Speech #510162339

I have directed the PostmasterGeneral to pursue this course in all cases where other efforts failed to secure for any postmaster. not himself in fault. an opportunity peacefully to exercise the duties of his office. But such action will not supplant the efforts of the Department of Justice to bring the particular offenders to punishment. The vacation by judicial decrees of fraudulent certificates of naturalization. upon bills in equity filed by the AttorneyGeneral in the circuit court of the United States. is a new application of a familiar equity jurisdiction. Nearly one hundred such decrees have been taken during the year. the evidence disclosing that a very large number of fraudulent certificates of naturalization have been issued. And in this connection I beg to renew my recommendation that the laws be so amended as to require a more full and searching inquiry into all the facts necessary to naturalization before any certificates are granted. It certainly is not too much to require that an application for American citizenship shall be heard with as much care and recorded with as much formality as are given to cases involving the pettiest property right. At the last session I returned. without my approval. a bill entitled "An act to prohibit bookmaking and poolselling in the District of Columbia." and stated my objection to be that it did not prohibit. but in fact licensed what it purported to prohibit.