Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1811-10-28
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Ute 6irth rghf Of INTERCHANGEABLE.
extraordinary abandonment Of a citizen
Of the Z. States to the crueIties Incl
dent to the condition Of prisoner in
France, exists in the history Ct James
Mcclure who has been Of late the sub
lect OF many newspaper publications,
OF the right he has TO claim as a citi-
zen, no man of common intelligence
can frame reasonable doubt. The
only wonder is, that duty should have
been SO far laid aside as 10 admit Of his
being stripped Of his privileges by the
public servants Of his native country
The circumstances Of his case are thus
abridged in the Enquirer, Richmond
Democratic paper.
anes Mcclure was born in the United
States on The 2Ist Of April I785-scmo
months after bis birth, (that is, on The ooh
Feb. 1850 his father was duly naturalixed.
under The laws OF the State IF South Caro-
Ina The son remained in the u States un-
ul the wear l795 when he was sent to En-
gland for tbs education He has not since
returned 10 this county but resided for
some years IN England, and then made a
trip to Holland and other parts az The con.
tlneRt. His father also has left the III stafes
and returned to lis native country c. Bri-
tain. Some time in Tie year 1907. Mr.
James MClsre dispatched from England
the bmous ship Horizon, destined 10 Lima:
T"ich was wrecked on the rocks ct Nor
lax, and ss j. generally Known, was tie We
ry first case in which the Berlin Deere.
was put into execution against the u. States.
Mr.. MIC went 20 France, 10 reclaim The
properly Of the ship, Carrying with him
passport from the American Minister ~
Mountaineering him 20 be native citizen
OF the =. States. On the l2th April 1910.
sa order was IssHed by the Minister " War,
directing. that, = in Consequence M infor-
nation 10 hiin) from lie minister Of gener.
al police, and which be las received from
the Minister PicnipOtentiary cf Tie IJxitrti
States" Mr.. J. Mcclure Should be dctsine.
in France "as an English prisoner .e
France" Accordingly ne was arrested w.
L'Onent--sent CT eF psrOIc, and elhccd
under surveillance W Tours.
Where, it may be asked, Is the con
sIlmtional provision, which strips ns-
tive ofhis birth righ, How Otherwise
does Gen. Armstrong himself or Mr.
M'Rae, trace their own rights ~ ci.i-
zens than by proving their nativity
bat II TO nativity, The citizenship of tho
father must be supefadded. how MANY
persons, whose privilege had not and
never viii De questioned, are virtually
| dlsfranchised lhe department Of state
Of the general government, the coIlpc-
tors oi The customs, the courts of rus.
tee, and every other public body and
officer having occasion to take cogni-
zJnCe OF the distinction between alien
and citizen, have never imagined they
could call for an higher standard Tor
the latter than birth in the l.. States !:
and with this privilege Of natives arc
| connected the Inconvenience Of perpe-
tual allegiance. How absurd ther IRE,
and how unfeeling was il in General
Armstrong to instigate the French to-
treat this man as prisoner thereby
adding to. the wreck and confscation Of
his vessel, the denancialion of his per-
son as an enemy
But as II nothing was 20 restrain the
cruel purpose Of surrendering him as Z
prisoner 10 the French despot, the ex-
press grant Of naturalization to his "a
ther, under the laws Of South Carolina,
and the extension of the Same privilege
to the son by the operation Of the acts
Of Congress, had ~ even been born in
the U. States, were equally disfegardeds
WhaE were Geseral Armstrong; mo-
lives for acting thus, does not appear.
We can scarcely ascri5e she proceeding