The New York herald., 1872-10-28
MANUFACTURING VOTERS.
Scenes at the Naturalization 0fices-The Sub
jects Of ERste Despotisms Of Europe Seek
ing the Free Citizenship Of the West.

During the past week the rooms Of the supreme
Court, General Term, were thronged with . rude,
barbarous looking crowd Sturdy, bulletheaded
fellows-s0me with the wild look OF idiots,
others with the bewildered air Of recent
immigrants; some with an air Of mischief
pervading every lineament; some German; some
Danish, Swedish French, but mostly Hibernian,
oil rough clad, have invaded the sacred pre-
cincts OF this Court for seven or eight days past,
at the rate OF hundreds each day What do they
wanti The election approaches, and they want TO
be 'natheralized," "naturized," as one green SON
OF Erin called it yesterday-"Make meself . native
American b0rn sure; and II certificates will DO II, 4
want EN-" These newly enfranchised sons OF the
old sod yearned for their first ballot with
patriotism and sense Of patriotic duty that
enter into the souls or the natives only once In .
while when reform "uprises" against Tammany-
They patiently or impatiently endure vexation
and trouble the laws delay, the insolence Of Office
and other sights that patient merit from the un-
worthy takes, in order merely to obtain that right
to the suffrage which Americans apparently would
not turn the corner to secure 1t was very en-
couraging sight to see for one who loves the c0un.
surage has almost failed it revives patriotlc hopes
and aspirations to these crowds OF newly nedged
Americans seeking against such troubles and yexa-
that palladium of human rights, which, judic0usy
negotiated, may bring each individual possessor
At the Supreme Court, General Term, Judge Cur
tis presided-"the reformed Judge" as the high
him. He sits mute all day behind his low desk and
his g0ld-bowed spectacles, silently signing his
a S e p s sds at IN
any delinquent who ventures to ask the Judge
question or to keep his hat on IN the august pres
ence Near the Judge stands the bald-pated, active
Major General Ward who apparently does nothing
beyond calling out the names OF Patrick Don;
ahue," "ThOmas COghlan," Friedrich Schwfetz'
torms that are brought deferentially to him
S t5s these spak for tas
seven clerks are bAsy filling up blank forms at the
solicitation OF the crowd OF applicants who crowd
through the wide open DOORS One foreigner for
gets to uncover in the sacred presence OF Justice,
and instantly three OF the bulldogs Of the court
onin they all cry in unison, with vehemence sug-
gestive Of nothing less terrible than Guy Fawkes
BY the timely removal Of his explosive % hat, the
frightened applicant turns to one OF the bulldogs
for informatOn:-
Iwants mein naterallerizationb bapers, responds
the frightened applicant.
.Wel wares yer blanks ?" says Bulldog No. a
Il hab keins," says Dutchy, forgetting all hin
English in his fright
taking him by the iapel shere's the man you
want to see; y and leading him roughly to the semi
circular desk he thus Introduces him TO the Irish
patriot whose duty it is to make out forms for such
frightened applicants :-'Lookee here, Tommy,
here's nice pill for yer. Do him up in small
descend on another applicant, who has forgotten
his hat.
The way in which these pills are done up in small
packages is about this Tommy, the clerk, says 70
the Pill whom he proposes to do up:-
''Wel, young feller, where were you born? How
old are you now? what's your businessY How long
have you been in this countrys That's right; sign
your name there. That's all. Now git out there
and wait till your name is called.n
Presently Major General Ward the bald-pated
clerk, calls the name and further questions him,
and then he Is turned over to Judge Curtis who
gazes upon him with an Indifferent stare, such as
Daniel" signs his name to the papers, and at the
impatient wave OF the judicial hand moves On to
the high Official who carries the Bible, and who So
lutes him aar OF with the cry, '.NOw come right
thus, having secured the right hold upon it, turns
him over to another clerk to be sworn. Then being
enOined to kiss er book" the frightened appli-
can't now bewiidered with his change OF nationality
and his irreyocable renunciati0n Of allegiance to
everybody, goes into the room OF the Clerk OF the
Supreme Court, where Thomas Boese and three
assistant clerks with noses and Drawn suggestive
Of muscular Tammany put him through another
oath and make the first onslaught of the occasion
on his pocket
.sTakc hold OF the book You do slomly
swear you renonce alegence sever all from princes,
potentaters powers special Emp. of Germany, seIp
you God-kiss the Book seventy-five cents.r
And then he's as good a citizen as anybody, and
walks away with the buwark of liberty and the
The enforcement of the law requiring the presen-
tatiOn OF naturalization papers by every foreign
born voters has set all formerly naturallzed
citizens to looking up their old papers. Many have
have to call upon the Clerk OF the Supreme Court
for duplicate copies. This duty, coupled with that
OF searching for the record OF previous naturaliza-
ton, comprises the heaviest work OF the clerks at
present, Notwithstanding the steady stream OF ap-
plicants seeking their first papers.