The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-08-26
REGISTRATION LAW UNOONSTITU.
TIONAL.

States?
We propose to examine it dispassionately
as a naked question of law, and to show thai
in excessive caution it defeats itself. This
section is the one which prescribes the formal
tiles to be complied with by naturalized cit.
zens before they ,ciN be registered.
The first part Of the section requires the
production Of certificate, under seal, from
whatever court naturalized the applicant.
This is as it should be. 1t next requires
proof Of identity Of the applicant "by the
9th OF two qualified voters" There is no
serious objection to this. 1t then proceeds
in these words to make additional require
ments: "AEd shall further answer upon oath
to the satisfaction Of the Supervisor or ASSIST
ant Supervisor Of Registration before whom the
said certificate may be produced, when and
where he was born, and when and where he
obtained the certificate, and from whom
and the said certificate shall not be
eridence that the person presenting it is
| a naturalized citizen unless his answers be con-
sistent with the facts certified, (this question
certified, being exclusively question to be
decided by the Supervisor or his assistant
and the proof of his identity be satisfactory
70 the Supervisor Or Assistant Supervisor OF
Registration.
The Trainer Of this part Of the section lacked
the most ordinary familiarity with the natural
ization question, and had a ''dense ignorance
Of what certificates Of courts under seal are.
After being in possession Of the certificate
"duly attested,' he must prove aliende,
''ecl,ea and chere he ,cas born, and ,ehen and
,rhere he obtained the certificate.
Did it not occur to the wise lawmaker that |
the certificate itself would at least prove
''when and where he obtained" it? The |
extra requirement above is as silly as it is
Illegal. BY keeping ew plain facts and
principles in view, all confusion on this sub
ject can be avoided.
After the foreigner is once naturalized any
where in the United States, he acquires the
right to enjoy in all the States his rights as
citizen OF the United States, and no State can
compel him to grant her, as against him, a
new trial on the question whether he was
properly nnturulized.
Once naturalized under the laws of the
United States, which laws have the exclusive
regulation Of the matter (Con. Z. S. art l, sec.
3, he acquires vested rightin his United States
upon which no State can lay her h.,
hands.
She may impose other restrictions upon the J
indulgence of his suffrage as citizen of the
particular State, but she can add nothing to v
he requirements Of Congress as to his ma e
uralization Or the manner of Id0ri,g the S
ame
This is too well settled for argument. Conk-
tates Courts, standard authority in all our l,
ourts, at page 722 says: 3
'The Judgment Of the court admitting the c,
pplicant a citizen OF the United States is to ii
e entered as such on record, and, if it is in Fl
lie legal form, is, like every other Judgment, pl
1nciasire 1T is complete evidence Of its ID
ten ralidity, and 10 subsequent inquiry can be
ade into the sgtHciency Of the evidence upon :, !,
hich it was pronounced He cites Spratt =
). Spratt, Peters, p. 1913, Supreme Court of -
lie United States i,
This decision simply repeats the doctrine IN
sections l and Nv of the Constitution, tie
hich declares that ''tull faith and credit at
all be given in each State to the public acts tn
cords andjudicial proceedings of every other pr
ate" The State courts natura,ize only NV pl
e permission and direction of acts of Con- :"
ess Without such permit their acts, so .,
as the United States are concerned, would NJ,
mere utilities. no
We have no hesitation in avowing that all Gel
do more than produce legal certificate. in in
9 form, Of his naturalization and to prove Sh
identity, are utterly void.
So soon as he has fulfilled the two above s''
luirements he stands precisely in the shoes S '
native born citizen, except that he is not .;s
gible to the Office Of President or Vice 49,.
esident, that is to say, after he has thus mo
oven the fact Of his naturalization, no law for
Louisiana or any other State can affect him |
ferently from the manner in which it affects me
ives Of Louisiana. SO.
This law then as it stands, can only bring to
authors into merited contempt, and should tne
use universal indignation among our for -
n born citizens. 1t says to them, protect 90
lrselves as you may by becoming citizens of 10Y
United States when you come into Louis asa
a, We will tear up the judgment of the court E.
ich declares that you have complied with to Z
laws Of the United States and are tina
citizen, and as such, entitled to all the S
nunities and privileges of natives, and we a d.
drag you before an august tribunal of was
own making. presided over by a Super tina
y Of Registration or his Assistant! VIII
very naturaized citizen should calmly - -
slider this peculiar law, which practically refa
,les him out and binds upon him burdens hull
ne by no other citizen of the United the
,es, and then determine whether the party and