Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-07-23
From the New York Tribune.
MIR. DavenpOrt's Disclosures.


John /. Davenport reminds Us of the inquiry
into the authenticity of the cipher dispatches.
The democratic majority in Congress was
compelled by political exigencies to enter
upon the investigation, but it has done SO
with hesitation and ill-concealed reluctance.
Mr.. Davenport's examination has been post
poncd again and again. while all sorts of wit
nesses, warranted not to give the democrats
any trouble, have been allowed to ex-
press themselves with the greatest free
dom. II is more than a year and half
since the present inquiry was undertaken. 1t
is eight months since Mr.. Davenport ad-
dressed his indignant letter to Senator Wal
lace claiming the right to be examined. The
delay in calling the one man who knows most
about the subject of inquiry is not surprising
for it is well understood that Mr.. Davenport
has made thorough study of the case under
consideration, and that he is very sharp.
He has now opened so much of his budget
as the democratic members Of the Committee
could not prevent his exhibiting, and the dis
CLOSURES are certainty stusdtiohai. ~ aP-
pears that at the election of 1868 the demo-
cratic majority in the city of New York was
about 60, 900, and this was sufficient to over
come large republican majority in the rest
of the State, with 10000 votes to spare. 1t
has always been believed that the democratic
vote in that year was to a large extent fraud
ulent, and Mr.. Davenport was employed by
the Union League Club to conduct certain
60, 900 and &c, 900 bogus naturalization papers
were issued in the single year 1868, chiefly
by Judges Barnard and McCunn. The fraud
began in the Court of Common Pleas, under
there by the honest democratic clerk of the
court Mr.. Jarvis, who peremptority refused
to issue the fraudulent papers. The bust
ness was then taken over to McCunn, in the
Superior Court (1S67), and the next year
Barnard, in the Supreme Court lent hand.
The first thing that arrested suspicion in
searching the records was the extraordinary
number of the citizens manufactured by
these two judges. Previous committees of
Congress had inquired of all the judges who
issued naturalization papers how long the
process took. Judge Brady said five min
utes the others agreed that eight or ten men
an hour was as many as they could natural
ize. But it appeared from the court records
that Judge Barnard turned out voters at the
rate of 500 an hour. and McCunn was not far
behind him. In October, 1868, (the month
before electionl over $1,000 naturalization
papers purported to issue from the Supreme
and Superior Courts-every one, with few
uncomfortable exceptions, bearing the name
of Barnard or McCunn. On the 18th of
October the number reached the extraordi-
nary figure of 500, whereas, according to
the testimony of Judge Brady and his col
leagues. the utmost that two judges could
have accomplished during the time these
courts sat on the 18th of October (about 1--WE
hours each) was the naturalization of 100 or
l20 men.
Further search shows that there was no
reasonable proportion between the number
of naturaizations and the preliminary declara-
tons of intention. The experience of the
courts since 1865 proves that about half of
those naturalzed are on the record as declar-
ing their intention to become citizens, the rest
being men who came to this country under
age. or who served in the army and are there
fore not Obliged to file a declaration. But in
1868 the usual method was to- issue
all these fraudulent papers as if to exempt
from declaration on account of their aye
on arrival. Mr.. Davenport obtained the afh
davits of one thousand men who acknowl-
edged that they had been naturalized as min
ors, although they were over age, many of
them from forty to sixty years old. when they
landed Even with all these frauds the work
did not go on fast enough and at least 20. 900
naturalization papers were accordingly issued
in blank. without any application for them,
or transaction of anv kind in court. or any
record appearing on the books. Three thou
sand of these bogus papers were seized by
the police at liquor store in Prince street ;
they were intended for use in Connecticut,
where contract had been made to furnish
them at so cents apiece. Mr.. Davenport
speaks from personal knowledge about the
blank certificates. for he has had many of
them-some thousauis-in his possession.
An examination of the court records for the
past Twenty-Five wears shows that the num-
Dor of ADMINISTRATIONS has run from 1850 to
10000 a wear, being highest of course in
years of political excitement. Even 1867.
when the frauds began to be heavy, it was
only IL. 800 But in 1868 it went up to TO-
600 or more. Probably nobody will ever
know the exact figures, because no record
was made on the books, but j, is ascertained
that Barnard court had 5000 blanks. and
used all except 500 of them.
In the preparation of these false papers the
conspiratcrs committed the most reckless
blunders. Certificates purporting to issue
from the Supreme Court were dated back to
1866. although that court never naturalized
any one. and no blanks were ever printed for
it until 1865. Sometimes an imaginary APP
plicant for naturalization was represented as
a alive of this country or even of this city,
Sometimes the application was signed in
good hand bv witnesses who are found to be
now unable to write. Often the names of
prominent citizens as witnesses-August Bel
mont, John I. Hoffman. William NJ. Tweed.
Peter Il. Sweeney, John J. Bradley, William
II. Vanderbilt and United States District At
torney, Courtney-wss signed with a mark
But great deal of work was done by profess
sional witnesses, who made nothing of swear
ing to a five years acquaintance with some /
two thousand applicants. These profession
al witnesses. of whom there were about 100. |
were kept in room adjoining the Court. and /
in one month they signed for 10000 appli-
cants. Ten of them Appealed for no fewer
than PAS persons Patrick Golf John Mo.