Mr. President. but there is a time when itceases to be a virtue. andit seems to me that it comes pretty late. after what has occurred in this Chamber within the last two or three weeks. for such an appeal to come from that side of the Chamber. It was not long since that during the discussion of the fisheries treaty the Senator from Missouri took the floor. and in an elaborate prepared speech made an attack on the reeord of a certain gentleman who is now prominent before the country. and among other things stated that in the State of Indiana at a given time. at a time when the gentleman to whom I refer. an exmember of this body. and now the candidate on the Republican ticket for President. was running for governor of the State. a number of Chinamen had been naturalized -upon a motion made in court by the partner of this gentleman. and that they afterward voted for him at the election. as I recollect the Senators statement. That was intended to be a serious charge. It was calculated to do harm. It went over the entire Union as coming from the Senator from Missouri. as information derived from a Senator from that State. a member of this body. Today it appears. when the record is produced. that instead of any Chinamen having been naturalized in the State of Indiana. some Chinamen went before the clerk of a court of record and declared their intention to become citizens of the United States. That is all there is of it. Mr. President. I undertake to say that any foreigner may at any time declare his intention to become a citizen of the United States. I do not believe any clerk of any court of record has any authority to pass on the question as to whether he is or is not entitled to naturalization. It is not a judicial act in any sense. The Revised Statutes of the United States provide as follows: SEC. 2165.
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naturalized naturalization