The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-03-11
The Biddeford Imbroglio.

Section 76 of Chapter of the Revised
Statutes of this State provides as follows:
Whoever at an election of State, county or mu
nlclpai officers, or Of elections of President anC
vice PRESIDENT, knowingly votes liz any city, town
OF plantation; where he has no legal right to vote
small De Imprisoned In the county Jail not less thar
uree months, ner more than one year
An alien cannot legally vote at any cleo
ton in this State, town, State or national
and any resident of town born in foreign
country is an alien in the legal sense until be
has been naturalized by court of competent
jurisdiction. No length of residence in this
country will alone serve to convert an alien
into citizen and voter. He can only be
made citizen by a competent court, after he
has complied with certain requirements
of the law. 1t has been the custom in
Biddeford for many years past for the
municipal court of that city to issue natural
ization papers, and persons provided with
those papers have been permitted to vote.
Some days ago Judge Webb of the United
States District Court decided that
the municipal court Of Biddeford was
not competent to issue naturalization papers
and, therefore, that all the naturalization
papers issued by that court in the past were
void, and the persons who had derived their
citizenship from them were still aliens, just
as much as if they had never received any
thing purporting to be certificate of natu-
ralization. 1t followed frem this decision
that all aliens who had been voting on the
strength of these naturalization papers had
been voting Illegally. AS, however, the stat
ute is directed against those on who knoc-
ingly vote illegally, the past illegal voting
could not probably be made the subject of
criminal prosecution. When, however, the
decision of tie Federal judge was made
known to these men, as it was soon after
it was given, they became aware of the
fact that they had no right to vote. Voting
on their part after that became the knowing
ly illegal voting which the statute of the
State Furnishes by imprisonment from three
months to year. The fact that the Bldde-
ford Board of Aldermen in practical defiance
of the courts decision put the names of these
aliens on the list, or being there suffered
them to remain, had no tendency to change
the character Of their act in voting. There
fore every one of these Biddeford aliens who
was aware of Judge Webb's decision-and
knowledge of it-who presented himself at
the polls in that city yesterday, and
voted, did so in knowing defiance of
the law and is liable TO prosecution
under the statute against illegal voting,
and If convicted must be sentenced to
Jail for at least three months. The only dis
erection allowed to the courts relates to the
length OF Imprisonment, whether it shall be
three months or over; Imprisonment the
punishment must be- So these illegal voters
are not likely to get much comfort out of the
Democratic bosses, who encouraged them to
defy the law by offering to furnish bail and
money for their defence, unless the bosses
are also ready to liDger in Jail vicariously for
their dupes
But the men most to blame in this case
and those who most richly deserve punish
ment are not the aliens, many of whom are
Ignorant and were egged on 10 their illegal
act. but the authorities of the city of Bidde-
ford and the prominent Democratic leaders.
These men have not only themselves know
ingly and wilfully defed the courts and the
State authorities. but they have urged hun
dreds Of men to do so, thereby deliberately
running the risk of precipitating riot and
bloodshed. Every one of these men
who by word or deed has aided and
abetted these unnaturalized aliens to vote
should be prosecuted to the full extent of the
law. If there is any leniency to be shown
it should not be shown to them. If. too.
there was any man elected to office yester-
day who would not have been elected but
for illegal votes, his title should be attacked
Immediately. 1t is high time that the blus-
tering gang of Democratic bosses which has
had the people of Biddeford in its grip for
many years should have an overhauling in
the courts.