New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-06-24

J,cob,pism on the other. both parties b, Which tho
county bad hen begun IL Do divided were ~llliog
% ra,der natur sIiz alton moro difficult. BY new
A., the prrlimnsr, residence necessary to cinzea'
sb,n WA extended to FIVE years. three years
preyious declara,ion Ito be made In some Govt OF
Reco,d) Of Intention To become citizen WAS ai'o
required. and residence for one year in the State
where the naturalization should be had. The new
r ;izen Wa. now also called upon TO renounce for
ever all allegiance and fidelity to aoy foreign
prince or State and also expressly to renouoce any
title of mobility which lie might have borne In bis
native country.
The course which the Members Of the Congress
tia, cted this law bad themselves taken ia shsh-
ing of their own allegiance to the Brltl'h Cfe~n
might naturally lead them to claim for all Others,
as a matter of right, like privilege. Never
tbeiess. there are obvious differences, which
leave no sort of similarity between the two
cases. In the first place, the dissolution OF
the political connection between tho Inhabitants
of The United States and the British Crown aud
pation was Lot an individual act. Ii was the act
Of the States respectively or rather Of the States
~,
gems So far from recognizing any right ia the ln'
di,idu.l to select his own sovereign or country
our Revolutionary fathers held that indVlcu,s
were absolutely bound BY the act of the community
Of which they formed part; nor did they hesitate
t. innict severe penalties on such individuals As
undertook to exercise private right Of jadsmsnt
AID choice ia this matter. Ia the second place
the remuneration Of allegiance to the Blush Crown
thus collectively mode WAS formally consented 70
by the British Government at the treaty OF Prace-
an il gredient Of consent wholly wanting ia the case
of individuals undertaking t. create new aU-gi
apce for themselves. Our Interest. too, would
naturally in cline " to favor the view by which, as
a country receiving euigrsnts rather than sending
them out We had most to gain. wbils 1t is not TO
be- wondered at that nstiraiized citizens them
selves should reluct at the idea of owing service 70
two masters, even though it we're voluntary act
Of their own by which they were placed in that
predicament.
Practically, however, the inconvenience likely
TO arise from the doctrine of perpetual allegiance,
are confined within narrow limits. There seem TO
be only two cases in which the naturallzed cltiz@n
i. likely to find himself in dagger from the claims
upon him by his native country. SO long as the
country Of bis birth, and the country Of his sdop-
ton reDSin at peace With each other, and SO long
as he avoids going back to set up in his native
country his acquired rights as against HE original
obligations, no claims seem likely to be made upon
him on the part of his original sovereign During the
war Of 1912, betwees US and Great Britain, the
latter country set up a right on her part to treat
and punish as traitors such nativeb0rn Brtish sub
iects "a might be taken 10 arms against her. not
witbstaDdiog they might at the Same time be nat
usalized citizens of the United States. Twenty
three lri.hmen found among the prisoners taken
By the British at the battle of Queenstown, we're
denied the treatment Of prisoners of war, and we're
rent to England to DO tried for treason. Thus
movement WAS promptly met by the passage OF an
bet of Congress authorizing the President TO re-
taliate on British prisoners OF war any treat
mept which these nsturalized citizens might an
aergo; and under the authority of thi' act the
President ordered the close confinement of t~enty-
three British soldiers to abide the fate OF the IRISH
men taken at Queenstown. Gen. Provost, then
commanding in Cspsda, responded, under
special orders from England, by the
close confinement of twice the number
of American officers and non com mssicned officers,
With threat, if this practice we're continued, OF
uumitigated severity sg,inst ths American cities
and villages President Madison replied BY shut
ting up d like number Of British officers, and with
threats to rotor. any further severltiss in which
the British might indulge. Thereupon Provost
ordered all his prisoners into close confinement
an example which Madison imme iiatey followed.
Happily, however, this aggrsyating system soon
came to an end. Some of the imprisoned AmerI-
can officers we've released On parole, and were
made the bearers Of . message that the twenty.
three lrsbmen sent to England had not beon
footipg Of prisoners Of war. This speedily led to d
dsmisssl Oh parole Of all the officers prisoners on
both sides But the British Government, in thus
recediDg sought to It's retreat by Prociama-
tion rec, sling all its subjects from foreign service
granting paroons for all past TT. OF this sort
on the score of probable ignorance, but threatening
to punish IS traitors oil subjects taken in the serv-
ice Of any hostile Power after four months from the
date Of the pruclama'ipn-sn empty threat never
attempted to be executed Nor, indeed, is it likely
that this claim to the exclusive military service OF
its naturaborn subjects will ever again be revived
On the other band our Government has con-
ceded that n4tursliz-d citizens returning TO their
native country, thereby subject themselves to the
fulfment Of any obligations OF military service
which existed against them at the period Of their
emigration. Mr.. Case, however, in bis latest an
nouncemeut on this subject, makes the distinction
that. though if actusn, in the army or drawn for
service at the period Of emigration, the obligation
10 serye sill remains good agsinst them; they ars