The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-11-02
and preventing him

was the act of the City Clerk of Jersey
City, who is also the chairman Of the Re-
publican County Committee, refusing to
publish the precinct lines, so as to ap-
prise the voter as to the locality of his
voting precinct, enabling him to register
his vote, as now required by law, de-
parting from the custom of the former
Democratic clerk, who for upwards OF
twenty-five years, gave the fullest infor-
nation to voters, by publication as to
this matter.
The elimination of this scheme of leg
islation, having in view the disfranchlse-
ment Of Democratic voters, and the deilV-
erance of the government of the state,
and the various municipalities thereof, TO
clique of Republican bosses and their
henchmen, was the enactment of the nat
uralization laws of 1895. Heretofore, in
tention to become a citizen, proper pro-
bationary period of residence to qualify
the individual to take upon himself the
solemn responsibilities of citizenship,
simple system of procedure easily COM
pretended, inexpensive to the applicant,
appeared to answer all the requirements
of the laws of the land, relating to nat
uralization But political advantage
was of greater import to the Republican
party than fair and reasonable naturalf-
zation law. The procedure must be rem
dered complex, to become a naturalized
citizen must be made expensive, the
privileges heretofore granted foreign
born person, contemplating assuming the
obligations of citizenship must be
abridged, the steps preliminary to OBJ
tanning naturalization must be made more
stringent and difficult.
To accomplish these patriotic motives
the naturalization law of 1895 was the
product The expense of acquiring citi-
zenship was more than doubled, the pre-
liminary steps required of the applicant
were made so technical, both as to form
of application, notice to be given, officials
required to cooperate in getting the cum
bersome machinery into operation that
an expert, conversant with the present
system of naturalization now in vogue in
the State, is required by foreign-born
person contemplating becoming citizen
to aid him in complying with the re-
cuirements of this law.
The apparent purpose of this act is con-
firmed by the results of it's operation,
since it became a law. In this great
county, teeming with cosmopolitan
population, all factors in its material
development and progress, hundreds of
foreign born residents have been de-
prived of naturalization and the opportu-
nifty of becoming clothed with the inesti-
mable privilege of citizenship, solely that
political party may be benefited, and
partisan advantage gained in political
contest.
We believe that the people of this
State prefer honesty to hypocrisy on the
part of its public men. We charge that
the present campaign, on the part of
the Republican party is being conducted
upon a platform of pharisaism and
hypocrisy. 'Up to date candidates for
Governor, may be what the people want
when that term implies that the candid
ate is in touch and sympathy with the
wishes and desires of the people, when
that candidate is animated with the hon
est purpose of obtaining the best possible
administration of public affairs, State and
municipal, but it is doubtful whether the
people of the State want, as their chief
Executive, SO inconsistent and tickle
man, as the present candidate of the Re
publican party for Governor appears to
be, who in one part of the Common
wealth favors horse racing and betting
on horse races. and in another condemns
the same as the unholiest of practices,
who for one section of the State
breaches the Gospel of temperance, and
in another that of license.
We condemn the hypocrisy and insin-
cerity of the leaders of the Republican
party, and their candidate for Governor,
when they criticise the Democratic party
with dragging the judicial ermine in the
mire of politics, and to refute such charge
we call attention to the fact that for
the first time in the history of the State
of New Jersey, the judiciary, which has
always been the pride and boast of the
commonwealth and the ideal and admi-
ration of our sister states has been at
tempted to be made a political machine,
subordinated and made the creature of
the primary and political convention, evil
denced by the law of the last Republi-
can Legislature abolishing THE Inferior
Court of Common Pleas of the State, and
designed to make the judges of the new
court, established in its place elective, in
each county of the State, for no other
purpose than to enable the Republican
party to perpetuate itself in power, by the
election of political judges, to this time
honored bench, in a majority of the
counties of this State.
Fortunately for the people, that they
have non-politieal judiciary, which ren>
dered this attempt of the Republican
party abortive, by declaring it unconsti-
tutional.
We call attention to a paragraph in the
platform lately adopted by the Hudson
County Republican Convention, presided
over by the City Clerk of Jersey City,
already referred to, wherein the present
candidate of the Democratic party for
Governor is criticized for his acceptance
of the nomination for that office, and
because he refuses to resign the Chan
cellorship. In answer to this criticism,
and as conclusive evidence of the in
sincerity of the Republican party in this
matter, we need only refer to the fact
of the nomination, by a Republican
State Convention. of Judge Jonathan T.
Dixon, one of the present honored
Judges of the Supreme Court of this
State, and his acceptance of that nom
ination and declination to resign his posi-
ton. Not only was the nomination of
Judge Dixon approved of by the rank
and file of the Republican party, and the
entire Republican press of the State at
that time, but his refusal to resign his
Office was hailed with praise and com
mendation.
Such criticism of the present candidate
of the Democratic party for Governor