The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-06-29

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ment e iisi. ss.s E9e - ~ zta h.tiE
DErARTxEsT OF STATE,
re WAsHINeroN, May H. 1859 /
TO Mr.. Felir Legure. Memphis. Tenn
Sir--Your letter of the 18th inst. has beenl
received. In reply have to state that il is
understood that the French Government
claims military service from all natives ofI
France who may be found within its jurisdic,
tion. Your naturalization in this country will
not exempt you frem that claim if you should
voluntarily repair thither. aei 80
am, Sir, your obedient servant
sa,a sssi - le+s LEWIS CASS.
If the doctrine of the foregoing letter is
correct, thea Great Britain was right. and
the United States wrong in the War Of 1872
then is the system Of naturalization mock
cry, then is the boasted right Of American
citizenship sham. lss, y '.'''. - - +
1t has always been understood that a nat
uralzed citizen, is admitted to equal rights
and equal protection with a native citizen
This great principle underlaid the controversy
with Great Britain, which resulted in the Dec
laration of War against that Government in
1872 A naturalized citizen becomes such
by renouncing all allegience to any foreign
potentate, and especially to the Government
of which he had been citizen. q i-fs ~
1t certainly cannot be admitted that a man
may exercise his own free choice as to the
Government under which be will-reside. The
Declaration of American Independence pro.
claims the doctrine that government derives
n =
its powers from the consent of the governed
These doctrines have been universally recog-
nized by all our statesmen down to this day,
but Secretary Oass' letter upsets them all. and
fully comedies to foreign potentates all their
demands-a concession fatal to the security
of naturalized citizens. 4.,5 s.54 81 =.
Most Of onr readers will remember the
Martin Kosta controversy, and the famous
correspondence of Mr.. Webster, then Secreta
ry of State. with the Austrian Minister, in
which Mr.. Webster maintained the decision
that naturalized are entitled to equal protec.
tion with native citizens. .si
The letter of Mr.. Cass must 81 with appre
hension, the naturalized citizens of the United
States.
The country of their adoption and theil
choice withhoIds its protection beyond its OWE
limits. ~ ~
The Secretary of State seems bound to at.
tain for himself and his monstroas the ory, all
the contempt and disgrace, "a world wide pub
licity. and a dogged repetition of his notion.
can give him. ,i..s- s - :saE e.fo8ss ss55i
He has just written another letter, which
added to the first, shows him to be a mos
incompetent expounder. or an equally foolist
knave. Perhaps the most effectual way fol
the public to understand intelligently the doc
trine by which the United States authoriz.
all Foreign powers, to seize certain class o.
Aemrican citizens with the assurance that no
the slightest interference will be offered in be
half of such citizens, will be, to read this sec
ond letter. ,tt.sfls,e -ia
When will the present Administration un
dertake another dirty Job 80. .lss.
GEN. CAsS' SECOND LETTER
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, }
WAsA1sGToN, June IA, 1859.
To A. o. Hcfsr, Cincinnati.
Sir :-In answer to your letter of the 6tl
inst. gave to inform you that the brief lette
from this department to which you refer, dat
ed the l7th of May last. and addressed to Mi
Felix Leclerc, was in reply to an application
for Information, and was principally intende,
to recommend caution to our naturalized fel
low citizens, natives of France, in returnin,
to that country, as the operations of th,
french conscrlptlon law were not preciscl
known here and might bear injuriously upo
that class OF American citizens Most of th
continental European nations have system {
military Organization by which their citizer
are compelled to serve in the army by col
scriptioD, in France, where the duty is designs
ted by lot, or by draft. as in Prussia, wher
every person is required to take his turn as
soldier. 80 ~ ..se-
The condition of American natura lied ci
zens returning to their native country. whel
the system of compulsatory service prevail
and who had left before performing such sc
vice, has frequently been the subject of discu
sion with some of the European Powers :
Quite recently it has arisen between the Uni
ed States and Prussia. and the representa-
or this country at the Court of Berlin b
brought the matter to the attention of &
Pfussian government In the ipstructio
which were semitic him, dated Nav IL. 49,
it was explicitly stated that this goverume
issoPposed to the doctrine of perpetual allie,
ance, and maintains the right of expatriati
and the right to form new political ties eli
where Upon this subject it ia observed, Ii
in this age of the world the idea of contre
ing the citizen in the choice of home, a
binding him, by mere political theory, to
habit for his lifetime n country which he C,
stantly desires to leave. can hardly he ent
tanned by any government whatever
The position of the Uui,ed States, as co