vote of
our State and John T. Hoffman swindled
into hnr phair in nv
means of these, Homer A. Nelson was
made Secretary of Estate over Gen. Franz
Sigel last Fall. There has been no gigantic
villalny in voting or counting votes yet de-
viSed which did not take rise i'll this City: wit
ness the forty thousand naturalizations by
wholesale in October, 1868, and the contemporary
issue of thirty thousand bogus Certificates to
aliens who had never even applied for Naturali-
cation. That the result in our State was deter
mined by these frauds is as notorious as fact
well can be.
Here then, is the wrong-gigantic, fragrant,
palpable--hOw does this bill propose to redress
it7
There are and will be election districts
wherein the voters are nearly or quite all DEM
ocrats such as the Five Points, COrlaer's Hook,
Mackerelville, &c. Eat the Five Points, the
vote last Fall stood Sigel Is; Nelson 90; while
we are confident that the legal voters residing
in that district number less than 5OOl At such
places, the poll is surrounded throughout the
day by an excited shouting, drinking crowd,
not very sober in the morning, but grow
ing steadily drunken as the day wears
On-all intent on swelling the vote
and the Democratic majority to the
| No tn hp
fore the Inspectors and challenge all whom he
believes not legal voters If he does, the cry
is soon raised that he is seeking to obstruct
and prevent the polling of the full vote, 80 as
10 reduce the Democratic majority, and he is
advised to make himself scarce directly-which
lie does, or soon wishes he had done. Very
often he is admonished by the policemen pres
ent to get away from that, or he will be smashed
so he gets away. No Democratic Inspec-
tor will try TO arrest the avalanche OF Illegal
voting; no Republican Inspector dare seriously
undertake it. Practically and substantially
therefore, every one votes who chooses to
claim the privilege, provided he proffers the
Irregular, straight-Out Democratic ticket
| Thousands vote in one of these strongholds,
and then repair directly to another to vote
again and so keep OH till night or drunken
stupor arrest their progress. And now there II
bin before our Legislature to open the polls
at A. NJ. and keep them open till z. NJ
| Should that pass it will increase the vote and
the Democratic majority here by many thou
sands though not one more person should vote
than voted before; because it will enable the
reneaters to vote twice OF thrice more each.
We are not partial to compromises yet we
would be willing TO allow every alien to vote
after years residence among US, provided we
could thereby be assured that no one should