Session #51 · 1889–91

Speech #510167547

No. but for the time they were in session. A lawyer of character was present when one batch was naturalized. and he described it. I am speaking from memory. but my recollection is very vivid. About 150 were brought in. each armed with a little note from Tammany. drawn in red ink. "Naturalize the bearer. " and the court was instructed. or the clerk. that wherever a man presented that redline order Tammany would pay the fee. A squad of 150 were brought in. There was a little center table placed down in front of the courts desk. a Bible laid on it. and then rings were formed around this center table and this Bible. The inside ring touched the Bible with their fingers. the outside rings reached their fingers towards the Bible. and in a minute 150 men whom nobody on earth knew were made citizens of the United States and the oath administered to them. The average in the superior court was 1.013 a day. while a judge in Louisiana in 1844 was impeached for naturalizing 400 in a day. and found guilty on the ground that it was a physical impossibility to naturalize so many men in a day and be obedient to the laws. A Senator asks me who were the witnesses. I remember as distinctly as if it were today some of them.
Keywords matched
naturalized Naturalize naturalize naturalizing

Classification

Target group
Sentiment
Negative
Stereotyping
No
Confidence
95%
Model
gemini-2.0-flash
Framing
Legal / procedural Criminal

Speaker & context

Speaker
WILLIAM FRYE
Party
R
Chamber
S
State
ME
Gender
M
Date
Speech ID
510167547
Paragraph
#0
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