The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-05-17
NIT TCHELL'S WAY
Queer Manner in Which
Citizens Are Made at
the Court House.
NONE SPEAKS ENGLISH
Their Answers Through Re-
publican Interpreters Ac-
cepted as Correct.

OF the thirty applicants who presented
themselves for examination at Judge
Blair's private office at the Court House
yesterday, twenty-five were declared ell
gible for citizenship by Examiner Edward
7 Mitchell, and, on his report, Judge
Blair authorized the issuing of naturaliza-
ton papers to them.
AS usual, majority of those passed
were Italians and Poles, who could not
speak the English language. The dues-
tions asked by Mitchell were propounded
to the applicants by italian Interpreter
Antonio Gentley and Polish Interpreter
Nathan Goldram. The wouid-be citizens
answered in their native tongues and the
alleged replies were interpreted to the ex-
aniner, who based his decision as to the
eligibility of the applicant on the same.
One of the last to be examined was an
ignorant appearing Italian who had evil
IDENTIFY been so we'll drilled in the answers
to Examiner Mitcne..s stock questions
that he could not forget any of them, but
unfortunately could not exactly tell which
answer fitted the particular question
asked
What is the Constitution of the United
States?'' was the Republicanrpolftician
examiners first interrogative.
Interpreter Gentley said something IN
Italian, the applicant for natura!izat on
gesticu,ated and said something in his
native tongue, and Gentley replied: The
fundamental law of the land.
'.W1ho makes the laws for this State?''
1.-THE Senate and the House Of Repre-
sentativea'' was the misfit reply given
by the Interpreter after the applicant had
said something.
That S wrong corrected Mr.. Mitchell,
II said the State not the country
The question was repeated by the inter-
preter and the applicant promptly replied
Murphy Evidently he thought diff
ferent question was being asked. and ne
had the name of the Governor Of the
state ready for his answer to question
No. s.
The applicant knew that Pagan" was
Mayor of Jersey City, and Roosevelt
was President of the United States. Nit
chell looked pleased and returned to his
first question again.
who makes the laws for the State?"
..The man who gets the most votes
was the somewhat remarkable reply this
time.
The applicant then told that there were
two United States Senators elected from
each state, answered a couple of other
stock questions more or less accurately,
and was declared eligible for citizenship
by Examiner Mitchell
This was a fair sample of the examina-
tions of the non-Engiish speaking Italians
and Poles, who seem to be largely in the
majority among the new citizens turned
out by the County naturalization mill.
Mr.. Mitchell, being asked the reason for
this strange fact, said he thought it was
due to nearly all the big corporations in
sisting that all their employees. no mat
ter what position they hold, must be citi-
zens.
A big majority of these concerns are
protected by the Republican party and
their move in compelling all their en-
ployes to become naturalized, under PEN
atty of losing thair jobs, is evidently for
the purpose of driving their ignorant, un-
derpaid. non-English speaking hands to
the polls in a body on election day. and
thus aiding in the perpetuation of the
power of the party that is protecting
them at the expense of the great mass
of the people.