Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1859-06-23
Rights ana Liabilities of NaturaIized
Citizens.

Rights and Liabilities of NakuraliZed
Citizens.
The Know Nothings have already fulfilled a
prophecy which this paper used to make in 1856,
that within six years from that late the Know Moth
ings would proclaim themselves the greatest friends
of the naturslized citizen, and swear they had al
ways dearly loved them. However improbable the
prophecy then appeared, it is realized within four
years; and we now find the instigators of the mobs
and riots in 1856, endeavoring to curry favor with
the naturalzed citizen, by attacking the admins
tratOn for simply stating the fact that certain for
eign governments claim the right to exact of natives
of those countries, military services in specified
cases, under what they claim to have been in
ternstioual law since the dawn Of civilization
The letter Of Gen. CAss, which The Know Moth
ings now profess TO believe unjust to naturaliz-
ed citizens, simply advised our adopted French
citizens that in MISUNDERSTANDING France pend
ing the present war, they mightsubject themselves
under the military code of their native country to
be coeroed into the service Of that country. The
Secretary of State, in the opinion he expressed.
was obliged to warn those who sought his counsel
in the exigency, to beware Of the consequences
they might incur under the public law as always
| heretofore understood, and accepted by all the
| great powers Of Christendom and he would have
done a very wrong and foolish thing, it, in recon-
meuding them to disregard or defy it, he had there
by not only involved them in difficulty, individual
ly, but devolved upon the United States the neces
sity of war in order 10 enforce views of psliti
cal right and policy contrary to those held by all
other nations.
The Know NOthings, in their talks to adopted cit-
| liens, represent the statement of Gen. CAss as a
change in the policy of this Government to the pre-
| judoe of such citizens. Such statements entirely
untrue. The Secretary only stated the common
law of all the nations of Continental Europe, ss it
now stands He enuncisted no new theory, and
only stated the claim. In all controversies arising
out of the common law Of nations, and not out of
the municipal law of any State, We have got 10
take the code as it stands by universal consent, and
not as we would like to have it stand This code may
be changed, SO far it affects us, by negotiation,
or we may resist its application to us by an appeal
to arms Gen. CAss tells Us, in the letter we pub
| lished day or two since, that the Government is
now seeking to have the doctrine of the right of
perpetual and absolute change of allegiance by the
subject acknowledged by foreign States, in conform
ity with our ideas of the subject The effort to &C.
complish this change was made long since, by a
Democratic Administration, and is being pressed on
Foreign Governments by this Administration. 1t
caps the very climax of inconsistency when the
Know NoihiDgs are found grumbling at negotiations,
and attacking the Administration for not advising
native of France to defy the law of his native coun
try sustained, as that law is, by the code of every
other country of Europe If the Administration had
desired war with Europe for the overthrow of that
Code, it might have been obtained by advising the
the return of Mr.. LECLERc, and then by an attempt
to rescae him from the ranks Of the French army
We greatly doubt, however, if there would not have
been much greater clamor, in such case, than We
hear at present, and certainly smuch more just one
until negotiation fails.
Repeating here, what every intelligent adopted
citizen already understands that the letter of Gen.
Glass; in reply to an adopted citizen of France, was
only statement of the claim Of France humanely
made to save his interrogation from trouble, and
without going into discussion of the general ques
ton of allegiance and citizenship question Of
public law We shall print here what consider such
authority as was not only conclusive of the discre
ton of the Secretary of State in the present in
stance but as entirely sufficient to justify him in
the course he has pursued. In note on spage 136
of the last edition of "WHEAToN's Elements of In
ternational Law" we read as follows:
1.-THE protection which this country affords to
naturalized citizens, those who clothed with
| its nationality, does not extend to defend them
against the authorities of their country, in
| of their voluntary return 10 it. Mr.. Marcy writes
to Mr. Jackson, Charge AfdireS at Vienna, on 10th
| of January 1854: Il have carefully examined your
1 IL m
regret to find that 1t is one which will not authorize
more effective interference than that which you have
already made in his behalf Il is true he left this
country with passport issued from this depaI tment;
but he neither a native-born nor naturalized
citizen, he not entitled to it. 1t is only to cit
zens that passports are issued.
"'Assuming all that could possibly belong to
Tousig 3 cese-thst be had domicil here and was
actually clothed with the nationality of the United
Sates-there is feature in it which distinguishes
it from that of Koszs. Tousg voluntarily returned
TO Austria, and placed himself within the reach of
municipal laws. He went by his free act under
their Jurisdiction and thereby subjected himself to
them. If he had incurred penalties or assumed du-
ties while under these laws he might have expected
they would be enforced against him and should
have known that the new political relation he had
acquired if indeed he had acquire any, could not
operate a release from these penalties"
"a case presenting the question how far a natu-
raj zed citizen of the United States his return to
the country of his origin, could claim the nterpcsi
tion of the American legation to protect him against
the performance of the duties imposed on him as a
native subject by the sovereign whose allegiance he
had renOuBced, occurred in 1910, during MIR. Whea-
toms residence at Berlin. To the application Of a
naturalized citizen of the United States, who had
been required to perform military duty in Prussia
of which he was a native, he replied: "Had you re-
manned in the United States visited sny other fol-
egn country Except Prussia) on your lawful bust
ness, you would have been protected by the Ameri-
can authorities at home and abroad, in the enjoy
meDt of all your rights and privileges natural
lied citizen Of the United States. But having re-
turned to the country of your birth, your HatiUs
domeIe and national character Of reUert $50 long as
you remain in the Prussan dominiOns, and you are
bound in all respects to obey the laws, exactly if
you had never emigraled."-Ar Vacation 10 j. p. |
KHOeke, oath July, 1870 Ms. Dispatches
1t is an amazing sight-or perhaps we might bet
ter say an amusing sight-tO see those who were the
leaders of KnOw-NOthingism in 1866, going round
and hugging the Odd furriners,' and begging for
their votes, on the ground that the Democratic par
ty is not careful enough of their interests. We
hear of several tart rebuffs which these Know
NOthiugs have already received and have no doubt
that they will soon get tired of the silly effort in