Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-07-16
GOVERNOR WISE ON THE RIGHTS OF
NATrRALIZEp CITIZENS.
The following is the letter Of Governor
Wise ON the naturalization qnestion

The following is the letter Of Governor
Wise on the naturalization question:
RloHMoSp, June 10th, 1859.
To MAX j.. MAYER ESQ ;--Absence has do
layed my reply TO yours Of the 10th inst
I have not time to elaborate an opinion
upon the letter of Gen. Cass, dated Washing
ion, May 18th, 1859, addressed TO Mr.. Felix
LeClerc, of Memphis, Tenn, saying to him,
Your naturalization in this country will not
exempt from that claim" (the claim of the
French government TO military service from
all natives of France who may he found with
in its iuristiction.) ''if you should volunta-
rly repair thither," Ito France.)
My opinion is, that this concession by our
government is an Abandonment of one Of the
most precious American doctrines ever estab-
lishe1 by our patriots for free people. And
regret that n democratic administration has
endorsed it as laid down BY the Wing prede-
cessor in the Department 81 State, Mr.. Edward
Everett, following the authority Of Wheaton.
The United States first established the right
Of cxpatriaton and the solemn ceremony of
naturalization. investing foreigners with citi-
2enship, binding them to allegiance, and con-
tracing TO give them protection whenever by
oath and residence they should become a.
native bern. The old despotisms held to the
maxim--' Once a citizen always n citizen.
Ilit HtM itpNbiiN 0fl a nov ANiAEN VI ~
erty, and asserted that birth and nativity
should not limit the rights Of man. She
established naturalization" of those who
choose to expatriate themselves. It was for
this we declared the last war with Great Bri-
tain. She claimed the rights to seize her ma
tive citizens on board our ships. This we
fought to resist. We said that when her ma
tives were once naturaized here they became
as if they were native born. That is, in fact
the meaning of naturalization. Well, as we
would not permit England 70 seize our native
born, so we would not permit her to seize the
naturalized citizens Of America, for the reason
that naturalization put them on the footing
of native born.
Again, Mr.. Cass may say that he limits the
case to those who voluntarily go to France
and are natives of that country But he adj
mits there, within her jurisdiction the claim
TO military service.
Now, military service is political duty,
belonging wherever allegiance is due; and
inasmuch rs we swear Ivy an oath the native
of France na'uralized here to renounce ale
glance to that country, and TO every prince
and potentate on earth, the citizens of France
naturalized, here, owes allegiance by our
laws to the United States, and has renowned
allegiance to France. She ougt to claim allie
glance of our citizens against our laws ::
Again The natural2ed citizen not only re-
nounces allegiance, by our law, TO his native
country, but by the same law we adopt him
Us one of our citizens to all intents and pur-
poses, and we contract TO give him protection
as we give it to our native born. Naturalist
tion is thus contract between n subject and
a sovereign; allegiance is the consideration
on one hand, and protection is the consdera-
ton on the other. The subject swears allie
gianceto the United States, and the T. States
promises protection to him. Thus, the laws
Of every county must prevail in it's own juris-
diction But this is the law as to the NUM-