Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-08-10
N If every Juror wore not bound to conceal the

ton, II every juror wore NOT oound 10 concealthc
informer.
The balance of your oath Is easily understood,
for with unusual, heightened, and repeated care,
docs Il incucate conscientious discharge OF this
sacred trust. Your entire freedom from hatred,
envy, love, fear, favor, or reward, and the ut
most exertion of your unbiased Judgment and un-
derstnnding in all the matters which may come
before YOU, or be within your knowledge, is
strictly cntoined. Neither q hasty or careless,
nor tinid or partial discharge Of this duty will
correspond with the strong obligations laid on
the conscience by this oath
Whilst YOU should not in any case f1d true
bill against a fellow citizen where there is no ev-
dence of his probable guilt, and where there Is
no foundation forthc charge, and you are salts
fled that the prosecution is ouly to crafty pri-
vate malice, vet in all cases your inquiry should
be a diigent one and in no case should a pub
lie prosecutor be turned out OF court, or made to
nav the costs of prosecution where he has acted
in good faith, and with pure motives, having the
public good In view, although his evidence may
not In an cases, be sufficient TO satisfy you of
even The probable guilt of the accused. Public
prosecutions shonld be cncouraged when COM
menced in rood faith, and honesty of purpose.
Crime is on the increase, and the safety OF the
community requires thatNhoncst public prosecu-
tors should be upheld. One>great reason why
more criminals are not punishct;>and the public
laws indicated, is because there are not snili-
cent persons in the community who arc willing
to incur the risks and responsibilities of prescott
tors. Others are deferred from fear. The good
are afraid of the bad, aud The vicious and law
breaking class often hold In terror and awe those
whose hearts and conscienccs tell them plainly
of their duty. For instance, see each day, per-
haps, the evidence of broken laws in the sale of
liquors. The Sunday law is violated, intoXcat-
ing drinks are sold to minors and habtual drunk
ards men are seen reeling In the streets at all
hours. and yet no one comes forward to accuse
the persons who put the poison to the lips Of tho
unfortunate victim. Houses of ill-fime are kept
in the most conspicuous places In our towns and
cities, and the youth and yirtuous Of both sexes
are daily enticed to these dens of iniquity, aud
yet il seems that no one is willing, or has the cou-
rage to come forward and make information, al
though their sons and daughters, who are the
rising generation, are habitually, and almost un-
avoidably, brought in daily contact with those
who keep or are the inmates of those places. In
this borough, although we have two constabes
and several policemen, whose duty it is to return
to this court all places of this character, as well
other public nusances. yet [ have never
known of n return to be made. fou may travel
through Pennsy sylvania from the Delaware line to
lake Erie, and you will scarcely find man, or II
boy fourteen years of age, who does not know Of
this place by common fame Mt least. 1t is said
by those who ought to move in these matters,
that they have no evidence-that they never visit
these places. and therefore they cannot produce
the proof. For your information, we would say
that the law is well established that in prosecu-
tion for the offence of keeping bawdy house,
particular facts need not be proved common rep
,tai0n rs to the character of the defendants, and
the house which they keep, and of the persons
visiting them. is admissible. Wharton's Anieri-
can Criminal Lar, y. 2393 State rs. Mcdowell /;
Dudley, S. c., p. $40 United States Gray, ?
Cranch c. c. r., p. G15. Gentlemen. If you
know of such places, either from your own know
ledge or have the evidence by your know ledge of
the common reputation as to the character of the
keepers and the houses and persons visiting them,
it is your duty, under your solemn oaths this day
taken, to present them to the Court, so that if,
upon investigation By the Court and jury. the
accusation is found to be true, they may be bro
ken up by the most condign punishment which
the laws of the land authorize in such cases.
All nations distinguish between their own cti-
Zens and foreigners residing among them. Cti-
zens are either by birth or naturalization. Cit-
zens by birth owe permanent allegiance, and pos
sess corresponding rights, from their nativity.
Resident foreigners do not owe permanent allie
glance, nor possess any right of citizenship until
they take an oath Of allegiance, and be natural
lied or declared citizens.
OF all the rights of ctizcns none is more i'm
portant than that of election. and in no country
i. that acquired so easily as in the United States.
But no foreigner can, from its early settlement
could in nnsylyania, acquire the rights of Il
citizen Especially that Of discharging the duty
Of an clector,) till after he has taken m oath OF
ALLEGIANCE. and been naturaliZcd. He must owe
permanent allegiance to some government, and
he owes none to this till he has taken IN oath OF
allegiance to l.. He is an alien, and no citizen
till then. And before that, to exercise any right
OF citizenship is usurpaticn of unlawful power.
II "a entering on office without taking the oath Of
Office. Such has been the uniform law oc Penn
sylvGria from its early times.
BY the act of Congress, the allen, intending to
become a citizen, must, three years at least be-
fore his admission, declare on oath or affirmation
before some court of record, either Of the United
States or some Of the State or territories, that it
Is his intention to become citizen Of the United
States, and to rcnouncc forever all foreign ale
glance and afterwards, when applying for ad-
mission, he must declare on oath or affirmation,
before some ono of the courts aforesaid, that he
has resided within the Uaited States FIRE years at
least, and within the State or territory where
such court is held year at least, that he will
support the Constitution of the United States.
and doth rnnouncc all foreign allegiance. The
court must be SGti ifed that he has resided within
the limits and under the jurisdiction of the
United : tates fire years, aud that during that
time he has been of good moral character, at
tnchel 10 the principles OF the Constitution, and
well disposed 10 the good order ana happiness of
the United States.
luces a witness who will swear as to the time of
his residence, his character and his attachment
to the principles of the Constitution of the United
States, it is imperative on the Court to admit
such person to citIzenship-but such is not the
case. The act of Congress (PurdOn's Digest,
page lO2l) declares that the Court admitting
such alien, ShaH be satisfied that he has resided
within the United States five years at least, Nc.
aud it shall further appear to their Satisfaction,
that during that time he has behaved himself rs
a man of good moral character, &c.
The Importance Of requiring of every foreigner
strict and satisfactory proofin regard to his quail
ificatlons to become citizen, was made manifest
in recently contested election case in thisconn-
Is. Two persons were voted for to fill town
ship Office. The evidence disclosed the fact that
several of the persons who voted at the last
spring election had, and presented to the election
board, certificates of naturalization, with all
the oaths attached, together with the oath of a
voucher or person who was produced to the
Court to prove that the applicant had resided
within the United States five years, &c, and
these certificates also produced on said tlial
before the Court, whereas the evidence showed,
and that too by the testimony of some of these
very persons who voted, aud had their full natu'
ralization papers, were not in this country quite
two years, nor half the length of time required
by law. Now, either these persons and their
witnesses pcrUred themselves nj the time they
obtained thcir naturalization papers from the
Court or when they were examined as witnesses
on this trial. ! refer to this matter because
have no doubt but that the district attorney will
if the parties are to be found send up bills of in
dictmeut before you for your action. Such con
duct should not be tolerated by free people
! We welcome all nations TO our shores, and in nC