Speech #510190070

I wish now to call the attention of the Senate and the country to the powers that are conferred by this bill upon the chief supervisor and I will undertake to point out as far as I am able to do itI do not know that I shall be able because of the confusion in the text of this billthose powers that are new and those that are old. those that exist now under the laws heretofore enacted. I have read the general. broad scope of language in which the chief supervisors are charged with the execution of this national election law. There is a peculiarity in the language of that first section of this statute in respect of the powers of the chief supervisors to prevent frauds and irregularities in naturalization. The process of naturalization has always been a judicial proceeding in this country. I do not think we have ever had any naturalization laws. except some statutes that naturalized men because they were soldiers in the Army. without application to a court. but we have bad no system under which a man could change his allegiance from a foreign government and assume allegiance to the United States Government otherwise than through the action of a judicial tribunal. Now. what is meant here that "the chief supervisoris charged with the prevention of fraud and irregularities in naturalization ?" We will take up irregularities first. What are irregularities in naturalization? They must be defective petitions or defective proof or defective judgment rendered upon the proof or defective record evidence of what has transpired in the court. How can a private citizen. not a judicial officer. not on the bench. not having the right judicially to enforce the naturalization laws. execute this function confided here to the chief supervisor of preventing irregularities in naturalization? Is not that an impossibility? Unless you can intrude the chief supervisor of a district into the circuit court or district court or into a State court. any courtwhere naturalization is permitted and carried onhow is he to "prevent "-for that is the language-" irregularities in naturalization?" Is the supervisor an officer of the court? The statute does not say so. We have other statutes which make other men the advisers of the court.