Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-12-21

planted here became independent nations !,
'es' o'ose OF the las. and tho bcginniug Of th
present century. Our own country embraces
communities which at Que pcriod were colo
nie3Soi Great Britain, France, Holland Sna;n
. 1@ede"' aud hussia. The people in the Yves
ln&'cs, with the exception Of those of the Isl
au. OF tayh, huge ncithor attained nor 40
WFed 70 independence, nor have they bccom,
prepared fox self dcfsrcc .Alshoryh posses.
lue considerable commercial value, thuy have
oceo held BY several European States which
00,0n'hee Or at soue time conquered them,
ohleuy FOR purposes Of military and ua7 Al strst.
oeS IN carrying out European policy and do.
s.ss' IN regard to this continent In cur Rev.
o'otionaFy war, ports and larbors in the West
indlS talends were used by our cuemy to tho
grspt injury aud embarrassment of the United
sttes. We had the same experience iu Great
nft''n The same European policy for a long
hElr excluded us even from trade with The
h'st lndics, while we were Il, peace with all
nations.
In our recent civil var, the Rebes and
tkFr plratical blockade breaking allies found
'af!'''eS III the same ports for the work which
th9y too successfully accomplished, of injuring
a'ff devastating tho commerce which we arc
enEagedSin rebuilding. We labored especial
ytnder this disadvautage-th European
STAN vessels employed by our enemies found
inpo'i shelter, protection, and supplies in
W 4 .na!An ports, while our own naval opcr
az IS '@ro necessarily carried on from our
OF Instant shores. There was then uniyer-
saStce!ing or tho want Of an advanced naval
; outpost between the Atlantic coast and Eu.
roy. The duty of obtaining such an outpost
pecefully aud lawfully, while neither doing
no. menac'ng injury to other States, earnestly
engaged the attention of the Executive De.
patmcnt before the close of the war, and it
hai not been lost sight of since that time. \
moi entirely d;NS;mi lar r,oual ...e,iol :.
YSs,t. The required coothold there was for
tunat, j secured by our late treaty with the
tive that the more obvious necessities Of the
Atlantic Coast should not be less carefully
provided for. a good and convenient port
and harbor, capable Of easy defense will sup
ply that want. With She possession of such
q station by the United States neither We nor
any other American nation need longer apprc-
hcHa injury or oifcnsc from any transatlantic
enemy. agree with our carly statesmen that
the West Indies naturally gravitato to and
may be expected ultimately to be absorbed by
The Continental States including our own
"srcc With them also that it is wise to leave
the question of such absorption to this pro-
cess Of natural political gravitation. The isl
ai,os of st. Thomas and st. Johns, which
constitute part of the group called tho Fir-
gin Islands, seemed to offer us advantages in-
mcdiatcly desirable, while their acquisition
could be secured in harmony with the prinoi-
pies T., which | have alluded a treaty has
therefore been concluded with tho King Of
Denmark for the ccssion of those islands, and
will be submitted to tho Sonato for considera-
ton.
It will hardly DO necessary to call tho at
tcntion of Congress to the subject Of provi-
ding for the payment to Russin Of the sum
stipulated in the treaty for tho cession of Alas
ka. Possession having heon formally deliv-
cred to our Commissioner, the territory re-
mains for the present in care Of a military
force, awaiting such OWL organizations as
shall be directed by Congress.
Tho annexation of many small German
States to Prussia, and the reorganization Of
that country uRdcr now and liberal oonsti-
tuition, have induood mo to ronow the effort
to obtnin a just and prompt settlement Of tho
long evoked question concerning the claims of
foreign States for military scryce from their
, subjects naturalizcd in the United States.
] In connection with this subject the attcn-
tion Of Cong;css is respectfully called to a
singular and embarrassing conflict of laws
! The Executive Department of this Govern
mcnt has hitherto uniformly held, as it now
holds, that naturalization in conformity with
the Constitution and laws OF the United States
absolycs the recipient from his native a'lcgi-
ancc Tho Courts OF Great Britain hold that
allegiance to the British Grown is indcfcasa-
bic, and is not absolvcd by our laws of tihtu-
raization. British judges cite courts and law
authorities of the United States in support OF
that theory against the position held by the
Executive authority of the United States. =
This conflict pcrplcxcs the public mind con
corning tho rights Of naturalizcd citizens, ant
impairs the national authority abroad.