Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-03-02

aliy reliable and ever popular correspondent re-
ferred to this bill and spoke of Mr.. Davis as being
undoubtedly the d5ica larger M the House, and
cited the great ability displayed in thc propara-
ton of this bill as evidence of the fact.
In this connection desire briefly To examine /
Mr. Davis title to this distinction, and 10 show
that il he has affirmed that proud position, he has
scared thereto upon plume- stolen entirely from
the wings Of others. Those who reflect that the
present House contains such men as Bingham, /
Woodward, Poland, Butler, and score of others,
men who have long been eminent in their POSI-
ton before the bar and upon the bench, will not
be disposed TO regard Mr. Davis as the ATTEST ialr
YER in the House, unless he presents some better
evidence thereof than his ability to recognize a
GOOD thing when he secs it, and disposition %
appropriate and adopt it as his own without
credit
On the 81 of February, 1869, Hon. Luke p.
Poland of Vermont, introduced in the House a
"bll providing for uniform system Of naturli-
zation," but which failed to pass both Houses Tor
want Of time
4 careful comparison of both bills di-coscs the
fact that, with one or two triAng aud unimport-
ant exceptions every feature of Mr.. Dayi, bill
! is taken from the bill introduced by Judge Poland
last year often whole sections being copied en-
tire. and verbatim. About the only difference
between the two bills is that Judge Pollnd'- is o
model Of conciscncs and perspicuity, occupying
only six pages. while Mr. Davis, which contains
| but one additional idea, is so encumbcred with
! high sounding, but empty legal phrases and end
less repetitions ms TO swell its dimensions ~ eiJh-
teen pages Perhaps this however, is one Of the
evidences Of his superior legal ability.
! One Of the most important features oi Judge
Poand's bill was, that while the five years pre-
vious residence Of the applicant, as required by
the present law, was retained. itroquired that the
papers should be delivered to him six months pre-
yious to the expiration of that time Thus while
il did not extend or diminish the period of resi-
. INN uuf III
foreigner to vote until six months after the deliy-
cry OF his papers. This was calculated 10 prevent
| the wholesale distribution of naturalization pa
pers upon the very eve OF an election, when men
are excited, passions aroused whiskey lowing
freely and money perhaps in active circulation.
This feature is adopted by Judge Davis in his
present bill with the exception that, without any
apparent reason, the period of residence is rcdu-
ced from five years to four years and six months.
The next most salutary provision, is that de
/ filming what Courts shall have power ~ grant pa
i pers Of naturalization BY the present law, the
right is conferred upon all courts having common
law jurisdiction, a clerk and a seal, which In Tie
large cities has been construed 10 include courts of
probate, police magistrates, and many petty courts
unknown 10 the Judicial system OF Vermont. It
is these petty courts, composed Of UrcuntrOlled hy
local politicians, that, on the eve OF every iul-
portant election issue their naturalization paper.
by the ream, upon which newly arrived emigrants
4" vote early and often 10 correct this crying
abuse, Judge poland's bill provided that " pro-
ceediugs for the naturalization of aliens mas De
had before the circuit and district courts of the
United States and the courts OF highest urisdic-
ton in each State and Territory which holds stat
ed sessions in each county for the trial Of civil
causes and no other courts shall entertain such
proceedings This wise provision was adopted
by Mr.. Davis without Alteration or amendment
By the present law, the proceedings upon an
application for naturalization are entirely private
los. and 10 -ffll.
ing any opposition to the admission, or the cross
examination OF the witnesses Tor the applicant
POlands bill provided that such witnesses should
be sworn and examined in open court and that
any citizen Of the United States should be allowed
to appear and oppose the admission OF the appli-
can't to examine his witnesses, and D. intro
duce any legal evidence tending % dispr0Je the
right of any such alien u become a citizen Of the
United States; which provisions are also adopted
by Mr. Davis, almost in the very words OF the
n original. In Judge POland's bill. and which j.
