New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-04-29
rHE EXPERIMENTATION BIIL

not only to Americans oil lorelgn Dllln pu'
to those born upon this soil. For the hrst
time within the history of the republic the
great doctrine of the right of expatrlatlon
is indicated by Legislative enactment,
and the world is informed that wherever an
American citizen goes, to whatever dis
tant corner Of the earth he may wander,
and in whatever land he may sojourn, the
strong arm of his government will be
stretched out to protect him, and injury to
him will be promptly avenged. What is
this doctrine of the right of expatriation ?
1t is the assertion of the right Of man to
leave the country of his birth and seek his
fortune in other lands, and to divest him
self of allegiance to a government which
no longer protects him. It is the very OPP
posite to the old-world doctrine of teudal
allegiance. The foundation of this claim
in Europe was the idea that the people be-
leDged to the soil instead Of the
soil belonging to the people, and
that they owed fealty to who
ever owned the soil. In old times when
an estate was sold the laborers upon it
were sold with it, and they could not de-
part from the place of their birth save by
the consent of the lord Of the domain,
This claim is no longer made, but its prin-
ciple still lives in the doctrine of 'perpet
ual allegiance" The individual owners
of the great estates in Europe and Great
Britain no longer claim to own the labor
ers who till them; but the sovereigns of
these countries hold that every man born
upon the soil of their kingdom owes to
them an allegiance that he can not shake
off. If be emigrates to foreign country
he still is the subject Of his king; and he
and his children to the remotest generation
owe faith and allegiance to this sovereign,
while to fight against him or bis country
would be in them high treason. Great
Britain has maintained this claim for 600
years, and the laws Of that kingdom to-day
claim every Irishman, Scotsman, Welsh
man, and 'Englishman in the United States,
and their descendants, as citizens of Her
Majesty Queen Victoria. True, the very
absurdity of this claim prevents any at
tempt being made to enforce it so long as
these so-called British subjects hut really
American citizens remain in the United
States. But when business or pleasure
takes them back to visit their native land,
then it is enforced if occasion arises for it.
An Irishman may live here for twenty-five
years, become an American cit
izen, and rise to stations Of
honor here; but if he happens
to go back to Dublin, and with the freedom
to which he has here been accustomed
speaks his mind too plainly concerning the
wrongs of Ireland, he may be seized, i'm
prisoned, tried, and convicted Of treason to
the British crown. An American German
visiting fatherland is subject to be arrest
ed and conscripted into the army of his
native country to perform the military
service exacted there of every citizen. For
eighty years the Government of the United
States has sought to persuade the Europe
an Powers to recognize the right of ex-
patriation, and to consent to look upon
naturalized Americans as having no longer
any duty to perform to their native eoun-
try. Persuasion has failed; and now the
United States proposes to compel the rec
ognition Of this truth.
This is the purpose Of the bill which has
passed the House of Representatives with
but five dissenting voices Hitherto it has
been supposed to be impossible that the
United States could "legislate for other
countries" We can confer citizenship on
foreigners, and give to them equal rights
with ourselves, It was said, SO long as they
remain here; but how can we force En-
gland to respect our laws, and to change
he- own? The bill in question furnishes
solution of this difficulty. 1t is a very re-
markabIe bill 1t first aiirms certain prin-
ciples, to which it invites the attention of
all other countries, and then it informs
them what they may expect to happen if
these principles are not recognized by
them, It will be said that 1t is
a bold thing for America thus to dictate to
the world. 1t is bold But the time has
come when America need no longer hesi-
tate to be bold.
The bin proelaims certain principles or
facts:
]. That the right of expatriation is
an
dispensable to the happiness of mankind,
for the protection of which this govern
ment was established. r
2 That in the recognition of this prin.
ciple we have received emigrants from Al 1
countries, and invested them with the right
Of citizenship. m
3. That the claim that these American
citizens with their descendants are 81 oiects
Of foreign States must be disaYoWed.
And for the maintenance Of these prin-
ciples the bill then enaets;
I That any action on the part of another
nation denying, restricting, or questioning
the right Of expatriatiOn Is inconsistent
with the fundamental principles Of this
q That nstaralized citizens shall receive
INC same protection as that awarded TO
8. That the President whenever any
American citizen is seized in foreign
countfY on the plea that no Is q subject
t1areoI, Or y any citizen shall be detained
y q foreign counlry after q demand for his
release has been made, shall suspend COM
Inerclai relations with the cauntrF 40 offend
lag and shah arrest and dtfain n cnstodv
any nubject VI that countrp .ysho NAV "a !
found - the United States.
This is the penalty Of the law. Il a Ii |
fal4 way that We e6a ehmras ii,a sther /