Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-07-18
CAss ON NATURALIZATION.

ton Constellation an apology for and defense of
the doctrine announced in some recent letters
of his, which have given great shock to
our adopted citizens. This document begins
with denouncing perpetual allegiance as rel
let of 5arbarism. 1t fully admits the right OF
expatriation as having been engrafted into the
Constitution of the United States, by that
clause of it which confers upon Congress the
power to establish uniform rule of naturali-
cation. 1t alleges that from and after the date
Of his naturalization (with the exception that
he cannot become President Of the United
States), the naturalized citizen is placed upon
the very same footing, both at home and
abroad, as the native citizen. Still Mr.. CaSS
justifes the opinion which he gave in his LIE
Clcrc and Hofcr letters, on the ground that he
had in view in those letters only the cases OF
naturalized citizens who, at the time they left
their native country, were already under OBJ
legations of military service, by having been
already drafted into the army. He sets up a
distinction between these cases and that OF
those who at the time of their emigration were
subject only to liability to future military
service.
The distinction, however, between these
two cases does not by any means seem clear.
There is room to apprehend that, in his nego-
tiatiOns with the Governments of Germany,
Mr.. Cass may find himself very hard pressed
by the concessions he has himself made. Ho
compares the case of German subject draft
ed into the army to that of a British OF Amer
ican soldier who has voluntarily enlisted.
He seems to regard the evasion by German
subject of forced and involuntary service as
standing upon the ground of breach OF con-
tract. In the case of voluntary enlistment.
the soldieris personally and individually bound.
The obligation has nothing to do with his citi-
zenShip. 1t is in the nature OF debt which
he has himself contracted, and which he may,
whenever found within the jurisdiction, and
hat rfta of nrlchI
while have undergone, be reasonably enough
called upon to discharge. But in the German
military service there is no enlistment. The
individual, as an individual does no act and
contracts no obligation. He is called into the
army, and kept there merely by the tie of his
allegiance-merely by the fact that he is the
subject of such or such a State. Now, if it
be true, as Mr.. Cass alleges, that the moment
foreigner becomes naturaliZed his allegiance
to his native country is severed forever; if,
to use Mr.. Cass's figure, he is born anew, and
If, in consequence "a broad and impossible line
separates him from his native country, how is
it possible that obligation to render military
service which had no other basis, except the
mere fact of his birth within that country,
and his allegiance to the sovereign of it, can
survive his new birth and the total extinction
of that former allegiance?
The entire extinction by the act of natural
iZation of allegiance to any foreign state or
ultaneous extinction Of all the consequences
or results of such allegiance-among the rest
the extinction of all obligations TO render
military or any other service, where no perso-
nal contract exists, and where the service was
merely an incident to the allegiance.
What difference in fact is there-and this is
question which the German Governments
wiz be likely to call upon Mr.. Cass to answer
between future liability and present la
bility to military service, when both the one
and the other grow out of the mere fact of
birth, independent entirely of any consent or
cooperation on the part of the individual liza
ble If new birth, change of citizenship
does not extinguish the one liability, as Mr..
Cass seems to admit that it does not, it will
perhaps not be easy to convince the German
Governments that it extinguishes the other.
1t is very unfortunate, in view of the tena-
city lamented by Mr.. Cass with which the
German Governments cling to the military
service of those who once owed allegiance to
them, that Mr.. Cass should himself have put
an argument into their mouths of which they
Will know well how to avail themselves. 1t
would have greatly simplifed matters, and
probably have FASTENED final arrangement of
the question had our Government taken the
plain and simple ground that all obligations
to military service were extinguished smulta-
neously with the allegiance out of which those
obligations arose. But that was too much to
expect of the blunderheadS OF our Democrat
ic Administration. If it had been question
of ssniggers," they would have had clear views
and distinct purpose from the beginning !;
but as it is only a matter of white men, and
these of foreign birth there is no telling when
they will come to rational understanding of
the subject.-N. y. Tribune.
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