Speech #460008839

SIois: In reply to yoer letter of 31st July 1878. 1 funished a copy of tie ame to be no good reasons for " protecting" by any special law or forcible Commissioner Davenport. Yesterday ho writes me asking what iction I purpose measure any class of citizens of the South. or anywhere else. so long taking respecting the complaints on lle io his office charging fraudulent registrations and the possession of fraudilleet certificates of natralization. as the Federal courts are open to them and so long as behind these He states i such letter that there are now about cightyfivo hundred such com- courts stands the whole power of the United States to enforce their ilints filed with him. and that he is informed the nubier maybe increased about mandates and assert the majesty of the law. nor" can there be any I horn today writte t him that utess his experietce us chief supervisor of leo good reason for the continuation of a measnre which only tends to. tious suggests a different course I will puhish ut card stating toe information bring these very courts into disrepute and contemptfor throwing received from laim. and questig all person holding Rueh certiesie to ourrumer the cloak of judicial sanction around acts as onjustifiable. discredit thei to him before the 10th of Septemher proxiimo. able and lawless as those we have witnessed in the city of New York. 1 do not propose to proceed further against parties who shall avail themselves I am unwilling to believe that these questionable operatiot s against of this trivlege of .-olontary stirrender. On and ater September 1 1will. as fast as the force at my command sliall permit. examine the complainte against parties naturalized citizens on account of the pretended dubious legality of not surrenderingthir fraudulent certificates. and will then endeavor to select a their certificates of naturalization could have been based upon the denumber of the wort cases and press them to trial testable theory that the natralized citizen is lessentitled tothe fullest I trust that this action will accord with the ouggestton contained iln vouir letter of July . bis. on this suhicct. sind will meet your approval. I suppoo that this protection of the law than he who is to the t1 manner born." or the coiaction may logically lead to the approval of lie comisisioers accounts for re- oredcitizenwhohasbecome the"wardoftheaatiou." Ifsuchatheory has been entertained but for a moment. then all those directly or indirectly connected with this outrage deserve to be relegated to the obscurity of private life. with the stigma of lasting infamy upon their names. Such mistaken notions cannot be cured too soon or too radically wherever and whenever they appear upon the surface of public life to modify or practically nullify our equality before the law. Any deviation from this course antagonizes the liberal spirit of our institutions and renders worthless the protection promised and inducements offered the foreigner who assumes. with its privileges. also the obligations of American citizenship and tends to turn the tide of immigration from our shores. instead of fostering and encouraging it. As a nation we are not isolated in the appreciation of the influx of capital. the increase of numerical strength and power of development of natural resources which attend immigration. The liberality of our naturalization laws is equaled. and in a few instances even surpassed. bysome other countries. Austria. Prtssia.