New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-20


have been admitted by such Court TO CITIZENSHIP
Now in the case of such cities as Boston ana Cni-
sago-especially of Chicago where the great nre
destroyed all the records-if there bad been such
Bureau nj Washington, there would nave
been no difficulty in establishing the fact oil pre-
ssens aromaons that the oyernmento of the United
States. which alone has the power OF erantne
citizenship. should not have the means oil KNOWING
who ITS citizens are and who are made so by virtue
of its laws. There are questions constantly coming
from abroad where the rights OF persons cIainIhrS
citizenship under naturalization papers are bIongnt
into question The files of the Department o. stare
for twelve years full OF complaints from Mln,s
tcrs abroad, of almost every country reianVG 70 e
loose manner in which naturalization III tais
rountry has been carried on, and relative 10 the
fraudulent papers which they have founu anioau.
IL the committee will obtain the corresponding
between Bancroft Davis and Mr. Evarts IN 1877
they will find therein many facts ana particulars
of the difficulties with foreign IovernmenIs unuSl
which our Ministers abroad labor. Mt. DAVIS, IN
one dispatch says that out of fifty cases OF nat
uralization brought before him IN short time;
six of them were found 20 have been granted
on fraudulent certificates. The files OF the Depart
meut Of State will show cases OF men released rom
the army in foreign countries. on eertihcalns ; %
naturalization from America. IN which our MINIS
tiers certify that such men were never out OF tnose
countries and that the certificates were sent theni
from here. As touching the case OF nre IN u Wy,
suggest that the proposed bureau at Washington
might reissue the certificates which II is proven OH
good evidence were lost in this way. -,
FyHh-The enactment OF some provision Oy winch
certificates of citizenship can be made UNIFORM
throughout the United States. the engiavlhe OF
preyent alttr ration. | have spoken OF the system
which has prevailed in this State OF eraslng the
name on a certificate and inserting another. aiso
believe that some provision shouin pe
enacted by means of which naturalization
proceedings shall stop or cease for perlod o. say
six months. Immediately PRIOR to the eiecton or
system by which naturalization certificate should
for q period of SIX months be open. ana ilaole
nrevented. as we have seen from statistics
that the naturalization proceedings IN these
courts almost entirely connheo 10 'H n
Lacnr ala = done
some extent necessarily done, IN a nasty ana hur1
RED manner even when done at Its BEST would
sooner so far as am personally concerned leng'hen
the period of residence, with such safegnar9s as
have suggested rather than that there should be no
safeguards against frauds, as at present
SPECIMEN FRAUDS.
Senator BlaIr-Wlll you state what measures YOU
have taken to prevent these frauds and the practi
cal working of the election laws her.. and facts
that NAV be of use 20 the committee in view OF
further legisationf
MIR. Dayenport--If there is any abuse of the cleo
ton laws ever heard of that did not take place here
Ia 1858 | do not know OF 1t. RAISE regStratlon'
false voting. false canyassing, were here gong on
throughout the city THE, together win the lac,
that the entire criminal power was IN the handS Oh
90 Marty which believed itself So strongly on
frenoGed by means of It's frauds that il cOud not be
dlslodged. As q specimen, take the year lsOo-and
refer TO that year simply because II MAJ De said
tion very largely at that ume-there was az
that time a gang OF seven men ehSaReu
in
the election of that wear 22O names Inc leader OF
that gang is there. PRODUCING p0rtralt) lie reg
jstered under the name of Henry j. Lawrence lie
is an Englishman known as Charles wilson, alias
"Nibhs" or "Nibsey," and was weil-knoWn DICK
rocket THIS picture was obtained from the Rognes
Gallery AT Police Headquarters. The registration
was done most openly by this gang, lis members
registering under well known names, such as WI
liam n. Tweed. Patrick II. Keenan,, then coroner,
and Others ] have here one of the original books
used by them IN their reDeatlng operations, con
tanning the names OF persons whose names lhey
gave. We obtained the book in ms way:
We bac evidence that they were engaged IN
repeatiug and superintendent, then Inspector.
ars ranrb T' them in the act He fouad that they
were a portion of what was known as
%Keddy, the Blacksmith'sp gang and by by
tanned another book On comparing the names III
these two books with those registered we
found That 40 OF the inem a1 hdu Of S'' October
that these We're arrested. On the evening
Of that day writ OF ha1ea c9Ts W he wT geaS
ing =" Before the Hon. George Barnard, justice OF
the Supreme Court or the once Of sGen JpS N
York this 31st dav of October. 1868, at o,clocA
in the evening" No time was allowed for the re-
turn of the writ, and no return was made to 1t.
now BARNARD SET THEM FREE.
The men were taken to Barnards house. Ole OF
Scer with the men, renamed on the sidewalk. and
The writ was taken from the officer at the door Of
the honse by William +. Howe,whO was counsel fol
the men, He in the hallway. as testified TO, wrote
upop the writ, " The prisoners being CHARGED witt
no offence | order them discharged October 81
1S6Sp The writ so ndorsed sent upstairs Il
Judge Barnard's room, and he attached MS sigma
Trra thereto IJpon such orders prisoners dis
charged. called attention TO the fact thai ~ was
in violation of the statutes OF TINS state winch re-
uuire that notice shall be gwen to the Distrlc
Attorney preliminary to the hearing OF
writ aud which makes ii mlsde meanor Tor
fudge to hear wit without such Dotlce6elDG gwen
THE result was that the prisoners were Immediately
discharged and about sixty out of the 220 name
were voted upon. This repeating was practised &c
such an extent that about 2o,OOO fraudulant vote
were cast in this county alone in the November
election OF SOS. Many arrests were made at the
instigation Of the Republicans but the prisoners
MIR davenport continued his statements TO show
the effect of the National laws winch were passed
in 1870, giving long lists OF figures showing tha
before these laws came into operation. the number
of votes was often in excess Of the whole male pop
uIaton. lie also showed the large Republican gains
Ia NUN Der of the wards of the city. resnit di
rectly traceable to the operation OF the naViona
JAWS THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
At balf-past the committee took a recess for hal
On bour and when it reassembled Mr.. Davenport
continuing his statement, said that in 1868 he re
ceived communication from Secretary Fish in re
GARD 10 a number of Cubans who had been unlav
fully naturalized With the communication wer
two cards one from the chairman Of Democrat
organization in an Assembly district. directin
the person to whom it was addressed
see the bearer naturazed and another marke
with blue ink, which color Slgnhed that the apphcan
could not understand Epglish. Mr.. Davenport the
Sroduc ed the papes called for at the morning SEES
zion. and read long list Of persons who ha
heen paturalized in 1868, to which were adde
sworn statements of the persons mentioned. wbic
showed that they were not entitled to natural 20
ton papers and that such papers were OFTEN give
them at their own house and even on the sidewalk
of the street Many who went up TO the Cltv Hal
had not declared their intentions and had Ieve
before seen the witness who was supposed 10 ideh
tify them.
Some hundred of these names having been read
Senator Mcdonald asked # the whole list coul
not he mt in evidence without reading. Senate
Blar said there were about 200 of the cases ant