Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-01-14
House Of Representatives.

i House Of Representatives.
RELIEF TO VESSELS IN DISTRESS.
/ Mr.. DRUM asked leave to offer a resolution,
instructing the Committee on Naval Affairs TO IN
quire into the expediency OF authorizing, by law,
| the Secretary of the Navy TO keep and man three
| public vessels--one 10 be stationed at Boston,
another at New York, and third at Norfolk--to
be dispatched hy the Navy Department TO the re-
| lief of such vessels as may be reported In dis
! tress.
Mr.. JONES, of Tennessee, objected 10 the con-
| sderation of the resolution.
Reports were made from several OF the standing
committees of the House.
CALIFORNIA LAND CLAIMS.
Mr. LATHAM from the Committee on Public
| Lands reported bill 10 continue in force until
the Sd Of March, 1855, the act OF 1871, TO ascertain
/ and settle private land claims IN California, ana
| TO authorize the commission now IN session 70
employ three persons TO take testimony, The COM
1 pensation not to exceed tea dollars day.
/ He said, in explanation. that the commission
was appointed in the spring of 1851, but It was
| not organized until January, 1852. Between eiSht
| and nine hundred claims have been hled, emprac-
ing claims hundred millions of land IN mat
State. The commission has continued in session
from that time TO the present period and mas as
4 posed of about three hundred cases. Some TWO
| hundred cases have been argued and submitted 70
/ the board, but remain undecided The bill merely
order 10 complete the business already taken up
Ii was desirable the bill should be passed before
| the twentieth Of this month"; when The steamer
| goes out, and which will arrive in California early
| in March, on the third of which month the COM
mission win expire. II The bill should undergo the
| ordinary course of legislation, il would he Impos-
sible to act upon il previous 10 the departure OF
| the next steamer; and, thereby, there would be
loss not only TO the government but to the claim
/ ants.
The bin was then passed.
HOMESTEAD BILL.
Mr. COBB from the Committee on the Public
| Lands, reported back the homestead BILL with an
amendment in the form OF a substitute; and moved
that this BILL together with all other similar bills
heretofore reported, be made the special order for
| the second Tuesday in February next
| This was objected to.
The bill was then referred to the Committee of
| the Whole on the state Of the Union.
/ Mr.. JONES, of Tennessee, said that on Monday
next, he should move TO make the homestead bill
| the special order of the day.
PUBLIC LANDS.
Mr. COBB from the Committee on Public
Lands, reported a bill TO reduce and graduate the
| price of the public lands which was referred TO
| the Committee of the Whole on the state OF the
| Union.
NATURALIZATION
Mr.. CUTTING, from the Committee on the Ju-
dietary, to which the subject was referred, re-
ported bill, containing the following provisions ::
/ /. Persons heretofore born, or heretofore to be
born out of the limits and jurisdiction Of the Uni
ted States, whose fathers were, shall be al the
i time of birth, citizens Of the United States, shall
| be deemed and considered, and are hereby de-
clared TO be, citizens of the United States; pro.
| vded, however, that the rights of citizenship shall
| not descend to persons whose fathers have never
| resided in the United States.
| g That any woman married. who shall be
married, TO citizen the United States, shall be
deemed and taken TO be citizen.
Mr.. CUTTING, in explaining TO the House the
legislation necessary for the protection of inter
esting portion of the people, supposed to be Of our
citizen population, adverted the state of the law
which existed, independently of any legislation.
BY the common law, he said, the better opinion
always was, although some dcta TO the contrary,
that the children Of subjects born out of the le-
glance Of the crown, and under the legiance Of
another dominion, were aliens 10 the former and
subjects Of the latter, according 10 the municipal
legislation of the country in which the birth took
place.
He then spoke Of the history of England on this
subject, from 1850 down 10 1S44, when the British
Parliament provided that the children Of English
| mothers shall have the rights and privileges Of
English subjects, though born out Of the country
of allegiance. The same condition of statute leg
isaton prevails in France, and, far his OBJ
servaton extends, in every civilized country
protecting the children of their subjects who may
happen to be born out of the country.
In 1880 Congress legslated on this subject, and
in the providing for the naturalization OF aliens
a section was introduced protecting and securing
the rights of American children born abroad, and
the provision of that section entirely sufficient
to meet every exigency which at that time ex-
isted because it applied not only to children whose
parents were then living, but TO children of parents
who were afterwards born. That act continued
in force, as respects this branch. until the 18th of
April 1902, when the whole series of naturaliza-
ton laws were, by one blow, repealed, and sub
sttnte passed by Congress.
In Iegislating on what seemed to be minor con-
sderation, re-enacting that small portion of the
act of 1880, which was designed TO provide for
the security Of children Of our citizens, il was
embodied in form of expression so loose and
ambiguous. that il was exceedingly difficult to
gather its true sense and meaning. In the act of
April Ia, 1902, there was vital difficulty. II
seemed that only the children of parents were
embraced within its premises. Where parents
were born on the fourteenth Of April, 1902 or any
time anterior thereto, every one born minute
after that day, and since that time, abroad, whose
family was travelling abroad on visit of pleasure,
or for purposes of trade business, for the
higher purpose of spreading the Gospel all chill
dren Of such persons, whatever might be the OBJ
jects or notions Of their parents, if born abroad,
were aliens to their country. This inequality
was not manifest for long period Of time. Ten
or twelve years ago the difficulties and embarrass-
ments were experienced, and desire for the cor
recton of the evil were expressed.
He said there was matter of legislation which
could appeal more strongly 10 the patriotism and
sensibilities of the House than this; and further
explained the provisions Of the bill.
Mr.. FULLER said, that the State of Maine (of
which he is a representative had felt the neces-
sity for law of the kind now proposed.
Mr.. DRUM desired the bill to be committed to
the Committee of the Whole on the State Of the
Union, in order that amendments might be made
to il, to meet other embarrassments which arise
out of present law on the subject of naturali-
cation. He, however, withdrew his notion when
the bill was passed
An Intellectual effort was made to go into Com
mtee ON Private Bills.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
The House resolved itself into Committee of
the Whole on the State of the Union, Mr. Orr
in the chair, and resumed the consideration OF the
resolutions, heretofore submitted, proposing 10
refer the various branches of the Presidents An
nual Message TO the appropriate standing COM
mittees
Mr.. EWING made speech against the levying
of tonnage duties, regarding such general sys-
tenn NOT only uncOn elf utional but IA an In.