The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-09-09
THE BENNINGTON NATURALIZATION
Letter from one of the Board Of Civil Author.

Letter from one of the Board Of Civil Author
ity.
Editor Rutland GlO6e Il have seen your
iather severe criticism on the proceedings
of the town authorities of Bennington for
refusing to admit some twenty five of its
inhabitants, to vote on their papers of natu-
ralizalion. You have evidently been mis-
informed. No intimation was made before
the authorities that the papers were not
presented in time. Ga the contrary they
were in time, but were issued by court
h svirg no more right to grant papers of
naturalizati IN, to those parties than any
no.ary public in this state. Your editorial
of this date was not we'll received by our
town authorities, who intend to do justice
to all in their decisions upon the right of
suffrage. We admit not only the right,
but the duty, of every public journal to
draw straight the lines of justice, and we
further admit their right to show most
clearly to their readers, and the public at
large, that they stand erect, and are not to
be driven from their course by party or
partisan motives but we deny them the
right to stand so straight up as 10 lean the
other way-especally when the other is the
wrong way.
The naturalization papers referred to in
your article were applied for and taken out
| Of the city court of Troy on the same day
they were presented to the authority of
Bennington, the 4th of September, 1876.
| The parties holding those papers claimed
| the right to be registered as voters. This
| was denied them by the authority who de-
cided that the city courts of Troy had no
| Jurisdiction over residents of Vermont to
grant them papers of naturalization. If
they had resided in the state of Vermont
to- the last year, they could not have re-
sided in NV York, to give the city court
of Troy jurisdiction in the case on the 4th
lay of September, 1876.
| The same question came before the town
authority of Bennington in 1910, and was
ably debated by two distinguished jurists,
he late Gov. John S. Robinson for the APP
plicants, and the Hon. VIM. S. South
worth against the applicants, and was de-
cided as it has bsea many times since, al
most unanimously, not to admit the papers.
la the case Of 1910 it was admitted that to
give the courts in the city of Troy jurisdlc-
ton, the applicants must haye resided
within the jurisdiction of the courts of the
city of Troy, for the full year last proceed
ing the application. But it was insisted
that although the court erred, in taking ju-
risdction of the case. he town authority
could not 90 behind the record. But the
town authority then, as now decided otht r
wise. They decided that when the paper
vas void upon the face of it, they had a
light to notice it, the town authority being
he only tribunal before whom the question
,ould be raiscd. They decided that on the
| ith day of Sept, 1876, the alien was either
| 1 resident of New York, and had no righI
vote here, or he was a resident OF Yer
mont, ard the city court of Troy had nc
| Jurisdiction in his case. The Law
regulating this matter is in these words
at snail BIZ made to appear to the satls
| faction of the court admitting such alier
! that he has resided within the United
] States five years at least, and within thu