= also incorporated in the copy made thereof hy MI
Davis, is provision which is entirely omitted ii
j. present law, prescribing q penalty of fine and
/ imprisonment for false swearing, or for falsely
personatlng any other person than himself, OF
falsely appearing in the name Of a deceased per
son, or by an assumed or fictitious name
And 50 on, from the enacting cnuse to the iina
section every idea Of Mr. Davis bill is drawn from
: the bill of Mr.. Poland, which was before th,
House last year, and often in the precise words o.
1 the latter The only section b be found in Mr.
+ Davis bill that is wholly original is one pro,d
, ing for the setting aside a naturalization fraud
ulently obtained.
One section of the pending bill Of Mr.. Davis
provides that any alien residing within the United
States with the intention of becoming either
thereof, may file with the court declaration o
such intention, whereupon he shall be entitled t.
the same protection which the United States ac
cords 10 its citizens iChiie such dhen remains {
| n fbo IIygfad Ihie al horIlu bs
accepted as going far enough in that direction By
the large and increasing Foreign element of oul
population. | have no means Mt hand of verify
ing my impression, but have we not heretofore
! in some instances at least, extended a like pro
lection, not only while the party remained a resi-
dent of the United States, but while he might b.
temporarily abroad? lfmy recollection is correct
Martin KOsta, 10 enforce the demand for who's
release Commander lngham few years ago turn
ed the broadside of an American man-oi-war upol
an Austrian port, was not as yet a n0turaliZe,
citizen, but had only declared his intention of be
coming such.
My purpose however, was not to discuss tn,
merits of Mr.. Davis bill, which is undoubtedly
an excellent one, but 10 point out the exceen
source from whence it was derived, and 10 protes
/, against his being crowned with laurels, whic
properly belong 10 n representative of Vermont
II, Since the days of Impeachment, the Capital ha
! seen no such excitement as during the past week
! The House Military Committee, which for severn
days past has been engaged in the investigation
/ the alleged sale Of cadet appointments, reporte
y upon the first case, and invited summary actio
. thereon.
= The finding in this ease was, that it had bee
: proved that Hon. b. f. WhittemOre, representatiy
from South Carolina, has sold his appointment 70
: pecuniary consideration. This fact indeed he di
} not deny, but pleaded in justification or excuse
q that there was no son OF a legal man in his dis
u trct who could pass the examination necessary
ls.fu b. int
: no appointment at all, he had disposed of il for
: consideration, receiving the money in trust 70
. the benefit OF his constituents, and that no POI
i ton thereof had been appropriated for his ow
= benefit. II appears that both Mr.. WhittemOr
y and his wife have been earnestly devoted 10 IN
y educational interests of the coored people of hi
u section and that his wife has for some years pa,
= supported school OF some two hundred pupil,
- OF which she was herself the teacher. Their grea
y want has been means 10 provide additional accom-
:, mediation and instruction, and II Is claimed thu
y all the money received by Mr.. Whittemore lC
y this appointment was honestly turned over an
IL appropriated by him for building school house,
buying books, etc This plea the committee n
~ fused to receive or consider, but as soon as tl
,r admission was made that money had been receive
by him, they rushed into the House with a repo
and a resolution of expulsion, demanding imm'
A. diate action thereon. Judge Poland, and le
o others, counseed delileration and moderation
al and deprecated the unseemly and undignide
" haste demanded by the committee and remindt
r the House that the proceedings before the con
lmittee had been exparte in their characte
and that Mr.. WhittemOre, upon whom the
were asked to infict the extreme penalt
had not been confronted with his accusers, NJ
allowed an opportunity to cross examine Il
=. witnesses upon whose testimony he had be-
81 condemned Mr.. Logan, who has seemed
IL pursue this case with an almost unaccountab
zeal, was inexorable Under the arbitrary al
y tyrannical operation of the previous question
ID which he insisted upon, all debate was chok,
= of, and immediate action demanded, 1t now b
u came evident that expulsion WAS inevitable, al
nc MIR. Whittemore asked that action might be d
layed until the morrow, which was granite
u When the case was called the next day, NJ
ID Whittemore sent to the clerk S desk to he read,
n teegraphic correspondence, containing his resi-
"a nation as a member of the House and its accep
IL ance by the Governor of South Carolina. III