The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-10-04
RUSH FOR
CITIZENSHIP
Over 400 Crowded the Court
House Corridor Seeking
Naturalization.
INFAMOUS PROCEDURE.
Mitchells Peculiar Methods
Discriminates in Favor Of
Prospective Rspubli-
cans.
INFAMOUS PROCEDURE.

Fully four hundred men, applicants for
naturalization, and their witnesses crowd
ed the rear court room and adjoining
hallway all morning awaiting an oppor-
tunity of proving their eligibility to
citizenship by answering the questions
propounded by Sergeant-at-Arms Ed:
ward L. Mitchell in the presence of
Judge Blair, in the latter's dingy little
office at the rear of the courtroom
1t was the last day on which appli-
cants could be heard, because the pro-
hibitiye period of thirty days before cleo
tion. during which no examinations can
be held, begins after today.
No sight like that of today has ever
before been witnessed in connection with.
the naturalization business in this county.
Men anxious to swear allegiance to their
adopted country crowded and jostled
each other in an effort to get as near as
possible to the door of the room where
citizens were being "ground out" at the
rate of one every five minutes.
Of those admitted to the office about
one in every four were rejected and as
the crowd outside the door continued to
increase, there were as many waiting in
the court room at 1870 this afternoon
as when the business of the daw began
shortly after 8 o'clock this morning.
Friends supposed to have influence with
Examiner Mitchell were urged to endea-
vor to have this or that applicant exam
ined as early as possible. All were fear
full that the mill" might close down be-
fore they had chance to be examined.
MANY COMPLAINTS.
Many of those in waiting had come a
half-dozen or more times in an effort to
prove their eligibility. Many complained
of the time and money they had lost
through the few and uncertain times at
which examinations were held. Others
complained of the questions asked them.
One apparently intelligent young Irish
man said he was rejected because he
could not tell when the Constitution was
last amended.
Complaints and grumblino could be
heard on all sides. The system that
made such hardship necessary was de-
nounced. Some persons interested in one
or more candidates compared the present
dilatory system with the work of Judge
Hudspeth, who, when On the Common
Pleas Bench, examined all applicants
who came to court before the business
of the day was begun.
Many of those who had arrived be-
for the session of the bureau began left in
disgust or because they had to attend
| to business or other matters.
Over 1000 applications were on file
in the County Clerks office when the
days session began, and the slow rate
at which the work of the mill proceeded
seemed to make it certain that many
of those in waiting would have no oppor-
| tunity of being examined before an ad-
journment was reached.
| COUNTY CLERKS GOOD WORK.
| The work of issuing papers to those
/, who passed the examinations progressed
rapidly in the County Clerks office I'm
der the direction of Deputy County Clerk
Edward Gritten, force of clerks work
| ed expeditiously and none were kept
waiting. The necessary papers had been
prepared in advance, and all that was
necessary to do was to fill in the names
of the new made citizens.
1t had been Judge Blair's intention to
stop the examinations at noon, but as the
number of waiting applicants was almost
as great then as at the commencement of
the session he continued the work. The
clerks in the County Clerks Office expect
to leave at noon on Saturday, but chat
none might be disappointed, the force of
clerks were kept at work as long as there
was a paper to be made out.
In the throng of applicants were men
of all nationalities, but Italians seemed to
predominate, and Of the names called
out by the constables at the door Of the
Judges chambers it would appear that
about one in every four examined were
/ of that race.
Up to short time before one o'clock
4 only about fifty had passed the examina-
ton although about sixty-fve had en-
tered the room.
The concensus of opinion was that the
old system of daily examinations should
be returned in order to avoid a repetition
of the scenes enacted at the Court House
this morning.
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