The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-16

spirit. But the time is evidently approach |
ing for bold statesmen to solve the problem |
of social questions and when that moment |
arrives Mr.. Gladstone may find it convenient |
to return to his classical studies, and Mr. Dis
raeli will be nowhere.
OUR NATURALIZATION LAWS.
From the NJ Y. Tribune.
A bill proposing a radical revision of our
naturalization laws in the direction of strin-
gency is now on the files of the House of
Representatives. It confines naturalizations
to the Federal Courts, and allows any immi-
grant of good character to declare his inten-
tion to become citizen at any time after he
shall have taken up his residence among us,
but requires of him probation of four years
thereafter before he is entitled to full citizen
ship. Thus his e1tire probation is reduced
from five to four years; but he must declare
his intention at the beginning of it, not after
q residence of three years. The remaining
provisions OF the bill are designed to pre-
vent and to punish frauds in naturalization.
There is particularly musty Joe Miller
ism which narrates how generous church
man was once impeled to move, in parish
meeting, an increase of the pastors meagre
salary; on hearing Of which, the alarmed
shepherd rushed into the meeting, and thus
expostulated:-
fFor Heavens sake, friend no higher pay allow;
I'm plagued to death to get what's granted now'
We are of like mind with the parson, and
beg Congress to heed the following con-
siderations:-
This city is the ''head-centre" of all election
villainies, and, having mary more European
born than American-born adults among her
inhabitants, is unsurpassed in the amount of
her fraudulent naturahzations and fraudulent
voting. BY means of these, Cornelius w.
Lawrence (Democrat) was chosen Mayor over
Gulian @. Verplanck (Whig) in 1884; by
means of these, James K. Polk was chosen
President over Henry Clay III 1874; by means
of these, General Grant was swindled out of
| the vote of our State and John 7. Hoffman
swindled into her Governors chair in 1868;
| by means of these, Homer A. Nelson was
made Secretary of State over General Franz
Sigel last fall. There has been. no gigantic
villainy in voting or counting votes yet de-
| vised which did not take rise III this city; wit
ness the forty thousand naturalizations by
wholesale in October, 1868, and the contem-
porary issue of thirty thousand bogus certif-
Gates to aliens who had never even applied
for naturalization. That the result in our
State was determined by these frauds is as
notorious as fact we'll can be.
Here, then, is the wrong-gigantic, fla
grant, palpable--how does this bill propose
| to redress it :?
There are and will be election districts
| wherein the voters are nearly or quite all
Democrats, such as the Five Points, Corlaer's
Hook, Mackerelville, etc. Cat 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 500) At such places, the poll is
surrounded throughout the day by an excited,
shouting, drinking crowd, not very sober in
the morning. but growing steadily drunker as
the day wears on-all intent on swelling the
vote and the Democratic majority to the
utmost. No Republican ventures to stand
before the inspectors and challenge all
whom he believes not legal voters. If he
does the cry is soon raised that he is seek
ing to obstruct and prevent the polling of
the full vote, so as to reduce the Demo-
cratic majority, and he is advised to make
himself scarce directly - which he does,
or soon wishes he had done. Very
often, he is admonished by the policemen pre-
sent to get away from that or he will be
smashed-so he gets away. No Democratic
inspector will try to arrest the avalanche of
illegal voting no Republican inspector dare
seriously undertake it. Practically and sub
r stantially, therefore, every one votes who
chooses to claim the privilege, provided he
, pro1fers 'the regular straight-out Democratic
| ticket" Thousands vote in one of these
''strongholds," and then repair directly to
l aloiher to vote again; and so keep on till
! night or drunken stupor arrests their progress.
And now there is bill before our Legislature
to open the polls at G A. M. and keep them
= open till P. NJ. Should that pass, it will in
, crease the vote and the Democratic majority
{ here by many thousands, though not one
/ more person should vote than voted before
s because it will enable the repeaters to vote
: twice OF thrice more each
0 We are not partial to compromises yet W.
= would be willing to allow every alien to vote
: after years residence among us; provided
!. we could thereby be assured tha. no one shoult
= vote more than once at any one election. Th
/, aliens would beat us here, of course; but
r takes the repeaters to knock the breath of lif
s out Of u.s.
8 Now what good can be secured by rendering
{ naturalization more difficult, SO long as thou
O sands vote on bogus certificates, thousand
more without having been naturalized at all
b and these and other thousands keep votin
Al once and again till night or drink stop
l. them? "Sir, said a veteran disciple of Tan
n many in recent grog-shop discussion, g
10 would have you know that have voted thes
le twenty-seven years, and always the regula
40 Democraticsticket!" 1.-The - ,you have!
was the contemptuous response; "well, Iv
voted that same ticket twenty-seven times
one election" The old fogy knocked undt
at once.
d, Whatever Congress may do or leave III
oy done, we trust all who have in good fait
ps declared their intentions will be guarantee