The evening world., 1894-03-28
'''' The e COURTS.
Naturalization PerjurerS Have
Had No Fear Of
Prosecution.
AMEND THE LAW At ONCE.
Refused Papers from One Judge
They Would Go to Another
and Get Them.
SUGGESTIONS FOR REFORM.
Proof Should Be Demanded Of Each
Applicant That His State
ments Are True.
SUGGESTIONS FOR REFORM.

The Naturalization laws of the United
States should be amended. Under the
present conditions the statute books
leave the gates wide open to fraud, and
fraud OF the worst kind il
with impunity day after day.
Since The Evening World" by the ar
rest of padrone. liquor dealer, banker
and politician Nincenzo DE Vito, proved
the ease with which citizenship papers
can be purchased, Judges and law;nlk-
srs have been looking into the subject.
They are unanimous in the opinion that
radical changes in the law are abso-
iutely needed.
TIL greatest evil. as THE Evening
World" has already pointed out. is from
that section of the law permitting men
to be naturalized on the claim that they
arrived In the country under the age OF
eighteen years. Beyond the statement
Of the man himself that he arrived here
Q minor the law requires no proof. and
the court officers have no alternative but
TO swear him in and admit him to citi-
xenship. The law does not even say
that he must ave IL witness. 1t simply
says the applicant must satisfy the
Court he Is a proper party.
1t has been proved that a gang of pro-
fessional perjurers exists in this city;
men who will go into court and. for Il few
dollars. pei senate any man and swear
out papers for him. TIL same gang has
its witnesses who will swear to any
thing.
When they come here" said Assistant
Clerk Loos, OF the Court of Common
Pleas. I'VE have no alternative but to
accept their atfidaNits. IL IL quite pJssI-
BILE for men of forty or nifty Yeas 10
swear they came here nInors. an, wEiIe
we may have our suspicious, Ne can &C
nothing.
whenever the case Is too glazing.
when we are satisfied that frauu rea,ly
exists, we turn them away. AS a mat
ter of fact, more men are tuTItG a-ay
than are naturalized. RepeaieTs who
come here get no show"
This last admission, that ~repeaters,
or professional perJurers, actually up
pear before the Court, is in itself the
best reason tor a change in the law.
hat fraud is being, or has been. com
mitted, the officers OF the court admit.
but they say they are powerless TO
stop !92, It, procedure is bad enough" Mr.
Loos continued. but it is nothing to
what is was like a few years ago. The
law does not say that we should even
to be naturalized. nor the address of his
witness. AS a matter OF fact We ran
along for twenty years, making citizens
without taking their addresses, and
during that time you will not find a
single address on the books by which
citizens could be traced afterwards.
''Of our own volition, after studying
take the address of every man. prin-
cipal as we'll as witness None OF the
other courts did so until long after We
is demanded In the Superior Court. We
have prepared new blanks, making it
necessary for every applicant 10 give the
AoAe Al. ~ L ~ fhtC ssANlpFr
No other court does that, nor does the
EVEN with the address of the man
and his witnesses there is no means by
which we can detect fraud We cannot
tell whether or not a man is committing
perjury. We must take his e%ttidarit.
We have turned lots OF applicants
away from the door of this court be-
cause we were satisfied a fraud was be-
cursed us and said they would get the
paper in spite of us. They have zone
away n returned in an hour flourish
ing at US. They had obtained the papers
easily in another court where the same
hns Of questions was Tot pursued.
ing that the law should be amended. 1t
should. 10 begin with. maxi II necessary
for every alien to bring to this Office
try. and the name OF the vessel he came
over. in. This he could obtain at Castle
Garden:
to investigate each case. even II the law
said we should do so. which 1t does
not"
"A bill Tas ln Dsssa d in o Congress J, i,s BY
which was intended to amend the natur-
elization laws. 1t was considered de-
fective on account Of It's property sualtn-
suit OF THE Evening Worlds investi-
CATION of the padrone system. Assembly
man Lawson introduced a bill IN the
subject. 1t is not believed the bill in
Its present form will pass.
The Oates bin was sent to the Judi
ciary Committee. which. after amend
ing. reported 1t favorably to the House
One paragraph Of the report reads:
The investigations made by the Ford Committee
In the Forty-ninth Congress developed te fact, as
shown BY the testimony taken. that In Brooklyn
ono OF the courts was used. by imposition and
iIsSd; ., for s.r naturalization, m.n' ssS Du; TSsis S ny a r fHSsO' ana
thus make a full hedeed citizen out OF any altsr
within IRE. days after he landed for the e0n'id'
The following sections OF the Revised
Statutes OF the United States apply par
ticularly to the case Of De Vito, who Is
now under arrest:
Section B.t24. Every person applying TO b
admitted a citizen or appearing as a witness
for any such person. who knowingly personate'
any other person than si%:slf' S or falsely Or appear P al
forges or counterfeits any oath. notice, anida'lt
certificate order, record, signature. Of
other instrument, paper. or proceeding required o.
authorized by any law relating to or proNifinI
for . naturalization OF aliens, or who u'ters
sells, disposss OF. or uses as true or senuin'
or for any unlawful purpose, any false, forge
Ante-dated or countsrfei'ed oath, notice. eertlh
cate. order. record. signature. instrument paper
or proceeding above specified, or sells or dispose
OF 10 any person other than the person for Ehol
was originally issued, any %certihest
showing any person to he adHlite
citizen, shall be punished by Imprisonment q
hand labor not less than one year nor more TIA
nve years, OF by a nne Of not less than 1900 no
nore than g. 900. or by both such fine and impH'
Section t,t27, Every person who knowingly an
Intentionally aids or abets any person In th
commission Of 4 felony denounced In the thrt
preceding sections. or attempts to do any az
thefein made felony. or oounsels, advises or pr
cures or attempts te p1ocure. the oommlssio
and TO the aams extent as the principal party.