Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-09-18

referring to the statute Mt all il 10 show
the purpose Of the Radical leaders to
interfere 10y Congressional laws and
| Federal officers in the elections of the
States. Having passed this act, the
| Radical leaders next turned their at
tention to the subject OF naturalization.
They passed through the House of Rep
resenthtives, at the same session, a bill,
| No. 2,2Ol, to amend the naturalization
laws and to punish crimes against the
rame. In the Senate the bill was re.
! ferrcd To the Committee on the Judi.
ciary, who reported substitute for it.
TO some of the provisions Of this
substitute, which was earnestly pressed
| for adoption, ] want to call your atten.
! ton, for OF all measures ever introduced
/ into the American Congress hostile to
] the forcign.born citizen or denizen,
! this substitute was the worst Had it
become a law its plain effect would
have been TO greatly deminish if not
| put an end TO emigration to this coun.
| try. Ii would have made naturalization
almost AN impossibility. IL would have
made the certificate of naturalization,
oven when obtained, almost worthless
/ by it, very Fret section il took from
every State Court the right to grant
/ certificates Of naturalization, and vest
ed that power in the Circuit and Dis
| trict Courts o. the United States and
| Registers in Bankruptcy, As Commits.
| sioners, alone. The consequence of this
| provision, had it become a law. would
have been to compel the person seek
! ing naturalization To travel possibly
! hundreds OF miles and incur q great
| loss Of time and money in order to
make his first declaration, and after.
ward his final application. The bill
| next provided that any alien intend.
| ing TO apply for naturalization shall at
/ least one month before such application
/ file or cause TO 1e filed with the Clerk of
! said respective Courts or with the said
Commissioner Register in Bankruptcy j.
TO whom such application is 10 bc made,
! "A notice that he intends TO apply, which
notice shall be verified by the oath OF
| spch alien, and shall state the time al
which such application is 10 be made,
| the name Of the town or place within
the State or Territory, or within the
District Of Columbia, IN which said ap.
plIcatlon II intended 10 be made also,
where the applicant has resided for the
year previous 10 such application, his
residence at the time, with the street
and number lin case he res 'dcs in
/ place having streets named and houses
numbered, and name and keeper OF
the house IN which he lives. the name,
age, occupation and nationality of the
applicant, together sith description
OF the applicant, age, height. complex.
aF,tN y.N Aunw F.s
and any other distinguishing fact" The
object of this provision, with all its par
/ ticuisrIty, was to !nteTpose another ob.
stscic TO naturalization by the trouble
and expense that the giving Of notice
might impose, put principally by cna-
| bling any person whomsocyer TO inter.
icrc and oppose the granting Of the
naturalization. For the bill went on to
provide that the application mUst be
heard At the time specified in the no.
tice, and that any person might con.
test the application; that no affidayits
I should be admitted, and that any at
| torney. atlaw should be permitted TO
cross examine apy applicant or his wit.
ncsses, and 10 offer counter evidence
/ coniormably to the rules OF law that
! for taking and fling a declaration Of
/ intention 10 become a citizen, the fee
! should be fifty cents for determining
whether the alien should or should not
be naiuraliEed, $50; and for each
I days services by any Commissioner in
/ taking testimony, e. and for autben.
I tica,ed copies OF proceedings in natu.
raliza,ion, the same fees as in other
cases, that Of twenty five cents per hun.
] gl~uI ,~a~la 81 (, F4WtIg~ ln1
/ that the fact Of residence for four years
and six months in this country should,
/ in addition to the oath of the applicant,
/ be proved by citizen Of the United
States. And then, after all, " the ap.
/ plicant obtained his certificate, il was
/ declared that it should not be effective
until six months had elapsed after il
was granted. Now, my friends, think for
/ one moment what a man, seeking 10
become naturalized. would have had 10
do, had that bill become law. In the
| fret place, he would have had 10 declare
| his intention TO become a citizen, not
| in the State Court within a few miles Of
| his residence. but in the Federal Court,
perhaps hundreds ot miles from his resi-.
dcnce. That is the first loss of time
and money TO which he would have
been subjected.
Next, at least one month before
making his application to be natural.
I lied, he must have fled the notice Of
which have spoken either in Court or
before one of the Commissioners OF the
Court. That might subject him TO
second journey and further loss of time
and money. Then, when his appiica.
ton came on 10 be heard, he would
have been required to prove that he
had resided in this country four years
and six months by the testimony Of a
citizen. lie might produce men OF the
highest character who were not citizens
TO prove the fact; their testimony
would be rejected. Men upon whose
testimony man might lose life, upon
whose testimony the most important
property rights could be decided, would
have been utterly disqualified by this
bill, had il become a law, to prove the
siunnIe fact of how long n foreign horn