The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1870-07-15
ALIEN. II. IRWIN, chm.
AN INFAMOUS Law.

The naturalization bill passed by the
present Radical Congress, and now ready
TO. receive the signature Of the President,
Enthusiastically exhibits the old Know Moth
ing spirit In the Radical party, that has
been overshadowed during the past four
teen years by the question: that led TO and
We're evolved by, the war.
II encumbers tho naturalization process,
before so simple and easy-wi,h conditions
'aas' di",""i' and ovncnsive to comply
with, and such as man of ordinary men
tai capacity will find 1t difficult TO com.
prehcnd.
Under this new, and We must say Infamous
law, the foreigner who wishes TO invest
himself with the rights Of citizenship must
spply-not 10 the Circuit Clerk of his
county, as heretoforo-but TO the United
States District Court. If the applicant
live in Indiana, he must make pilgrimage
OF scores of miles to indianapolis, tina, be-
ing the only point in the State whctc the
District Cour, convcnes. If he live IN II
linois, lac must watch his chances and visit
Cairo, Springfield or Chicago. lie can
. not appear by attorney. lie must enter u
personal appearance, And this is not all.
lie must take with him witnesses
to testify to his good moral
character, and 10 the sincerity Of his pur
poses etc. How many foreigners can or
will, subject themselves to this expensive
annoying and oppressive rotine? If con.
gross had passed law doclar,
ing that hereafter no for
eigner shall DO entitled to the right,
ofeitizenship, it would have imposed ban
TO naturalization scarcely less effective than
that set up by the so-called naturalization
law about TO so into effect.
Another feature Of the infamous measure
is set forth by an EXCHANGE in the following
language;
Not only does it cucumber the natural
izstion business with innumerable condit.
ions and prerequisites which mono but the
shrcwdes, lawyer can understand, thereby
making il next 10 impossible for for,
signer to gain these rights previously s,
easy OF ACQUISITION but it meditatcs n direct
Interference on the part of the federal gov
eminent with the freedom of elections in
the several states. Special agents, or in
2 plain English, government spies and pole,
arc 10 be appointed by the United States
courts in every city having over twenty
thousand inhabitants, these spies and
police are 10 be Independent Of all control
save that Of the United States marshal, and
are 10 exercise strict surveillance over the
tallot-box and all its appurtenances and
belongings. They are 10 decide what nt-
taralizaiion papers are right, and what
{ wrong OF, in other words,
they are to say who and how
many Of the foreign born citizens may
vote. They are to do in the North for a
large portion OF the people just what the
federal soldiers did in the South for the
whole people during the reconstruction
process. This is a long step toward. CEN
tralization, taking away, as it does, power
which belongs TO the states, and lodging i,
In the hands Of the general government.
II is intended 10 consolidate and perpe,u-
ate the rule Of the present dominant party,
AND Will be used exclusively for this spe-
cihe purpose by the agents whom thu,
ny will select for lis enforcement