Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1859-06-27

s-.--s.s-f - i.a's
Nothing mnalics assume that ID does b.
In tpeaklnq or This letter our neighbor
down street, In hs la't paper says, IN
let forth hat no s1hu1hsef -.ttn rm ie pro-.
telea egtns, the claims of ne gucnmvi pn.
dr rlich he pas bo'7"
This, the reader will observe, Is a' bare.
hccd misrepresentation os words can
porpelraic. Gen. CAss saysno such thing.
lie only informs an inquiring friend OF
the requirements Of the French goycrns
mont-not one word as to tho doctrines
held by the United States on this subject.
But We think this one of the smallest Of
tho offences of this character Of our neigh.
Dor, and we are therefore not disposed to
characterize il as it deserves to be, or ae
we would, wcrowe not speaking ofono who
is 30 habituated to misrcprcscnt facts that
he can not help it, They arc, no doubt,
mroiuntdrN and the nuthorisnotas as rcspon
sible as if they were wlrully perpetraled.
But Gen. CAss has written another let>
lcr in reply to another gentleman, on this
subject, in which he takes occasion 10 ox-
plain, and in reference TO which letter
our neghbor says Gen. CAss proposes to
Iretract." Here our neighbor is again the
victim of his irresistible habit. Gen. CAss
proposes no such thing. lie only exposes
the shameless duplicity of such dcma
gogues as Bolts and his rcpudiatcd band
by briefly stating the position held 10y the
government of the United States on the
subject. According to tho American doc.
trine any citizen, or subject, Of any gov
ornmcn; has the right TO cXpatrate him-
self at will. We hold, for example, that
a citizen Of the United States can select
any government on the earth under which
to make his domicil, and after having
sworn allegiance to such government, un-
der whatever system Of naturalization
such government may practice, is shielded
from any claim Of this government. But
should such citizen have left unfulflled
obligations-should there have been any
legal claims of our government against
him at the time of his leaving, he would
be liable toarrestand prosecution If found
voluntarily within the jurisdiction Of the
United States. Some of the European
governments, as is shown by Gen. Cass,
claim military duty from every subject,
and hence they hold that if subject
leaves their dJninions, this demand" of
their governm. mt is unfulflled, and con-
sequently renders the subject liable to
arrest whenever he shall be found within
its jurisdiction. To induce these govern
MEETS to relax the rigor of their laws in
this respect, the COVER nment Of the Uni
ted States has labored for years, and we
arc told in this second letter Of Gen. CAss,
that the subject has quite recently been
brought to the attention of the Prussian
government by our minister there.
! The reader will thus see that such
"claims" being made upon our nsturali-
zed citizens returning TO tie land Of their
birth, is no fault of our government, but
of those over which VIC have no control.
We may beseech them to be more liberal
to fashion their laws moro in accord
ance with the spirit Of the age--to be
more humane and enlightened, and to
treat their people more as citizens than as
subjectsS but we cannot make laws for
them. II is too soon to try that. Young
america can do many things, no doubt,
but We cannot undertake to do this yet