The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-12-09
dition, all of which have been duly pro
THE ALABAMA CLAIMS.


The Court o: Commissioners of the
Alabama Claims has prosecuted its i'm
portant duties very assiduously and very
satisfactorily. 1t convened aud was Or
ganized on the 22d of July, 1867, and
by the terms of the act under which it
was created, was to exist one year from
that date. The act prevailed, however,
that should it be found impracti-
cable to complete the work of
the Court before the expiration
Of the year, the President might,
by proclamation, extend the time of
its duration to a period not more than
six months beyond the expiration of the
one year. Having received satisfactory
evidence that it would be impracticable
to complete the work in the time origin
ally fixed, l issued proclamation "a
copy of which is presented herewith),
of the Court for period of six
months from and after the 22d day
of July last A report made through
the Clerk of the Court, COM
municated herewith, shows the
condition Of the calendar on the first of
November last, and the large amount of
work which has been accomplished.
Thirteen hundred and eighty-two claims
have been presented, of which six hun
dred and eighty-two had been disposed
of at the date of the report. l am in
| formed that one hundred and seventy
cases were decided during the month OF
November. Arguments are being made
and decisions given in the remaining
/ Ill taI
with proper consideration. The ques-
tions submitted in many of these claims
are in behalf Of mariners, or depend on
the evidence of mariners, whose absence
has delayed the taking of the necessary
evidence. 1t is represented to me that
it will be impracticable for the Court to
| finally dispose of all the cases before it
within the present limits of its duration.
Justice to the parties claimant, who
have been at large expense in prepar-
| ing their claims and obtaining the evil
dence in their support, suggests a short
eXtention to enable the Court to dis
pose of all of the claims which
have been presented. l recon-
mend the legislation which may be
deemed proper to enable the Court to
complete the work before it. l recon-
mend that some suitable provision be
made by the creation of special court,
or by comforting the necessary jurisdic-
tion upon some appropriate tribunal for
the consideration and determination OF
the claims of aliens against the Govern
ment of the United States, which have
arisen within some reasonable time, OF
which may hereafter arise, exclud-
ing all claims barred by treaty pro-
visions or otherwise. 1t has been
found impossible to give proper
consideration to those claims by the Ex-
ecutive Department of the Government.
Such tribunal would afford an oppor-
tunity to aliens other than British sub
jects to present their claims and accounts
of acts committed against their persons
or property during the rebellion, as also
tosthose subjects of Great Britain whose
claims having arisen subsequent to the
9th day of April, 1866, could not be pre-
sented to the late Commission, organized
pursuant to the provisions of the treaty
of Washington.
STANDARDIZATION AND EXPATRIATIoN.
Among the pressing and important
subjects to which, in my opinion, the at
tention of Congress should be directed
are those relating to fraudulent naturaliz
alton and expatriation. The United
States, with great liberality, offers its
citizenship to all who in good faith COM
ply with the requirements of law. These
requirements are as simple, and upon as
favorable terms to the emigrant, as the
high privilege to which he is admitted
can or should permit. l do not propose
any additional requirements to those
which the law now demands; but the
very simplicity and want of necessary for
mality in our law have made fraudulent
naturalization not infrequent, to the dis
credit and injury of all honest citizens,
whether native or naturalized. Cases
of this character are continually being
brought to the notice of our Government
by our representatives abroad, and also
those of persons resident in other coun-
tries. Most frequently those who, if they
have remained here long enough to en-
title them to become naturalized, have
generally not much overpassed that pc
riod, and have returned to the country of
their origin, where they reside, avoiding
all duties to the United States by their
absence, and claiming to be exempt
from all duties to the country of their
nativity, and of their residence, by rea-
son of their alleged naturalization. 1t is
due to this Government itself, and to the
great mass of naturalized citizens who
entirely, both in name and in fact, be-
come citizens of the United States that
the high privilege of citizenship of the
United States should not be held by
fraud, or in derogation of the laws, and
of the good name of every honest citizen.
On many occasions it has been brought
to the knowledge of the Government,
| that certificates of naturalization are
held, and protection or interference
claimed, by parties who admit that not
only they were not within the United
States at the time of the pretended
naturalization, but that they have never
resided in the United States. In others
the certificate and record of the Court
show on their faces that the persons claim
ing to be naturalized had not resided the
required time in the United States. In
others it is admitted upon examination
that the requirements of the law
have not been complied with.
In some cases, even such certifi-
Gates have been matters of purchase.
These are not isolated cases, arising at
rare intervals, but are of common occur
renee, and which are reported from all
quarters of the globe. Such occurrences
can not and do not fail to reflect upon
the Government, and to injure all hon.
est citizens. Such fraud being discov-
cred, however. there is no practical
means within the control of the Govern
ment by which the record of naturaliza-
tion can be vacated and should the GER
tifcate be taken up, as it usually is, by
the diplomatic and consular representa-
tives of the government to whom it may
have been presented, there is nothing TO
prevent the person claiming to have
been naturalized from obtaining new
certificate from the court in place o. that
which has been taken from him. The
evil has become so great, and OF
such frequent occurrence. that
can not too strongly recommend that