Much has been said about the records of Allen Countythat they are pigeontracked all over with forgery and fraud. No evidence can be found anvwhere in the record to substantiate any such assertion. The clerk of Allen County. whose testimony is in the record and from which we learn that he became clerk in 1.878 and that his term expired in 1882. when lie came into office found that all naturalizations were recorded on the orderbook of the court as required by the laws of the State of Indiana. and who for that reason seems to have thought. if we are to believe his testimony. that unless placed on the orderbook that all naturalizations were illegal and of no avail. and so testifies. He forgets that in the naturalization of foreigners the courts of Indiana derive jurisdiction from the Federal law and not from the State law. and that such records need not go on the orderbook prescribed by the laws of Indiana for the recording of all court proceedings. An examination of his evidence. if the crossexamination is left out. would lead one to believe that from January 16. 1860. to August 20. 1870. when a reform was instituted. no record whatever was made of naturalization cases. And he gives one hundred and seventyeight cases about which he swears there is no record. But on crossexamination he tells us. and so the record shows. that every one of these one hundred and seventyeight cases is recorded at full length on the record of final oaths.
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naturalizations naturalization