The San Francisco call., 1896-08-01
GETTING IN new VOTERS
Fifteen Hundred Foreign Citizens
Have Been Natural
lied.
A Large Number of Minors" Have
Taken Out Papers-Soldiers
Who Are Voters.

Nine more days remain for the citizen of
this City and County to get himself se-
curely enrolled in the great register and
in a position to elect a President and
Vice-P President next November. The
registration Office is crowded, and 1t is
very probable that all the names of those
qualified to vote this coming election will
be placed in the new register.
Another addition to the balloting
strength of the County will be the natural
ization list. Eyer since the bureau opened
the residents of foreign birth have been
hurrying to the Superior Court rooms. A
large number of the applicants for suf-
frage took out their intention" papers
years ago and have neglec ted TO use them
to complete the work of naturalization
until in many cases the docu ments have
become old and worn.
Yesterday eight or ten were filed in
Judge Sanderson's court that were made
out in the '70's. For almost twenty years
those halfway citizens had stood until
somebody convinced them that an Amer
ican voter was sovereign i'll republican
way.
A large percentage of the applicants for
citizenship are minors or foreigners who
have come to the United States under the
age of Is years. This fact exempts them
from the necessity of taking out intention
papers and residing in the country the re-
quired number of years.
1t is rema, kable how many have come
here whose ages have been just between II
and Is. One man, 45 years of age, swore
that he had landed in the United States
when he was IL.
"Why did you not take'o your paper rs
before?p asked the Judge, severely. ''Y ou
have accumulated property here. Did
you not care to voter Have you any
patriotisnf?"
ION, l didn't think much about the
matter" was the Indifferent answer.
II would almost be justified in refusing
your application" said the Judge.
"a man-an 9alien-who would live
here twentyzeight years without citizen
ship can get along the remainder of his
life.n
However, as two witnesses swore that
his statement was correct, he was admit
ted with a crisp judicial lecture upon his
negligence to assume his burden of the
great Republics government.
1t is possible that his age at the time of
his disem barkation on these shores was far
above the juvenile IL and that it will be
many years before he will have been
twenty-eight yearsan this country.
The Superior Juuges exercise the great
eat care in examining the subjects, and a
x y
rejected. They get tripped-up on their
dates regarding events known to every
native scnoolboY and retire in confusion.
One applicant, who had been resident
for over twenty years on his own showing,
thought the War of the Rebellion occurred
before the conflict with Mexico. He was
rejected. Another, who had lived here
long enough to raise an American son to
the age OF 81, according to his own state
ment,. wanted to accompany his boy to
the polls.
He appeared for enfranchisement prin-
eipally because the young fellow had
twitted him upon being foreigner.
There have been over 1900 persons nat
uralized during the last few weeks, and
yesterday 200 foreign residenters were
made voters. About so per cent of the
number admitted to citizenship are natives
of Germany and Sweden. The next higher
PERCENTAGES are Italians, Irishmen and
Danes. The next in line are Englishmen
and Canadians. Quite a number OF sol
diers of foreign birth in the United States
army have also taken cut citizenship pa
pers. Their enlistment really makes them
citizens, but to become qualified electors
they must certify to five years residence
in the country with two witnesses. ff they
have service discharge at the expiration
OF five years enlistment that paper is an
efficient witness of their eligibility, and
only one other witness is necessary to es-
taDlish the right to the ballot.
Judge Sanderson, in Department z OF
the Superior Court, will be on duty to-day
Tor naturalization work