Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-10-07
United States and County
Courts Would Have Each
Other Handle It
CORNELL ORDERS
TRANSFER MADE
Wilson Stands BY Judges
Ruling; Federal Clerk
Not Instructed

Wapello county aliens desirina
naturalization are figuratively "in hot
water" On account of the district
court and the federal court clerks each
referring them to the other they an
parently do not know which way ia
turn nor what to do.
The code of Iowa under Section No.
2l65 of the revised statutes of the
United States Of 1873 has the follow,
ing:
ANY alien may be admitted to
become citizen Of the United
States in the following manner,
and not otherwise:
"He shall declare on oath. be.
fore a circuit or district court Of
the United States, or district or
supreme court of the Territories.
or court Of record Of any Of the
states having common law luris-
diction, and seal and clerk, two
years at least, prior to his admIs-
sion, that is bona flde, his in
tention to become citizen Of the
the United States, and to re.
nounce forever all allegiance and
f'delity to any foreign prince, po-
tentate, state, or sovereignty, and,
particularly, by name, to the
prince, potentate, state, or sover-
el0nty OF which the allen may be
at the time citizen or subject
For many years the cases have been
handled In the district clerks Office,
records there now showing naturaliza-
ton cases back to 1853. It has been
the custom of late years to take them
up during just two terms Of the court,
the August and January terms, which
have always opened during the latter
part of August and the first OF jan
uary. On May 20, 1915, Judge Seneca
Cornell presiding in the district court
here. made and signed the following
order, 1t now being on record among
the court proceedings of that day:
"In view Of the fact that divis-
Ion Of the United States dictrict
court OF the southern distr; 4 OF
Iowa holds two sessions Of court
each year In ottumwa, in WapeIio
county, Iowa. and that the trans
fer Of the matter Of the naturaliza-
tion Of aliens from the district
court Of this county to the said
United States court would, In my
opinion, incur no inconvenience to
the applicants; It is therefore,
hereby ordered that business, per.
tanning to the naturalization OF
aliens be and is hereby trans.
ferred from the district court OF
WapeIIe county to the ottumwa
division of the United States dis
trict court Of the southern division
Of Iowa. It is further ordered
that the clerk Of this court trans
fer any and all papers appertain-
Ing to said business. If any, to ths
clerk Of said federal court.
"seneca Cornell, judge"
District Court Clerk w. T. Wilson
n discussing the matter said that he
has been acting according to the order
from the court and has referred ap.
plicants to the federal court house.
Miss Rilla Stain, deputy clerk Of the
ederal court, through whose ohlce the
business would be handled says. Il
,ave no authority to take care of the
Eases. The only notification that I
,ave that they have been TRANSFERRED
,ere Is when the district court clerk
'ays 80. I have not seen any formal
.ecord of the transfer. II such was
he case 1t Is not in my power to act
n the matter without some authority
rom my court
.INo.&An.,od az, IN 80 sA y,