The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1853-07-30
protection OF German American Citi'
gems abroad.

According to the last Interpretation OF ou
Secretary of State, Mr.. Marcy, the King
Prussia and other foreign Despots, have IN
right to arrest and enrol into their military
any German born American citizen. Thes
Despots claim the right of enrolling into mill
tary service, or kind of military slavery, al
their male subjects arrived at a certain age
except certain, and a very large sum
money TO the poor, be paid as immunity from
such service. When these subjects emigra"
to this country, and become American c'f'aeas
ifthey owe military service, in Germany 'ne!
are prevented from visiting their native coun
try, because they are in danger OF long I'm
prisonment. They have not even the PRIV
lege of paying the certain sum and enterih
their native country as visitors. Our Coy Coy
ernmen: permits other nations to dra'~ '".
of distinction between her ps-0e0'1.ay "
naturalized citizens, s,,or.
oeaee, reIino,-><ys in l''~ 'e''er'
Washington, July 6, 1864
AIS. HENRY BIDFIELD:
Mil,caukie, Wis.
SIR:-In reply to your letter of the 18th.
ult, have the honor to inform you, that
Prussia claims the right to hold to military
duty those of her subjects pao emigrate to other
countries and become naturalised there, without
first procuring certfcateo emigration; and
that she has in some cases, effected by violence
the PERFORMANCES Of such military duties, from
such persons returning there.
The influence of the u. 8. Government in
behalf ofthose naturalised in this country have
been TO no purpose, and Prussia has not given
up her claims to them.
am sir, &c.
w. l.. MARCY.
How does this letter agree with that high
Hung passage in President Pierce's Inaugu-
raj, according to which, every American citi-
zen, nat'Oe and naturalized, wherever he might
hnd himself to be, has the indispulable right
to enjoy the full protection of the Star
Spangled Banneri When once a man be.
comes an american citizen" he is as much
an American citizen till he relinquishes the |
name, and is as much entitled to the rights
and privileges of such, and protection of the
American Government, as any other citizen
even though he and his father before him
were born on American soil. An AMER.
ICAA-0Ifr1urv--uvI k..--
right to enquire where he first drew the
breath of life, nor lessen or enlarge his privi-
leges and the fostering protection of Govern
ment, from the real facts of his origin. What
10 the boosted protection of the Star Span
gled Banner, fright in its presence, and in
the presence of our country's representative
abroad, American Citizens can be thrown into
prison, or made to perform "by violence" the
slavish duties of citizens of despotism-and
probably forced to bear arms against the very
country which promised them her protection,
the moment they renounced allegiance to all
other powers!
There are "American citizens" here in
Evansville, worthy, estimable and upright
citizens, and who have been such for years,
yet who do not dare visit their relatives in
the German States. They have been plead
ing through the Representatives of those
counties in this country, for this one boon,
and nave been denied And now they are
told ny Mr.. Pierce's Secretary. to give up all
hope. He says this Governments interior
ance has been to no purpose. Wedeny that.
We say that Mr.. Barnhardt, the American
Consul at Russia, under Mr.. Fillmore, never
lost an opportunity of thus interfering, and
affected the release of number of American
citizens, who had been imprisoned for what,
was literally the crime of being American
citizens. The Fillmore administration itself, if
we mistake not, instructed its Consul to act
in this matter as he did.
We are glad to see the Germans in some
quarters, are acting in this matter. Some OF
the German citizens of Baltimore, have ad-
dressed the President through one of their
number, and called upon the protection of this
Government to American citizens who were |
so unfortunate as to be born in Germany |
We shall publish their memorial on Monday
Highway Robbery.
We understand that a German, whose |
name we have not heard, was robbed and shot
on the road from Columbia to Princeton, last
Thursday morning. He was laborer on the