The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-09-11
Mr.. MoRAs's CITIZENSHIP.
Congressman Haskins Presents . "Brisf' on
tho Matter.

cd Hlatea and OF thh elAlo ehd thslule v
FvprvaVnl this iuNn W the usArIal AAaslii
hlyi Tits question ought 70 b. determines
. eslh la tho interest VI ihr p1blis and "a
eNn, I save u "a my epiaisA GA .lssslni
day that be VAS not eili.eA and lhrIr
fore, ineligible 10 once, and 10 that opinion
siill adhsIr, Inasmaeh az The REFORMED
" last Nrek charged that ''tehsfes.ina-
llAskins vas the originator ~ the TooTbaei
10 the effect that AR, Moran sas mol quail
ned 10 hold the Once " he Was elected,
which, IL 1 understood ID. meaning Of ne
word ''roaThaek, Was charging nae WA
altering deiamaioTy falaehood for pnI
ReAe. u political intrigue, ] respectfully aAA
10 bo heard upon that question,
1 have always held Mr. Moran in hish e.
team both az resident and business man oi
this town, and have several times voted lot
him ior village bailih aud justice Of the
peace, with The understanding, ot course.
| that nc was 4 lawful citizen, aud, indeed,
never had Ieason ~ doubt u until the daS
before our last election, on that day MI,
| barber came 10 me aud stated that he had
been informed BY democrat who had been
| quite prominent Ia local politics, that Mr.
! Moran was net a citizen, ana nc asked me
| TO look W his record, ] inquired where
\ aud when BE- was born, and he replied IA
| ireland, aud iha, MIR, Moran told Walter A.
Gilbert, who wrote him up for The press
after his nomination, that he was born Oct
/ 10. 1901, aud that he came 10 this country
/ with his parents IN 1884, he then being
| three years old, | then rRqu.fcd who Waa
his father, aud he replied Eugene Moran,
Having been deputy clerk Of the Mindham
county court for over 20 years, aud iamil.
lar with ils records, ! visited ihat pilcr ana
on examination II the naturalization records
found that Eugene Moran 81 Bfaitlcbarp
hled his intention 10 become q citizen with
the clerk of the court Feb, a. ISL; that
h. appeared IN open court March -, 1855,
aud completed his naturalization By taking
the required oath, all Of which Was duly
recorded, and he become from thence
citizen Of the state aud the United States.
This final act Of the parent would have con
siitutcd his son, Michael !, Moran, citizen
also had he at the time been under the axe
Of n years. But according 20 his state
mrnt 10 Mr.. Gilbert he was AZ that time ~
years I months and 20 days old Thinking
there might be some mistake as 20 his age
took further means for its vcrihcaiion. j
examined the census returns taken IA June,
1870, and In the family Of Eugene Moran APP
pcared the name Of the son, Michael, born
In ireland and years Of age. II be was
born Oct. 10, 1861, the age IN years was
correctly recorded The census returns TAX
en- IN June, 1850, gave his age as Is years
| then went 10 the town clerks Office TO as
certain what he had declared his own age
20 be. In the records OF marriages ! found
that when he took his marriage license Nov.
~, 1894, he gave his age as 80 years ana
he was then 80 years and - days old. |
There was no record that Michael j. Moran |
had received naturalization in the state |
courts, and not knowing but that he might
court / made no public statement OF the re. |
suit OF my investigation until after ! had
voted the next day and Mr.. Moran had also
voted, when ! inquired Of Nim when he be. /
came citizen, lie replied he could not tell 1
1t was so long ago, that he would have 10 /
look at the papers ] then inquired OF him
II he was naiuraliEed in the United states
court. lie replied no, but that his father
was naturalized citizen. was then salts
fed that he has been exercising the PRIV
leges and rights Of a citizen during all these
years. honestly, too, as ! believed, and sun
believe, upon the strength of his father 5
and citizenship. / then said
to him Michael, you are not citizen
and you had no right TO vote, and in.
formed him in brief what had discovered
upon my Investigation OF ms case. =
Naturalization, as held by the courts, Is
the act OF adopting a foreigner and cloth
ing him with the privileges Of native born
citizen, and that such act can only be per
formed under such laws, rules and regul'
tions as may be prescribed By the Congress
Of the United States. That Congress 10 the
exercise Of its power TO establish rules OF
has enacted general laws un'
der which individuals may be naturaliled
II may also naturalize individuals collec
lively by treaty, or by statste in the crea'
lion of a territory or state, and has done SO
IN numerous instances.
Under the general law foreigner is re-
luired to reside at least five years in the
United States before he can be admitted to
and prior TO the act Of Con
sress which went into effect Sept. 20, lgO6,
lnder the following regulations, va. =
l. After a residence OF three years, if
over Is years of age when he came TO this
country, he could appear before the clerk OF
my court authorized to naturalize aliens !
ind on oath declare and file his intention TO
become citizen, etc. Rev. Stats. 2lbo.
.. After. at least, two wars additional
esidence, the last year in the state IN which {
lie applies, he must appear IN open eopr, !
md declare on oath that he will support the
constitution OF the United States and that
lie renounce all allegiance and fidelity 10
he prince, potentate, state or sovereignty ]
4 which he is then q subject, etc. Rev I
stats. 2165.
3. An alien, being under the age OF TWEEN /
y-one years, after residence of five years b
hree years of which during his minor r
Omitted 10 citizenship, without declaring t
is intentions, by complying with the pro
isions of par. as above stated. Rev z
tats 2l67 Il
( the naturalization of their parent II i
yelling in the United States, were to be {
onsidered citizens thereof. Rev Stats n
Article ! of the amendments to the con K
tituion of Vermont, adopted June %, ls2s. G
eads as follows: mo person who is not al u
eady a freeman of the state, shall be. en- /.
tied to exercise the privileges Of free. ii
ian, unless he be a natural born citizen Of Il
lis. or some one of the United States, or n
ntil he shall have been naturalized agree 81
bly, to the acts of Congress "
Eugene Moran completed his naturaliza- II
on under par. Of section 2165 Rev. Stats. ot
the United States March 10, 1883. and
lereby he became citizen.
Michael j. Moran never applied Tor nat. a.
-alization under any act OF congress, and "
aing over twenty years of age at the p
me his father sbecame citizen he could ~
IT be considered a citizen under section W ',
6s of the Rev. Stats, and. therefore. I'M VI
n the constitution of Vermont he Is net !;
igible to hold the office Of representative y. u,
the General Assembly, to which he, was IN
minated as candidate and voted Cor M
,pt. /. 1905 -
But it is now claimed by some of his sup. M
,rters that by virtue of a decision Of the ~
ipreme Court of the United States in the "
Sc of Boyd VS.. Thayer, 143 Z. ). reports I ~
became eligible by reason of the declar /.
ion of intention filed by his father Feb VI
1881 Those who make that claim, and ~ ~
g lawyer or layman who furnished the IA
ief extract from the decision in that case IN
published in The Phoenix and Reformer CT
last week, could not have read the case ~
or if he did then he was trl
deavoring to bolster up bad contentio M
d with the view that he could deceive "a
ose who read it. ~
To correctly understand a court decision no
is necessary that one understand the facts mn
on which the opinion is predicated In '
case cited it appeared that James Il.
yd was born in Ireland of Irish parents
1884 and was brought to this country in =
A by his father, Joseph Boyd, who set