Show THE NEBRASKA governorship decision of the supreme court of nebraska in the case of james E boyd the governor of that state declaring him an alien is occasioning a great deal of party controversy the history of this remarkable case to is very simple and in truth brief last fall there were three candidates for the gubernatorial chair of nebraska boyd was the democratic candidate and received votes powers the alliance candidate received votes while richards the republican received only votes boyd received a plurality of 1144 votes over powers he was considered duly elected and was inaugurated though forcibly opposed by governor thayer the incumbent at the time boyd held the office since until the decision of the court a few days ago james E boyd is a native of ireland but left that country with his father when ten years of age the father joseph boyd declared his intention to become a citizen in 1849 but no record haft ban been shown that he was fully naturalized during the minority of his bis son As early as 1865 1855 he be told his son that he was a citizen of the united states he held office in ohio and took the oath to support the constitution of the united states his son on james went to nebraska in 1856 and was elected to office in 1857 in 1864 he be enlisted in the federal army and in due time was honorably discharged he has served in the nebraska legislature and in two constitutional tut ional conventions he was in the legislature which accepted the enabling act by which nebraska became a state he has bego been mayor of omaha and held various offices in ithe city government he has repeatedly peat post heatedly edly sworn to the constitution ution and be true to it thus it will be seen been that from 1867 1857 to 1890 james E boyd boyds s right to act as a citizen of the united states was never questioned the decision recently given declaring him an alien is of doubtful correctness one of the three judges fudges who constitute the supreme court of nebraska dissented from the opinion there was noth nothing ingin ia which to base unfitness un fitness for the office except the bare technical correctness of bu bia naturalization still if that is the law the court cannot reasonably be blamed for its decision but what occasions dissatisfaction to is the declaration of the court that thayer is governor a man who was not even candidate for the office unless there is some special provision on this point in the constitution of nebraska it would seem that lieutenant governor majors is the rightful governor or in the event of his bis non eligibility that tbt powers the candidate who received the next highest number of votes at the last election ought to be declared governor judge maxwell who dissented contends that boyd is ie a citizen and eligible he bases his opinion on a construction st of the acts by which nebraska was admitted into the union he maintains that by these acts aill all bonafide bona fide residents of the territory became citizens of the united states when nebraska was admitted in 1867 boyd will carry the case came to the supreme court of the united states though he said on OB the slat alt while attending the burial of his bis father in Cincin cincinnati niti that he had little hopes of the decision of the nebraska court being reversed the case as it stands at present is likely to lead to serious party complications at the next election |