Evening journal., 1891-02-21
AN Absolute DENIAL.

4
$ Redmond Smith, clerk of the cour
aid Districs Courts Of the United States
was seen at his Office in the Fecers
Building this morning by an EvENIN
JOURNAL reporter lie is Indignant an
denies in iota the charges made by th
Evsry Evening let night, 10 the effe,
that he had issued fraudulent NATURAL
sation papers.
What he Has to Say.
"Mr. Smith. what have yen to say il
regard to the charges made in the Ever,
Evening last night2" asked the reporter
He replied
THE article in the Every Evening o
last night directly charges me with hav
ing wilfully issued defective certificate,
of naturalization for the purpose of de.
| irauding naturalized citizens of tben
votes; and also by implication of hevine
swindled the applicants for naturalization
out OF the court charges received fol
their papers. These charges are based
upon an erroneous report of the tasti
mony delivered by mo In the Cotton case
and were the less excusable because that
| testimony was delivered twice-onee
from the bar of the court at the request
OF the chief justice and again from the
witness stand
The error In the report consisted in
making me say in effect, that the defec-
tive blanks, which fonnd their way into
the hand of Mr. Cotton through M.
Mahstfy, were of the class furnished to
applicants after declaration OF intention
whereas, my testimony was, that the de-
fective blanks were of the class known
as minor papers
The editor having then assumed that
Inc detective papers were of the class
furnished applicants after declaration,
SUCH as the class Of papers furnished
Deotepanis and Mclaughlin, he draws
the unwarranted conclusion that tho
papers OF DeStepanis were made
out ON this defective blank,
and when compared by Cotton
with the blank Of the same class in as
sumed proper form were found not to
correspond, and this justified Cotton in
refusing to accept DeStepanis's papers
and were a warrant for reject
ing his vote In other words
that l issued, knowingly, fraudulent
papers of the class referred 10 and
furnished Cotton genuine paper. which
would enable him TO reject all certificates
on the defec i've form.
he charges me further with having
received the fees on such defective is
sues Knowing them to be defective. when
! ought to have called them in and at my
own expense issued corrected certificates
There was no testimony whatever
upon this point and, as matter of fact
there n-ver has been. to my knowledge
ana defective papers of any class ever
issued from the United States Courts IN
this district during the past seventeen
years, since have been clerk of the
same.
One of the objects in granting 10 IN.
spectors of elections at this or on former
elections, blank form of final naturaliza |
ton papers was to enable them to dis. |
'fininate between fnai GER
tlneate Of GENERALIZATION aud the eerti6 |
cate OF declaration of intention /
81 Which there are hund eds Ia III bands |
d Aliens IN this community and to pre- |
vent the fraudulent voting upon speb /
,ertlheates of declaration OF intentions p
What slips do you intend to take ia |
.he matter2"
will wsit until see what the Every |
Evening has to state in this evenings |
ssue regarding the matter. az am IN |
willing to believe that 1t will refuse ia |
make the proper public explanation due /
% me in the matter
@r. Smith then exhibited the three 9if /
erent classes Of final blanks 10 Wit
those granted after declaration Of inten.
ion OF applicant; those granted ia
minors arriving in the country under is
ears old, and those granted to honorablv
discharged soldiers, and also ne
ofm OF certificate issued upon deelara
lon OF intention. There was a marked
llHerenee IN the appearance and wording
'etween each Of the three forms OF fnai
ispers, and the form of the certificate Of
eclarstions of intentions
A Case in Point.
Did you ever know OF the certificates
I declaration Of intentions being mis-
AIKEN by the election officers for fnal
of naturalizationg"
les frequently. / remember now a
aw days before the 4th of Novem her
asst, case came before the District
curt where man offered himself as .
oueher for an applicant for citizenship
no on being asked If he himself was a citi.
On, replied that he had bsen naturalizad
this court. On examining the records
was discovered that he had taken ont
u hrst paper "a declaration of inten-
EN-, and he further stated that he had | I
sen voting on that paper-the deelara
on-for eight or ten years past. II
as TO prevent such mistakes |
the part Of Aliens and election officers
lat blanks were put into the hands Of
y Cotton and the other inspectors in |
der that they might distinguish be-
yeen the first and final papers.