New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-10-08
THE NATURALIZATION MILL.
GRINDING OUT CITIZENS BY THE THOU
SAND.
CARELESS WORK OF THE CouRTs-JuDGE
MADAMs DISCOVERY OF \ FRAUD

CARELESS WORK OF THE COtRIS-Jt DIE
MADAMs DISCOVERY or \ FRAUD.
Judge McAdam discovered n naturalization fraud
the other day He shocked and disguised TO
learn that such things could be. Then perhaps,
thoughts came him of the time last year when
he ground out citizens by the thousand, at the
rate of two three minute. Visions or the
hundreds of undiscovered frauds 10 which ne had
been possibly innocent party hoated across
his minds eye.
Il talk faster than most people" he would say,
when any criticism made OF the rapidi'y
with which h. turned aliens into ful-hedsed
American subjects. land so l am able to get
through with a greater amount OF work Ian some
of the judges"
But this discovery of one Isolated case OF fraud
had most astonishing effect upon judge NC
Adam. He announced. in the clerks office. that
ne would naturalize any one-not even his
acknowledgements explaining. however, whether or
3 not II was necessary for his ancestor TO undergo
this process. This semi-pubic utterance surprised
some people. They began to wonder what the Guy
paid Judge McAdam $1,000 year for. True. he
gave Tammany Hall $1,000 and paid some other
incidental election expenses, when he was trans
ferred from the city Court TO the Superior Court,
but OF that could have nothing TO do with
his official action. Nor did the fact that he haa
turned on. many thousands Of Tammany voters in
the section of the naturalization mill when he
superintondsd seem to afford sufficient reason
for his taking a rest. while there was so much
OF the good work in the same direction yet to be
done
=, But he brushed away the cobwebs of uncertainty
and explained the matter later. 1t seems he had
not fully stated his position. lie did not mean
that he would refuse absolutely to naturalizc any
The idea he did intend to convey was that ne
would not do this work while sitting In any part
OF the Superior Court other than Chambers 80 iar
as this season is concerned. Judge McAdam might
as well have kept his resolution as first expressed
He will he in again
So naturally by his own ruling, he cannot 90
any more naturalizng until then. In former years
two or three of the Judges in each court have been
in the habit of arriving at the courthouse early
and remaining late dispose of the applicants or
this nature.
Even with all that display OF zeal and industry
II was notorious that the examinations which were
made of applicants tended in no way 10 discourage
those bent upon getting fraudulent papers. Judge
McAdam ought not to complain If he was picked
out as an easy Judge to deceive. HIS methods IN
the past have justified the confidence Of the de-
frauders in the belief that no searching inquiry
would be made by him as to their qualifications as
citizens.
But his recent action has thrown new light on
his motives and of public duty. lie has
passed over thousands Of applicants in great rush.
because he was able to talk faster than some OF the
other judges. Suddenly he discovers what mis-
take he has made. He is on his guard Ihere are
frauds and he knows It, because he has discovered
declares:
There are frauds and I'll have nothing to do
with the business hereafter
With burning zeal and a lofty of public duty
he might have said:
There are frauds and know II. because have
found one. Now will put forth my best efforts to
root them out I will talk fast this year to
discover frauds as I did before TO naturalze
large number of aliens.
Nevertheless. the mill grinds apparently as fast
as II such a competent miller as Judge McAdam
had not resigned. Judge GNdersleeVc has an eie-
waited idea OF the right Of aliens to become citizens
just before election Important ltigations are or
no moment whatever, II attending TO them is going
10 prevent the making of few hundred voters more
or less this year. He has made the official an
nouncement himself from the bench. In reply 70
requests by lawyers that their clients cases might
be disposed Of In view of Judge McAdam's re-
tirement from the field there is grain OF hope
perhaps in Judge Giderseeves further announce
ment that ne has alone naturalized GOO persons IN
one month. lie must be considerable Of a talker
himself.
There was an air OF poetic patriotism In Judge
Gilderseeves remarks about the imperative duty
of aiding the numerous applicants before MIN 70
become citizens. BY his own declaration his duty
in that direction is higher than that Of attending
10 the regular duties OF the court TO which he Is
attached LAWYERS and tgants wait he said,
but citizens must be made As yet Judge Glider
sleeve has not had his Indignation aroused by dis
covering a fraud.
The scenes in the County Courthouse every day are
disgusting. Still they are no different from what
they have been every fall for years. The air is
fetld the floors are h,hy. Long lines Of waiting
applicants are everywhere Every clerk who can
respond in the Superior and Common Pleas courts
is hard at work making the papers from the time
the courts open unit! long after they close. one
Judge In each court does the rest. His courtroom
is packed all day. The applicants are sworn in
punches and the examinations by the judges are
perfunctory One citizen minute is fair average,
and often only forty fifty seconds will be required
to perform the OF eXpatriation and naturaliza
ton of individual
The naturalization bureaus send constant stream
Of srist the mills and the wheels are kept turning
rapidly To prove legally that there are many cases
OF fraud undoubtedly would be a difficult under
taking To be morally certain Of IT, after observing
the process for a time. is easy.
The report from the Superior Court Is that more
citizens are being made this year than before.
The work in this direction in that court is sort Of
barometer Of what is being done elsewhere. The
figures for the Common Pleas. II any accurate
record could be secured from that court. would be
abou: a duplicate of those from the Superior
Court. About nine-;enths of all the citizens made
are put through the mill in the months OF Septem-
Der and October The latter month is always cut
short from five to seven days. because no citizens
are made for the ten days before election 1t is for
this reason that there is 80 much room for fraud
during these two months. Ihere Is Il continuous
rush. instead OF having the business spread out
over the entire year
This is caused mainly by the naturalization bu-
reaus. The applicants know that the different
political organizations will pay for their papers. so
they wait until the bureaus opened in the
latter part OF September or the early part OF
October each year. To show how great the rush
is during these two months the following figures
have been compiled from the excellent record kept
by Thomas Boese the Chief Clerk Of the Superior
Court showing the number Of persons naturalzed
IN each month OF every year since 1872:
1872 1873 1874. 1875. 1876 1877. 1873. 1870.
January 20 20 y g q g g SS %