Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-07-09
WE are more and more CONVINCED. the more

Administration have taken upon the relation of
naturalized citizens, and in which the party have
followed after Them that they are not only alla-
icous but destructive to, and altogether atlvari-
ancewith the principles involved in adopted citi.
zenship. Either an adopted citizen is entitled to
the full measure Of our governmental protection
athome and abroad, or else he is not and if he
is not, what more of Justice is there in demand
ing the duties of citizenship of him in times of
peace and war, than in "taxation without rep.
resentation," of which the Colonies so grievous-
ly complained. His status of citizenship is not
Mt all essentially altered, if when he has cast in
his lot with US, taxed with us in times of peace
draughted with us in times of war, he can be
seized as felon and impressed into service
where he has no sympathies, perhaps against his
adopted country where reside his kindred and
where all that is dear to him in this world re-
main. OF what avail, pray tell US, is such cit-
zenship to mani We understand citizenship
to be in the nature of an insurance The gov
ernment oblges applicant for adoption to re-
nounce all allegiance to any prince, poten-
tate or ruler ''whatsoever," and especially to
the one under whom the applicant was born
or last lived; and in consideration of his re-
nunciation, it issues to him a policy of in
Identification or insurance, guaranteeing to
him all the rights which belong to man
who owes allegiance to no power on earth save
and except to it. Where's the justice or COM
mon sense in requiring A. B. or G. to declare.
on his solemn oath, that he will no longer ac-
knowledge fealty or obligation of any political
kind, to Victoria, or Napoleon, or Joseph, if it
is not competent for, or if it is not intended by
the Government to back him up and assist him
to carry out the letter and spirit of his oath p
1t is in times of peril that the citizen needs
protection; the time at which his policy of insur-
ance calls for the fultillment of the contract and
as well might any of our insurance agents here
tell man, whom they had for a half or a whole
per cent, guaranteed against fire, when burned
out, to get Naturalization the best way he
could-as for Gen. Cass or Mr.. Buchanan to
turn deaf ear to the citizen, who, having dis
charged all the duties imposed upon him by his
oath of allegiance, calls to th.m for deliverance
from the grasp of foreign despots, under whose
rule it was his misfortune, and not his fault, to
be born.
The question, to our mind, after good deal
of reflection on the sui ject, is this Are foreign
born citizens, citizens Of an inferior grade as far
as protection is concerned? Are they, in other
words, citizens in the nature of criminals, and
to whom the principle of an extradition Law ap-
plies? 1t Austria or Prussia has the right to
the services of those of her subjects who reside
in this city, then we have not and it does seem
to US that the dilemma which exists under the
ruling of Secretary Cass is not less destructive
than the principle upon which King Solomon
proceeded in solving the query us to which one
of the two claimants belonged the child over
which was suspended his sword We say in
physics that two bodies cannot occupy the
same space at the shme time; yet, we say in
our political metaphysics, that one man can
owe duties and services, paramount in their
nature, to two governments. Assurcdlv. if
this be true, it is no longer u Scriptural
dogma worthy of all acceptance, that ono
man can serve two masters-for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or else he will
hold to the one and despise the other" The
status of an adopted citizen of tho United
States, under the decision of the administra-
ton, is but one degree, if it is that, above the
negro, who, rs Justice fancy has told u.s. s'has
no rights that white men men are bound to
respect" We put the question to every candid
man who reads this article, if this is not true
if we do not state the case fairly, when we say
that an adopted citizens status is, at best, but
a midway condition between that of the I'M
privileged negro and the full privileged native
born white man. It seems to US, as we think
over the subject that in the inner kernel or
principle Of this matter there is no legitimately
apPreciable difference between the right Of
Austria to extradite from our very midst our
foreign born JellO,O citizens, and the right to
seize and impress them when abroad. A slave
o~e' service, by the laws of the State where he
is held. He escapes across the river here, but
he is still liable to remandment if his owner
pursues and demands him. A Prussiun or
Austrian comes here oa0ing service, not by his
own will or consent, any more than our negroes
but by municipal law. We know that he ones
service and we know also that that service which
he owes involves an obligation-a subsection,
which, if it is held in allegiance and not can.
celled, neutralzes, to all intents and purposes,
the idea of full, unequivocal and unreserved
remuneration Of all notions of Obligation to INV