Idaho semi-weekly world. (Idaho City, Boise County, Idaho Territory) 1867-1868, 1868-01-25
PROJECTION TO CITIZENS ABROAD.

form of government through o period of nearly
eighty years, during which time the United
States have received avery great number Of
persons from the civilized nations of the world
and adopted them a. citizens, with all the
rights and privileges conferred upon them
which appertain to the native born-except in
the sole Constitutional inhibition from eligibil.
ity to the first and second Offices (the Presi-
dency and Vice Presidency of the govern
ment,-there has never yet been any clearly
expressed or established rule of law, govern.
ing the status of the naturalized citizen, in
the measure of protection due to him, as
against the claims Of the nation of his original
allegiance, or its treatment of him when cir
cumstances, voluntary or involuntary on his
own part, have placed him again within the
| Jurisdiction of that nation Neither has the
Government of the United States definitely
declared its principles or views upon the right
of expatriation, although, from its peculiar
condition among all the Powers of the globe,
it should be the clearest, the most emphatic,
and the frmest in expressing and maintaining
that right.
The United States Government has always
invited and welcomed the very large immigra-
ton to its vast domain which has from an early
period constantly flowed in from the nations
of Europe-and it has held out tempting in
ducemcnts to bring these immigrants to citi-
zenship. 1t has solemnly received their re-
nouncement of that allegiance which they nat
urally owed to the Government under which
they were born, particularly, and of their ale
glance to any and all other Governments OF
the world, and accepted in good faith their
sworn pledges to obedience, duty, and full ALE
glance solely to the Government of the United
States. They gave up to the Government all
that it required at their hands, and the Govern
ment, by exacting the announcement OF their
original allegiance, as it did, on the one side,
and their allegiance to itself on the other, then
became in duty, in honor, and we think, in
Justice, bound to assure TO the naturalized cti-
zen its amplest protection, against the re-
nounced Government, particularly. aud against
all other Powers of the earth generally, and
to exercise its full authority and might in be-
half of any of these adopted citizens, for their
protection and safety, in whatever portion of
the globe they happen to be wandering or
scjouIning.
In the very act Of receiving the subjects of
the other nations of the globe rs citizens of
our own country, the Government recognizes
the principle that the right of repatriation
does appertain to the individual and in nc
cepting him as an adopted citizen, and in ex-
acting from him all the duties which are ex.
acted from the native born citizen, the Gov
eminent is bound to maintain his right to ex.
patriate himself, against any pr"tension or
claim to the contrary which may be set up by
the Government of his original allegiance; and
to protect him from the strong arm or aggres-
sons Of that Government, by every means it
possesses, even to the last reconrse-that of
armed force.
If the great Powers Of Europe Great
Britain. and Prussia and the Gcrmanic States
especially not only permit. but apparently, if
not really, encourage the exceedingly large
emigration which continually departs from
their shores for the United States-well aware
as these Powers must be- that nearly NIL of the
emigrants intend to become adopted citizens
of this country,-t is but fair and reasonable
that our Government accepts this permission
or encouragement to the emigration as q rec
ognition, by those Governments, of the right
of their subjects to expatriate themselves, and,
consequently, as a REIMBURSEMENT of every
claim they held upon the emigrant subjects so
allowed to depart from the respective King
doms. And in cases growing out Of the ag.
gression Of the rights Of Prussian adopted
citizen who may return ON temporary visit
to Prussia, or Of an Irshman who may visit
the Old Country, by Prussia in the first case
or by Great Britain in the other--or in similar
cases with other adopted citizens of other
nationalities-the Government of the United
States should set forth the manifest recognition
of the right of the subject to expatriate him
self, by the aggressing Government, in the SIM
gle act of having allowed the subject to depart
from its territory with the clear intention to
permanently dissolve all subject connection
with that Government, and form citizen con-
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