The evening world., 1894-03-31
Much Good Expected from the
Meeting of the Men Who
Issue the Papers,
FEES SHOULD BE EQUALlzED,
Now 1t Costs S1.50 to Become a
Citizen in a Federal and Only
so Cents in a State Court.

With a bill before Congress-, another
before the Legislature OF this State ard
a meeting of all the Judges called TO
discuss the frauds unearthed and ex-
posed by The Evening World" It is
pretty certain the naturalization laws
will be quickly'amended or such rules laid
down by the Judges az will materially
check the traffic in fraudulent citizen
ship papers.
IT In the immediate future, as now
seems certain. proper laws are enacted,
then the work of The Evening World'
In the arrest of Nincenzo De Vito,
banker. padrone, liquor dealer and poll
tician' for procuring papers by perjury
and then selling them for SIS will be
amply rewarded.
since Judge Giegerich, recognizing the
full force Of the exposures, undertook
TO call the judges together to lay down
UNIFORM rules for the issuance of nat
uraliZation papers, other judges have
expressed their hearty approval of the
plan. This Is particularly so OF the
judicial officers in whose courts citizens
have been and are being made daily.
They are well aware of the frauds
practised through their courts. but
under existing laws they are almost
powerless to check the evil.
Time after time applicants have been
rejected because, under examination by
the Judge. 1t was shown conclusively
that either the would-be citizens or wit
nesses had perjured themselves in the
~aLndaVlts made before the clerks. Then
the same witnesses and the same appli-
cants nave gone to other courts and pro
cured the papers without question. Wit
ness and applicant in the mean time had
united upon a scheme OF perjury which
was successfully carried through.
n meeting OF the Judges to consid-
err the exposures and TO lay down rules
VIII, whiie doing n vast amount of
sood. leave other important points to
What action will the District-Attorneys
of the different counties of the state,
particularly New York and Kings coun-
t tes' Of f3 no 70 ara the Judges In the Gctec-
the same matter?
What move # any, has been made by
well as Kings to capture the criminals
who have secured citizenship papers and
set The law at defiance? Have the police
prosecuting officer to do anything?
Nearly two months have elapsed since
b Evening World" in its series Of
tenn, made the positive statement thai "A
gang of professional perjurers existed
In the city, who for SIS would procure
naturallzation papers for aliens not le-
Rally entitled to receive them.
Tha statement was reiterated. but APP
parently no move was made by the pros
ecuting officer; 1t remained for 1.-THE
Evening Norld' to demonstrate beyond
a doubt how the rang worked. The
story of DE Nito's arrest and his being
held for the Grand Jury was sufficient.
from justice is well known.
That frauds existed was supccted by
many, and known TO some persons. The
general public also suspects that bigger
men than De Vito lent their aid to the
fraud. Not a move of any kind has so
far been made by the authorities to get
to the bottom facts.
Now that the Judges are getting to-
gether TO help crush the evil, i seems
In order for the prosecuting officers to
also do something; WIN they do it?
can do, namely. regulate the question
Of fees. At present the fees charged in
the State Courts are only one-third of
the amount charged In the United
States Courts. The State Courts only
demand 80 cents. and 1t Is safe to say
that a majority of the immigrants rush
reason more than any other that around
election time the State Courts are
crowded with applicants, and judges
sit until midnight making citizens.
The fees charged in both State and
Federal courts should be the same. The
State judges in naturalizing alicns sim,
ply act as Deputy United states officers.
Why there should be a difference In fees
seems incomprehensible.
About two months before election every
year, Tammany opens Its headquarters
for naturalizing aliens. and for years
1t has been located at Senator Timothy
ID. S%ullivan's "Wigwam." In Centre
street. The organization deposits hun
dreds of dollars with the clerks OF the
Common Pleas and Superior Courts. re-
ceiving in exchange half dollar tickets.
These tickets are given TO the aliens,
| who, on presenting them in court and
answering questions. obtain citizenship
papers free. Not in n single instance
has Tammany sought to ~naturalize its
men in the Federal courts.
While Judge Giegerich was speaking
to an Evening World" reporter yester-
day he handed the latter n bunch of
applications. all of which the Judge had
rejected in one day-Oct. q last. There
were more han forty in the batch, and
more than half of them showed that
the grossest kind OF perjury had been
committed. Some of the applicants ad-
mitted to being fifty years old, and
said they had come here when less than
eighteen years old. This was 10 get
around the first papers obstacle. Under
cross-examination by the Judge they
admitted they had only been here a
few years.
LA