The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-07-15
NATURALIZATION.

seen not yet refuted by the Republican mem
bers of Congress, that this scheme was intro
duced into that body partly on account of
the result of the late election in the State of
New York-the Democrats, it is charged
having been successful there ON account of the
vote of our naturalized citizens being cast with
them This being so, or accepted as being the
case, on the part of Republicans in Congress,
a bill is framed to take away the right Of the
different States to regulate this matter of cit
itizenship-a right always heretofore enjoy
ed by them without cavil-and Congress pro-
poses, in the interest of the Republican party
to legislate upon the subject, to the exclusion
of State regulations in reference thereto. To
that end they have framed a bill that practi-
cally excludes foreigners from ever becoming
citizens ofthis country, OF acquiring the right
to vote OF enjoy their property as heretofore
under State regulations they have been &C.
customed to do. To give some general idea
Of the provisions of this bill, we insert here
short extract from the Baltimore Sun in
reference to it,
The Senate has been engaged in passing
a bill to amend the naturalization laws, os-
tensibly with the purpose of preventing
naturalization frauds. With this view the
bill proposes to take the whole business of
naturalization out of the hands of the State
courts and to vest it in those of the Uni
ted States courts and registers in bank
ruptcy. 1t is argued that the cumbrous ma
chinery which the bill introduces and the nu-
merous and complicated formalities it re-
quires, frequently veXatious and sometimes
insulting, together with the DELAYS it interpo-
ses, will operate as a check and barrier to
naturalization, and to that extent to emigra-
ton Like the act to enforce the fifteenth
amendment the proposed amendment to the
naturalization laws is designed TO interfere
with the operation of the State laws in regard
to elections, and to take out of the hands of
the State authorities the control of their own
internal concerns. 1t is also bill of pains
and penalties. In the language of Sena-
Thurman, it bristles all over with penalties
1t Creates according to that Senator, more
than eighty indictable offences, punishable by
fine and Imprisonment one section alone
bristling with sixty Here are snares and
gins, man-t1aps and spring-guns set with
vengeance. Nor is it intended that the act
shall remain IN te1rogem merely. In order
to insure compliance with its provisions, and
more effectually to override all State law
and State authority upon the subject of cleo
lions, the bill has been amended by the Sen
ate so as to provide for the appointment of
United States election commissioners to SUI
perVise elections in each election district of
cities containing twenty thousand inhabitants
and upwards, while swarms of special Uni
ted States deputy marshals are to attend
to preserve order at elections and arrest
anybody who may be guilty of any of the
eighty indictable offences created by the act.
1t will be as much as mans liberty will be
worth, if the bill becomes law to venture
near the polls on election day without first
committing the act and all its numerous sec
tions, clauses and proyisos carefully to mem
DRY,
What n poor foreigner imperfectly ac-
quainted with our language and unacquaint-
ed with the intrcacies of legal phraseology, is
to do to avoid the Scylla and Charybdis be-
tween which republican Congress seems
disposed to direct mis- course, it passes our
comprehension to understand. Better we
should say for him to hang himself before
breakfast than venture to vote at all. 1t will
be dangerous to have naturalization certifi-
cate in the house. No European passport in
the old days of Austrian despotism was ever
required to be more frequently vised. No
whiskey barrel now has to undergo more
stamping and gauging than a naturalization
certificate under the proposed law will re-
is bungled or omitted, there is fine and I'M
prisonment ready to be inflicted for the of
fence. As to the funny part of the BILL that
black men may be naturalized, but yellow
not, though the word white has been strick-
en- from the bill, it is past commentary
While thus legislating in regard to the
subject of naturalization, however, the idea
comes in that a large African emigration
may possibly set toward our shores, in view
of the peculiar privileges enjoyed by the
negroes under the Fifteenth Amendment and
the Enforcement Act of Congress. The
Chinese are already coming in large num-
beers. But the northern people, especially
those of New England, are bitterly opposed
to the latter because these compete with
them in the matter of cheap labor. SO here
is the way the law is fixed up, according to
the New York Herald, to suit the ideas of a
Republican Congress- That journal, after
commenting upon the provisions of the bill,
goes on to say
We are not surprised, therefore, that Mr.
Summers proposition to strike out the word
white" from the naturalization laws, which
would admit the Chinese to citizenship and
ali vi SiIlZChS, Nuo lCJCCICu Wy .the
large negative vote of 26 nays TO ~ yeas.
At the same time an amendment offered
by Mr.. Warner, of Virginia. to extend the
naturalization laws to aliens of African ma
tiyity and persons of African descent, was
carried by vote Of 81 yeas to 20 nays. Our
republican Senate will admit the barbarian
from Africa who never in the history of the
world began to be civilized, except under the
tutelage of the white man; who never show
ed the capacity within himself to emerge
from barbarsm, and who is confessedly the
lowest of all races of mantle Senate will
admit him to naturalization and refuse this
privilege to a superior and more intelligent
race. What inconsistency! The Chinese
were a civilized people when our own fore
fathers were uncivilized, when the northern
nations of Europe, which are now highly
civilized, were barbarians The Monaghan is
far higher type than the African negro.
why then, this invidious discrimination in
favor of the negro and against the Chinese?
Are our republican Senators and politicians
beginning to see future evils looming up by
their attempt to make equal what the Al
mighty Creator has made unequal Do
they foresee danger TO the republic by put
ting ON an equality races that are not and
L.