The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-08-04

naturalization papers were accordingly issued
in blank, without any application for them,
or transaction Of any 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
a contract had been made to furnish them at
so cents apiece. Mr.. Davenport speaks from
personal knowledge about the blank certif-
Gates, for he has had many Of them--some
thousands--in his possession. An examina-
ton of the court records for the past twenty
five years shows that the number of natural
izations has lun from $500 to 10000 year,
being highest of course in years Of political
excitement. Even in 1867, when the frauds
began to be heavy, it was only 1880. But in
1868 it went up to 10000 or more. Probably
nobody will ever know the exact figures, be-
cause no record was made on the books, but
it is ascertaned that Barnard's court had &c.
600 blanks, and used all except 1900 of them.
In the preparation of these false papers
the conspirators committed the most reckless
bluuders. Certificates purporting to issue
from the Supreme Court were dated back to
1866, although that court never naturalized
any one, and no blanks ever printed for it I'M
til 1858. Sometimes the imaginary applicant
for naturalization was represented as a native
of this countey or even of this city Some
times the application was signed in good
hand by witnesses who are found to be now
unable to write. Often the names of prom
inent citizens as witnesses-August Belmont,
John T. Hoffman, William NJ. Tweed. Peter
B. Sweeney, John j. Bradley, VIM. H. Van
derbilt, and United States District Attorney
Contingencies signed with mark But
great deal of the work was done by profess
sional witnesses, who made nothing of swear.
ing to five years acquaintance with some
two thousand applicants. These professional
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 appeared for no fewer
than s,245 persons. Patrick Golf, John Nor
an, John Ward and Patrick McCaffery seem
to have done the heaviest business. Golf gave
his address in thirteen different streets, but
always at the same number, A. The resi-
dence of the supposed applicants were placed
In vacant lots, stone-yards, or wherever
chance or fancy dictated. Occasionally the
conspirators went through whole street, and
located colony of applicants In each house,
not stopping when they got to the end of the
street, but carrying ON the numbers ad isoit-
uns. In City Hall Place, for example, which
contains only forty houses, they ran tie num-
bers up to 342. The applicants for naturali-
cation, it appears, during the height of the
fraud, soere neuer admitted to The courtroom,
and nsver saso the Judge. The professional
witnesses obtained the certificates, either fill
ed out or in blank, and disposed Of them at
rates varying from so cents to ~. Quanti-
ties were delivered in Westchester, Putnam,
Orange and Rockland Counties Golf took
400 to Kings County, and Mr.. Davenport
knows of 500 that were offered for sale in
Saratoga County. The completely of the
Democratic Committee in these transactions
was notorious. The principal part OF the
business was carried on at the party head
quarters the system was organized there, the
witnesses were supplied, the judges were
managed, and the aliens who were to vote on
these bogus papers received their instructions.
So vast scheme could never have been car
ried out except by an organized central au-
thority. But that there might be no doubt
about the real responsibility for the crime,
United States Marshal Murray in 1858 sent a
number of fictitious names to the Democratic
National Committee, and in a few hours OBJ
tanned certificates of naturalization for all at
50 apiece.
These things were done while Tweed was
in his glory. But we must not forget that
the corruption of the suffrage thus intro
duced was continuing danger and injustice
the go, 900 aliens supplied with bogus certif-
Gates repeated the crime every year they vot-
ed When Mr.. Davenport was appointed
Chief Supervisor of Elections his first under
taking was to put a stop to this outrage upon
the legal voters, and his method of doing sc
seems to have been highly judcious. He gave
fair warning through the press, through the
post Office, and whenever possible by persona
notification, that the fraudulent certificates
would be challenged at the polls. He invited
a committee from Tammany Hall to sit will
him at his Office, and requested all holders o
the papers of 1868 to appear there and ex
change their false certificates for valid ones
IL they we're entitled to them, or, at any rate
to be put in the way of becoming citizens. :
Several thousand persons did give up thei
bogus papers and made affidavit as to how
they obtained them and the number Of vol
uutary surrenders would no doubt have beer
much greater if Tammary Hall--not the bas
Tanmany of Tweed, but the present reform,
ed Tammany of Mr.. Kelly--had not sent GU
circulars, in English and German, warning
Democratic voters not to appear before Dav'
export and to keep away from all Government
supervisors
The course which Tammany adopted thel
is the course which the Democratic party ha
adopted ever since the Federal Government
undertook to protect itself against wholesal
corruptions Of the suffrage. There is II
doubt, there is no dispute, about the facts {
the naturalization frauds OF 1858. There
no question that from 10000 to 10000 alien