Speech #460107209

I had made no reference to the testimony taken in the city of New York in regard to the supervisors of election. because we had not closed that evidence. The chief supervisor of that city is now in attendancewhen he is not required to be present in New York in regard to an investigation before the court there that appointed himnpon the committee to give his evidence. So far as he has presented his testimony it is in print and can be found. and the question of the irregular or fraudulent applications for naturalizations. as you may deem proper to term them. that he has submitted to that committee up to this time amount to eighty casesinthesuperior court audsome thirtyfour inthe supreme court out of sixty thousand. How many he will be able to present before his testimony closes the Senator from Massachusetts who is on that committee as well as myself will be better able to tell the country and the Senate when his story shall have been concluded. That there were some fraudulent papers taken out in 1868 has been so long stated to the couhtry that it is perhaps not a subject now of denial. but that there were reasons. and very cogent ones. too. why the number of naturalizations in the year 1868 exceeded almost any other year is well known. aud they were testified to before our committee. It was the first presidential election after the close of the war. Quite a number of foreigners who had come into this country during the progress of the war had declined to take out their naturalization papers because citizenship rendered them subject to military duty. and they did not make their application until an important election made it necessary to qualify those who were entitled to be qualified. Thus there was an accumulation in the city of New York on that account from the beginning of the war down to 18S. and that is testified to before our committee. In addition to that. persons of foreign birth who tad served in the Army were entitled on account of that service and an honorable discharge to be admitted to citizenship without a previous declaration of intention. and there were many of that class. Again. the courts in the city of Now York are always open. and it was more convenient for persons living in the country. as far up as Poughkeepsie and other places in the adjacent counties. and in the city of Brooklyn to go there and get their naturalization papers. These causes. as it was testified before us and to the knowledge of the Senator who has addressed the Senate. swelled the number. I :am not here to say how many fraudulent papers were issued that