Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-01-02
FRAUDS IN NATURALIZATION
Forged Citizenship Papers Are Some times Sold to Aliens When
 They Land.

Fifty thousand voters in New York five years and have no right to the bal lot: 90. GOO aliens, uneducated, criminals even. says a writer in the Era Magazine, enjoying within a few months of landing the inestimable rights of American cit- Zenship. for which the native-born American has to wait 21 years--this is one of the astounding discoveries made during the past few weeks by officers of the United States secret service in their investigation of the most gigantic system of naturalization frauds on rec ord in this or anyrcountry. It is not many months since the investigation be- gan and here are few of the facts that have been unearthed:
 1. The sale of fraudulent naturaliza- tion papers is an established industry in all the larger cities in the United States. Big fortunes are made by 1t every year and hundreds of thousands or dollars go annually to line the pock- cts or men dishonest enough to violate the naturalization laws of this country, the only barrier between. the American citizen and the hordss of aliens who swarm here on every European steamer.
 2. Any immigrant who does not wish to wait the five years prescribed by law before he may become an American citi- zen can, by paying from S2O to $50, ob- tain on the very day of his landing a forged certificate of naturalization en- titling him to all the rights of such citizenship.
 5. Many foreigners who have never set foot on American soil are by this system enabled to enjoy all the rights and privileges of American citizenship, even to the extent of calling upon a United States warship to protect them and further enforce their claims in case of their getting into trouble with their government.
 4. There are 5O00O alien voters in , New York city alone. or more than enough to determine the vote of New York state, and with it the national cleo tion
 A method of obtaining certificates largely in vogue Is to buy the papers of genuinely naturalized citizens and sub
 s,!tute for the real names on the certifi-
 caes he names of the new buyers. The
 Ink is soaked off with acid and as the
 seal and signatures are genuine. such
 paper usually tail 10 b. detected as
 Iraudulent. A close exam mination, how
 ever, will always show traces of the acid
 on the paper and in some cases the ink
 oh lhe new name has run slightly Citi-
 Hehs who are returning to their former countries are sometimes prevailed upon 'o part with their certificates for Lis
 purpose. bw many of the papers thus } use are stolen from their rightful
 owners.
 ,-l Inc honest immigrant who haS waited 2 ave years for his right n hold a city job |. aho vote hnds himself suddenly deprived r o' his most precious pos session and up- IS 's'S he "an prove a satisfactory case in Y '"ui' and obtain a duplicate paper is C o""sen io wait rvo years before he can
 "Ea'a enjoy the rights to which |. is ,- En''iec Meanwhile the new owne- of A. tue psper IS getting all the work he !. a',s ana saving ID money ro take bark
 ,o his native Iand ,It un'es the ganss tEemselyes q ~ i" court 10 have lest their paper ana os freely periuring thenselves oh. :, lain second copies and are so .n,h,ed f, !, carry on their traffic.