Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1859-08-27
OUR coUNTRY-Always but Wrong ourCo Country"


ment Of his departurc.. future liability to
serve in the army will not be sufficient be.
cause, before the time can arrive for such SER
vice he has changed his allegiance and has
become q citizen Of the United States. II
would be quite absurd to contend that boy,
brought to this country from foreign coun.
try with his fathers family when but twelve
years of age and naturalizcd here, who should
afterwards visit the country of his birth when
he had become man, might then be seized
and compelled to perform military service. be.
cause, If he had remained there throughout
the intervening years, and his life had been
spared, he would have been bound to perform
military service.
TO submit to such principle would be Ia
make an Odious distinction between our nattl.
rallied and native citizens. For this reason,
in my dispatch to you of May 18th, 1859, and
again in my letter to Mr.. IIofcr Of the itli
ult., ! cOntine the foreign jurisdiction in re.
gard to our nnturalZcd citizens to such ol
them as "wcre in the army or actually called
into it" at the time they left Prussia. That is
to the case Of actual dcscrtioa or a refusal to
enter the army, after having been regularly
drafted and called into it by the Government
to which at the time they owed allegiance. II
is presumed that neither Of these cases pre-.
scntS any difficulty in point Of principle. II
soldier or sailor were TO desert from OuI
army or navy, for which oiIcnsc he is liable
to u severe punishment, and, after having be.
come naturalizcd subject Of another country
should return to the United States, it would
be a singular defence for him 10 make, that he
was abSolved from his crime because, after its
commission, he lad become subject of an.
other Government 1t would bc still more
strange, were that Government to intcrposC
in his behalf for any such reason. Again, lu.
ring the last war with Great Britain, in sever.
al Of the Statcs-I might mention Pcnnsylva.
mia in particular-the militia man who was
drafted and called into service was exposed to
severe penalty il he did not obey the draft
and muster himself into the service, or in dc.
fault thereof procure substitute. Suppose
such an individual, after having incurred this
penalty, had gone to II foreign country and
become naturalzcd there, and then returned
to Pennsylvania is it possible to imagine
that for this reason the arm of the State au.
thoritics would bc paralyzed, and that they
could not exact the prnaltyy ] state these
examples to show more clearly both the cX'
tent and the Limitation Of riShtiul Ilanoycrian
jurisdiction in such cascS.-It is impossible tC
forcsce all the varying circumstances which
may attend cases as they may arise, but it is
believed the principles laid down may gene
rally he sufficient TO guide your conduct.
1t is to be deeply regretted that the German
Governments cvincc so much tcnacity on this
subject. 1t ould be better, far better, fOl
them, considering the comparatively small
number of their native subjects who return tC
their dominions after being naturalizcd in thi.
country, not to attempt to exact military ser
vice from them. They will prove to be moS
reluctant soldiers. If they violate any law o.
their native country during their visit, they
arc, Of course, amenable like other American
citizens. 1t would be a sad misfortune il, foI
the sake Of an advantage so tritling to such
Governments, they should involve themselves
in serious difficulties with country so desi
rOus as we are Of maintaining with them the
most friendly relations. 1t is fortunate tha
serious difficulties of this kind are mainly con
fined to the German StateS-0nd especially
that the laws of Great Britain do not author
izc any compulsory military service whatever