The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-08-04
MISCELLANY.
From the N. Y. Tribune.l
MIR. DAVENPORT'S DISCL0S URES

The inquiry into the transactions of Mr..
John l. 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 up
on the investigation, but it has done SO with
hesitation and ill-concealed reluctance. Mr..
Davenport's examination has been postponed
again and again, while all sorts Of witnesses,
warranted not to give the Democrats any
trouble, have been allowed to express them
selves with the greatest freedom. 1t is more
than year and half since the present in
quiry was undertaken. 1t is eight months
since Mr. Davenport addressed his indignant
letter to Senator Wallace claiming the right
to be examined. The delay In calling the one
man who knows most about the subject of in
quiry is not surprising, for it is well under
stood that Mr.. Davenport has made
thorough study of the case under considera-
ton, and that he is very sharp.
He has now opened SO much of his budget
as the Democratic members Of the Commit
tee could not, prevent his exhibition, and the
disclosures aregcertainly sensational IL ap-
pears that at the election of 1868 the Demo-
cratic majority in the City Of New York was
about 90, 600, and this was sufficient to over
come large Republican majority in. the rest
Of the State, with1O, 900 votes to spare. 1t
has always been believed that the Democratic
vote in that year was to large extent fraud
ulent, and Mr.. Davenport was employed BY
the Uuicn1League- CID b-to coud yet cert$ipp In
vestigations., He discovered that between
80, 900 and 70, 900 bogus naturalization papers
were issued ip the single year 1868, chiefly by
Judges Barnard and McCunai The fraud be-
gan In the Court Of Common Pleas, under
Judge Cardozo, in 1866, but it was stopped
there by the honest Democratic clerk Of the
court, Mr., Jarvis, who peremptorily refused
to issue the fraudulent papers The business
was then taken over to McGunn, IN the su-
perior Court 1857, and the next year Barn
ard, IN the Supreme Court, lent hand. The
first thing that arrested suspicion in search
ing 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 Minutes tht
others agreed that eight or ten men an nopi
was as many as they could naturalize. Blu
it appeared from the court records that Judge
Barnard turned out voters at the rate OF oo'
an hour, and McCunn wasnot far behind him
In October, 1868. the month before election
over $1,000 naturalization papers spurpprtet
to issue from the Supreme and Superio
Courts--every one, with few inconsiderabl'
exceptions, bearing the name of Barnard Q
McCunn. On the 18th Of October the mum.
Der reached the extraordinary fgureo of 4,62O
whereas, according to the testimony Of Judg'
Brady and his colleagues, the utmost that tw'
Judges could have accomplished during th'
time these courts sat on the 18th Of Octobe
(about Eve hours each) was the naturalization
of 100 OF 100 men.
Further search shows that there was NJ
reasonable proportion between the numberio
naturalzations and the preliminary. declara
tions Of intention. The experience of tn
courts since 1868 proves that about half G
! those naturaized are on the record as declar
/ ing their intention to become citizens, th
rest being men who came TO this country III
der age, or who served 10 the army, and al
therefore not obliged to file declaration
But in 1868 the usual method was to issue a
these fraudulent papers as if to persons e.
4 empt from declar alton on account of their al
on arrival. Mr.. Davenport obtained the all
dayits Of one thousand men who acknowledi