New-York daily tribune., 1859-07-30
GOVERNOR WlsE DEFINING "i'
POsITlON.

Aromatic Scbiedam ScnnspPs' "n" a'
,;,;,sn. of New-Yoik considering that the name o'
Covernor Wise has been prominently orousu'
:. hsfors the American people of the Democratic
81 psriv both in this quarter aud 10 o'nei 'e''oA'
. af the mon. AZ their choice for the pomlnasiou
.. ot the Charleston Convention as candidate
:. Cor the Presidency" have taken occasion to ad-
drsss the Governor a letter, in which they ask
F,r.f. bis opinion as to the rights oil our aaoP'ed
lowcitizens on reyisting the place oil 'heir
birth to the protection of the Government oi 'ne
Irn;ted States; secondiy whether the STATES can
cou,ttutionaliy pass laws extending beyond .no
FIVE ,esrs prescribed by Congress the prooa''oh
nrelminsry to admission TO the rights oi citizen-
ship, and how far they possess the rsn' 20 u'',
crimipste between the franchise oil one Class Vi
citizens and Of another; thirdly, his views las 10
Z" the legality and expediency OF reopenins tue
" African slave-trade;" and, toarthly, what 10
consider. TO be- the legitimate bounds OF Con-
cressonal legislation in regard TO tue lerri'ores'
Governor Wise replies, as usual, IN very long
Iot,ar He holds, as to the fret question, that tne
clause in the Constitution giving Congress the
nouar 10 establish uniform rule Of naturalization,
ard the acts Of Congress on the subject re4 rug
O, tbey do a double remuneration under oath OF all
slepisnce and fidelity to any foreign prince, must
he understood as total rejection on our part oi the
doctrine of perpetual glance, and as placing the
nsturslized citizen, TO all ntents and purposes, on
tho s.me level with the nstive-bOrn citizen That
b.ro the case. he has the same right to visit his
naive country that any other citizen OF the on'ed
IL khArA
States would have, and he is entitled, while there'
70 the same kind and degree of protection lie
must conform to all the local municipal la rs, but H.
upon mere claim of allegiance BY birth, no Is
forced into the military service, he has the same
claim on the interference of our GoVernmeht
"a tboueh he were natiye-born citizen
This Governor Wise regards as peculiarly
American doctrine and one which the American
people will lever consent to renounce, however
distinguished politicians may have done so. MI
Wbe in his book on iaternat'onsl law, re-
pouuced it, He had been 80 long IN Europe,
among her countries, that bis metal lost the ring
of nercan liberty. The Hon. Edward Everett
when Secretary o. State, whom Mr. Wise SPEAKS
Of al "tis friend" unfortunately folio We'd the
authorities of Mr. Wheaton and also renounced
it. So also did Mr.. Marcy, in spite of the case oil
Koszta, and 10 SO doing he was sustained BY Mr'
Attorney General Gushing, and this too, not"ltn
standing the efforts to the contrary of Mr. Wise,
who it seems, bad arsa ady adopted the same vie VS.
which be nOw maintains. Having about that time
become possessed of an abstract OF numerous ana
fragrant cases Of violations Of the rlgdts oi our
naturalized citizens in Prussia, Hanover, and
Ohenburp he called, SO be alleges, upon the De-
psrtment of State in person, aud pressed the SUB
ject on many leading politicians, but could OBTAIN
nobody to second him. He refers to pamphlet
letter on "Know Nothingism, which he pub
lisbed in 1854. as showing that he then urged
| the same doctrine. He is glad TO see that
| MI Cass after giving IN, as he did az
| frat. 70 the "det,stabe European dogma
" of perpetual allegiance appears at length to
be coming right since in his last dispatch on the
subject, he fatty contradcts his two previous
letters and all the former instr OF the DE.
| partment Mr.. WISE now that public attention
has been directed to the subject, hopes for no more
"sneaking diplomacy" but for an open, undls-
pused, manly, and ingenious declaration that
adopted and nativebOrn citizens are to BE- equally
| protected at every reasonable hazard, both al
| home and abrosd, in their political obligation o
allegiance to which they were either born or sworn
under our laws.
| Asto the second question put to hin, Governor
Wise denies-wbat nobody, so far as we know
ever alleg l-hst the States can add TO the period
of probation required by Congress as preliminary
to naturalization. He seems, however, to admit
that the States, under the power they have OF pre-
scribng the qualification Of their own electors, may
| possibly exclude foreign born citizens from being
| electors at all within their limit. However, he
bo!ds out this consolation to such excluded persons:
they are still citizens Of the United States, not
withstapding, and If one State will not allow them
to vote, another may; ii Massachusetts, does not
concede equality to the nasuralized citizen, Vir-
| gini, will And tie Governor seems to imply that
after becoming citizen Of Virginia, he may then 60
back to Massachusetts, and, under the clause o.
the Federal Constitution giving to citizens Of one
State all privileges end immunties ofcitzens Of tie
several States may claim TO yo.e there on the same
terms, as 10 residence, &c, IS if he had beea
native citizen.
| Unon the third question, that in relation to the
African slaye-tradc, the Governor does not dllate
at his usual length. Instead Of doing So, ne refers
to his voluminous correspondence with the Depart
ment of State from Aug, loii, to Aug, lol7, "a
coptsning his reasons for saying that IT would mol
only be illegal and iDexpediert, but immoral and
dsgracsfu TO reopen tie save trade, or to tolerate
the pew importation Of African slaves into this
country. The Governor insists that he can deieId
| Cl.r,-- fha I-nitel Sfaipa on nrincl