The Nevada Democrat., 1856-11-19
The Right OF Repatriation.

Vne ttARnH OF k1xphtFhatAOhe
At the late session Of Congress Gen. Qutman
introduced bill into the House of RepreseHta-
tives for the repeal Of the laws of the U. S. com
monty called the neutrality act or such Of its
provisions as regulate the conduct of our citi-
zens in their relations to foreign states and SOW
ereignties. This move on the part Of the dis
tinguished gentleman is of some significance,
and from the able and statesman-like manner in
which he urged it, is likely at no distant day to
be elevated into a subject of the highest nation
al importance. It's bearing upon the relations
Of the United States with foreign nations, is OBJ
vious at once, and Gen. Quitman was open in
his avowal of policy which will shock all fogy-
dom from the 49th parallel to the Gulf of Mexi-
co, including the "Gadsden purchase" He
denounced the act as unnecessary and impoli-
tic" and also as containing "infringements of
the personal rights of the citizen"
AS the law now stands enacted in 1918, the
grossest inconsistency exists between it and our
policy on the subject of naturalization. The
right of expatriation, or in other words the right
of the citizen or subject of a foreign state or
sovereignty to renounce and abjure his allegi-
ance at pleasure is received and proclaimed to
be natural right, not to be interfered with or
doubted for moment Upon this ground Mr.
Galatin and other eminent statesmen at an ear
ly period in our history, resisted the enactment
of o law prescribing the form and manner to be
observed by citizens of the U. S. in expatria-
ting themselves.
The act proposed to be repealed by Gen.
Quitman, enacted in 1918, was doubtless sug-
gested and promoted by the Representatives Of
European Courts, for the purpose of restricting
the practical sympathy of the people of the Uni
ted States, for the Spanish American Colonies,
then struggling for independence. The debates
at the time furnish the most conclusive evil
dence of this purpose. Amongst those who
i took conspicuous part in the controversy. and
were most earnest at that period in defence of
the cause of the South American Republics was
Mr.. Clay, then the speaker of the House Of Rep
resentatives He descended from the chair on
more than one occasion, and opposed in the
most decided terms the bill which became law
in spite of his exertions, and which has remain
ed upon the statute books to the present day.
Amongst other objections he urged that the
adoption of the bill would place the Govern
ment of the United States in the attitude of
an ally of European despotism, and an enemy
to the extension of liberal political institutions
on this continent Penetrating the designs of
foreign emissaries in foisting this act upon the
American people under the speciOus pretext of
guarding our neutral position, he denounced
the provisions proposed to be repealed by the
bill of Gen. Quitman in language the most in
dignant.
1t cannot be doubted in fact that the bill in
its origin, was conceived in Difference to Eu
ropean ideas and interests, and that it has out
lived the power of the Federal Government tC
enforce. Public sentiment has already render
ed it dead letter upon the statute book, ant
the only thing left for Congress to do is to re
cede from measure so opposed to public senti
ment, to our interests and rights as leading
power of the globe, and which no moral obliga
tions whatever call upon us to maintain Tht
election Of Mr. Buchanan, which we canno
doubt, will be the signal for Withdrawing oul
powerful support to the ascendency of European
misrule upon the American continent, and the
first step in Withdrawing the aid and comfort
which for forty years we have afforded the
cause of transatlantic despotism on our own
shores will be to apply the same liberal rule of
expatriation TO our own citizens as that which
we have claimed for the citizens of every other
state and country.