New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-18


| 1867 ran up very high-13, O4O aud 15,4S6-nearly
double what had been the average OF any ffesi-
dental year prior TO that. This shows to what ex
tent those who had neglected to natnrallze III pre-
| yious years increased the number OF that year,
| MR.. DAvESPoRI's JURISDICTION.
| Senator Blair-What does your district compr SET
| Mr. Davenport-rhe district on both sides
| the river from here to Albany County. The city OF
New-York alone had a population in 1870 OF
100000, of which 41l9 per cent are oil foreign
| birth Some idea of the density OF the population
may be obtained from the fact that one-hai OF the
entire population was between the Battery
! and Fourteenth ST., a territory Of only 24oO
| acres. The national census of 1870 showed a
nomation in the Sixth Ward of q 1913. of which
| UPS or 81 per cent lived In tenement hons :.
| OF the 95.4ll residents in the Seventeenth ward.
| 723i4 OF 20 5000. found their homes IN similar
| dwellings,. There were only fourteen cities IN nc
| whole United States IN 1873 that had larger
| population than that ward.
Democratic party in the State of New York In the
| Presidential year of 1851
| Mr.. Davenport-The total Democratic vote was
| 429 $50; the total Republican vote 4l9.Ss3 max
| ing the Democratic majority just lo0oO Inc
| Democratic majority IN THIS county was 6o,2o H.
| Senator HOar-What the number OF those
| who voted on these fraudulent naturalization
| papers, in your opinlonf ooo
| Mr.. Davenport-ln the neighborhood OF 10000
The Others voted in various counties in this state
| in the state of New Jersey. Connecticut, and in
| Pennsylvania. OF the number of naturalization
| napers actually issued in that year, only about
| $500 claimed TO live outside the County OF New
! senator MoDonald-Then there were abOut 81 .574
of those who had been naturalzed. according to the
records of the Court who appear to have been resi-
| dents Of the City OF New-forKf
Senator McDonald-HOw many naturalization
papers bearing the seal of the Court, in excess of
the number upon the records of the Court, were
Mr.. observation-disclosures $4,000 The Supreme
Court alone issued $4,000 certified blanks, of
seen seem" abont 1000 or 5000 personally. The
| papers were issued in blank, with no name
to Them, They were not natuTallzati@%as
these blanks with the names filled IN so as to com
plete the certificate by which the person might reg
| lster have seen about 100. They were seized by
| the police on the complaint Of Republicans. They
| were not used but they given out for use.
Senator Hoar-Where were they seizedY
| Mr.. Davenport-Ihey were found III 0ar-room
| secreted behind mirror, where they were waiting
for transportation TO Connecticut. .
| Senator Mcdonald Then they were not used
| Mr. Davenport-Not that particular lot. There
| were about 5000 of them.
Senator Mcdonald then asked how many more of
these certificates Mr.. Davenport knew Of, of his
own knowledge, and asked If he would state any
after fact within bis own knowledge, in connection
with this large issue OF certihcates. Mr.. Davenport
repeated the number he had seen, and said that he
knew OF large numbers OF Others that were lssued nut
tins knowledge did not suit the Senator and the
Committee discussed at length what was evidence
within the witness knowledge. The original
onesIon became so befOgged III the discussion that
Mr Davenport said he could not understand II.
|
for any natural or required stupidity yet failed
| to see the point. Senator Mcdonald persisted how
| ever and having at length obtained the admission
from Mr.. Davenport that the facts stated by him
were within his own knowledge the eross-examl-
nation was then proceeded WITH In the course OF
| this Mr. Davenport said it was unusual for judges
TO sit at night but be had known 1t TO be done be-
fore In this instance Judge Barnard sat all night
| which was something more than unusual.
Senator McDOnald-ln the interests Of those who
| were making Applications
| = int nf
do not think he knew or cared nythlng about the
, applicants; ,,,,A Al 4.. 1a
been the stimulating cause of your activity in the
whole matter. has it not
MIR. Davenport VERY quietly)-lt has not; have
dealt with everybody in this matter entirely fairly.
Senator McDonald-1Ou are free from party
spirit. | suppose, and yet You assume, with
District-AttoTney Bliss. that 90 per cent of those
GENERALIZATION papers were held by Democrats and
per cent by Republicans.
THE WITNESS TAKES CARE OF HIMSELF.
Senator Hoar objected to questions which were
> simply comments upon the present or other wit
nesses but Mr.. Davenport cody answered the ques
ton OF the papers secured in 1868, he said, anC
held by voters in 1878, about rs per cent were as
sumed TO be Democratic and % per cent Republican
g But all the naturalization papers issued III 1861
9 were to DEMOCRATIC applicants with the exception
4 | of about $500. He believed most of these wer'
naturalized in the Court of Common Pleas, where
{ naturalization was honestly conducted.
The witness was then cross-examlned as 10 hi
connection with the Republican party in 1868. anC
as TO the number of warrants he issued, the numDe
served and the number of persons held for appear
Q ance at court. To the last question he replied
= "Tboy were all held. / did not go through
the farce of arresng people on purpose 10 dlschag
them" In regard to the comparatively small mum
Der who were indicted he explained that at the re
f quest of the AttOrney-Genera he took only specl
t | men cases on certain specific points.
] Senator McDonald-Ity seems that you issuet
b | 800 warrants; about 600 were served and onl!
some forty persons were indicted and so far as yo
0 know, there no convictions
Mr. Davenp0rt-I know that indictments wer
r | ordered in forty cases, and that IN twenty case
c they were found. And that is not all for the Crane
Jury made presentment on the subject In whicl
IS they condemned this naturalization scheme yer.
Il | strongly. ,,
V | that presentment, but nothing about the lndct
4 meDts. .
clerk of the court, and was requested by the Gran
}, Jury to forward their presentment to Congress.
THE CROSs-EXAMfNATION.
! At this point-baf-past 1.-The committee took
- recess for half an hour The afternoon session wa
e comparatively dull. Senator Hoar went ava
, early, and started for his home in Massachusetts
u Senator McDOnad-Then you assumed that ever
| man who registered on papers obtained IN 1868 ha
= registered on fraudulent papers
. Mr. Davenport-I assumed that to some extent.
. He was then questioned as to the opinion deliy
j cred by Judge Blatchford, in which the COui
Il | index was held to be sufficient record. -
"What is your opinion of Judge BlatchfOrd's de
81 cison ~ asked the Senator. after several question
9; Mr. Davenport-I am not here to criticise Judg
Senator McDoDald-YOu have certainly nsinuate
that Judge Barnard and Judge McCunn acted traut
ulently.
kind say they did.
Senator McDonald-I ask you now whether b
their conduct fraudulent or otherwise could it b
" set up to impeach the record they made
Nv naya TT hat