The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-12-12
NEW SERIES---VOLUME 2, NO. 90

gagged in the movement Counsel HAS
been employed by the Government 10
defend citizens of the United States on
trial for capital offences ih Canada and
a discontinuaDce of the prosecutions
! which were instituted in the courts of
/ the United States against those who
took part in The expedition, has been
! directed.
| have regarded the expedition az
not only political iii It's nature, but as
also in great measure foreign from
the United States in Its causes, charac-
ter, and objects The attempt was
! understood 10 be made in sympathv
with an inSurgent party in Ireland, and,
in striking at a British Province on
this continent was designed to aid in
obtaining redress for politiea! greivan-
| ces which. it was assttmed, the people
| OF Iceland had suffered at the hands of
tho British Government during Deri-
cd of several centuries. The people
engaged i'll il were chiefly natives of
that Cbuntry, SonIt Of whom had. while
others had not, become citizens of the
l. nited States under our general laws
Of naturalization. Complaints Of mis-
government in Ireland cortin uallt en-
gage the attention of the British nation.
and SO great an agitation is now prevail
ing in Ireland that the British Govern
nent have deemed it necessary to srsi
pend the writ of hdbenS corpus in that
country. These circumstances must
necessarily modify the opinion which
we might otherwise have entertained
in regard to an expedition expressly
prohibited by our netrality laws: So
long as those laws remain upon oD
statute-books, they Shonld be faithfully
executed, and if they operate harshlv
unjustly, Or opprcssively, Congress
alone can supply the reineGy, by their
! modification or repeal.
Political and commercial interests Of
the United States are not unlikely to
be affected i'll some degree by events
! which are transpiring in the eastern
| regions OF Europe and the time seems
to have come when our Government
ought to have a proper diplomatic re-
| Presentation in Greece.
! This Government has claimed for all
persons not convicted. or accused, or
suspected of crime, ali absolute politi-
cal right of self eXpatriation, and
choice Of new national allegiance. Most
OF the European States have dissentcd
from this principle, and have claimed d
| right to hold such of their subjects as
| have imnigralcd to and been natural
| lied in the United States, and after.
wards returned on transient visits to
| their native countries, to the perform
! ancc of niiit1ry service in like manner
as resident s1ibjUcts Comphint, arisL
ing from the claim in this respect inade
| by !orHign States. have heretofore been
matters Of controversy between the
| United States aid some Of the Euro
| pean Powcrs, and thc irritation conse-
| qurnt npou The failure to settle this
| question Increased during the war in
~ hich Prussia, Italy, and Austria were
! recently engaged While Great Biit-
/ iai! has nctcf acknowledged the right
! Of eXpatriation, she has not practically
| insisted uron ii. France has been
! equally forhearng; and Prussia has
! proposed compromise, which, al
! though eriucing increased liberality.
| has not been accepted by the United
! States. Peace is now prevailing cvcry=
! where i'll Europe, and the present Seems
| to be favorable time for All assertion
| by Congress Of the principle, so long
maintained by the Executive Depart
mcnt. that naturalization by one State
| fully eXcmpts the uativc- born subject
| Of any other State from the performance
! of military service under any foreign
| Government, Sc long as he does not
voluntarily renounce its rights and
| benritS.
In the performance Of q duty imposed
upon me by the Constitution, | have
thus submitted TO the Representative
of the States and Of the People such in
formation of our domestic and foreign
affairs as the public interest seem tU
require. Our Government is now un-
dcrgoing its most trying ordeal, and
my earnest prayer Isl that the peril
may be successfully aud tiually passed,
without impairihs lis original strength
and sytnmetry. The interests of the
nation are best 10 be promoted by the
revival of fraternal relations, the COM
plctc obliteration of our past differen-
ccs, and the reinauguiation Of all the
pursuits ofpeacu, directing our efforts
to the early accomplishments of these
great ends, let US endcavor to preserve
harmony between the coordinate De-
partments of the Government, that
each III lis proper sphere may cordially
cooperate with The other in securing
the maintenance Of the Constitution;
the preservation Of the Union, and the
perpetHity of our free institutions.
ANDREW JOHNSON.
WAsHIS0ToN, December 3, 1876.