IMMIGRATION. 249 



The federal grand jury, recently in session in New York in relation 

 to the naturalization of aliens, adopted resolutions condemning the 

 wholesale manufacture and sale of counterfeit and altered certificates 

 of naturalization, and recommended new legislation to insure uni- 

 formity of practise in the various states, an engraved certificate and 

 other precautions to prevent counterfeiting. 



Mr. C. V. C. Van Deusen, special examiner in regard to naturaliza- 

 tion, in his report to the attorney-general, November, 1903, says in 

 part: 



The evidence is overwhelming that the general administration of the nat- 

 uralization laws has been contemptuous, perfunctory, indifferent, lax and unin- 

 telligent, and in many cases, especially in inferior state courts, corrupt. 



I find that it is and has been for years past the practise of judges of state 

 courts to hold evening sessions of court at the behest of political leaders for the 

 sole purpose of naturalizing hundreds of aliens for political purposes with a 

 full knowledge on the part of the judges that the aliens have been bribed to 

 become citizens and voters by the payment of their naturalization fees by the 

 political organizations. 



In those states in which the naturalization fee is not fixed by statute, or 

 where the fees are retained by the judge or clerk, the ' naturalization business ' 

 of political organizations is a matter of competitive bidding by local courts and 

 is awarded to the lowest bidders. 



In those states which prescribe by statute the naturalization fee, which 

 must be accounted for by the clerk, it is the general practise of political organ- 

 izations to select a specific court presided over by a judge of like political faith, 

 to which the aliens, ' rounded up ' by the district workers, are sent with official 

 cards addressed to the clerk of the court requesting that final papers be issued 

 to the bearer. These cards are afterwards redeemed by the political organiza- 

 tion by the payment of the amount of the fees represented by them. In many 

 cases clerks of courts demand advance payment of these fees from the political 

 organization, having a due regard for the fact, based on previous experience, 

 that it is often impossible to collect the money from the political committees 

 after an election has passed. 



In many cases clerks of courts remit the naturalization fees in cases of 

 aliens sent by their political organizations as their contributions to the cam- 

 paign fund, while exacting the last cent permitted by law from aliens not ' in- 

 dorsed ' by such organization. 



In many instances the judge passing upon the qualifications of aliens for 

 citizenship sent him by his political organization is a candidate for reelection, 

 the result of the election being often decided by the vote of these aliens. Under 

 these circumstances it is not strange to find that little or no attempt is made 

 by such judge to ascertain the fitness of the alien for citizenship and that the 

 number rejected is practically nil. It is a common thing for an alien rejected 

 in one court to be admitted in another court on the same day. In one case I 

 found that a judge had held an impromptu session of court late at night in a 

 railroad station while waiting for a train for the purpose of conferring citizen- 

 ship upon a number of aliens whose votes were needed at an election. 



In another case a judge entered an order revoking certificates of citizenship 

 granted to seven aliens by him, under the impression that they had been sent by 

 his political organization, but who were afterwards repudiated by that organiza- 



VOL. LXVI. — 17. 



