The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-09-21
NATURAL |ZAT|0N.
Judge Blair Has About Eff
teen Hundred Appli-
cants to Examine.

The naturalization mill at the Court
House was worked overtime Wednesday,
with the result that when Judge Blair
concluded his labors at six o'clock that
night, after a session lasting over five
hours, there were about eighty new citi-
zens. About twenty applicants had been
told to learn little more Of the country
to which they desired to swear allegiance,
and thirty-three We're told to come yester-
day to be examined as to their qualifica-
tions for citizenship. They were passed.
This was remarkable afternoons s work,
but was only a drop in the bucket of
what must be done to dispose of the 1 500
applications for naturalization which have
accumulated in County Clerk Stacks Of
flee. to say nothing of the many intending
citizens who will apply for naturalization
between now and the thirty days before
election, during which the law forbids
naturalization except under certain stated
conditions. AS the application of the in
tending citizen must be posted by the
city, town, township or borough clerk,
where the applicant lives, fourteen days
before it is acted upon by the court, Sep
tember p will be the final day on which
ordinary preliminary applications for
citizenship can be made in time to allow
the applicant to vote at the coming cleo
ton. This leaves only today and Satur-
day for such applications.
The prohibitory period of thirty days
before election will make October the
last day on which the Court can grant APP
plications, except in cases where the ap-
plicant becomes of age during the prohibit
tory period; where the two years since the
declaration of intentions ends during this
time, or the legal limitation of one year
in the State or five years in the country
expires at some time during the thirty
days before election.
These restrictions must necessarily pre-
vent many intending citizens from voting
at the coming election. There are but
fourteen days on which the Court can sit
on applications. If every one of these days
should be devoted to the work of naturafi-
zation, which is highly improbable, the
applications already on file could hardly
be disposed of without considering the
usual rush which occurs near the COM
mencement of the prohibitory period.
The uncertainty as to the hours and
days during which the Court would sit for
naturalization has been drawback to
many applicants whose time is limited or
who could only spare the time to come
to the Court House on certain days. AS
a rule there has been no notice of the
Courts intention to act for naturalization
until a day or SO before the time fixed.
and this has undoubtedly prevented many
from presenting themselves for examina-
ton.
In his work "Wednesday Judge Blair was
assisted by Sergeant-at-Arms Edward II.
Mitchell and Court Interpreter Nathan
Goldram. The examinations were held in
the dingy room at the rear of the Com
mon Pleas Court, used as an office by the
Judge. Intending citizens were passed or
rejected in a most expeditions manner,
but the large number of applications still
to be disposed of shows that there should
have been more frequent sessions of the
naturalization bureau in the p2st.
1t was announced this mOrn.,ig that the
examination of applicants FOR citizenship
would continue every day hereafter, ex-
cept Saturday, until the commencement
of the thirty days prohibitory period on
October s. Applicants must hand in their
papers to Sergeant-at-Arms Edward T.
Mitchell at ten o'clock in the morning.
There will be no session of the natural-
ization bureau in the afternoon.