Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-02-27
RIGHTS OF NATURALIZATION

| rights Of our naturalizcd citizens. 1t
involves the personal and natural right
Of expatriation," that is, the RICH, OF
q born subject or citizen to leave the
country Of his birth when it is no longer
q desirable home to him, and to trans
fer his residence and allegiance to the
new country Of his adoption. It further
involves the public right Of a nation to
"naturalize F" or make q citizen OF sucn
Immigrant. It includes also within its
range the claim Of ~unalienable ALE
glance set up by foreign Governments,
and the duty Of nations to protect those
whom it adopted as its citizens. These
are topics of strong interest to ut least
| FIVE millions Of the inhabitants OF the
| United States, for there were 4,lS6,OOo
foreign born residents in this country
nearly eight years ago. 1t is time,
therefore, that such important princi-
ciples were settled, and u declaration
by the Congress Of the United States,
similar to that submitted in the House
of Representatives by Mr.. Judd Of ILL
nois will, in all probability, have the
effect of bringing about the recognition
Of the American doctrine by nearly all
| civilized nations.
We use the phrase Of "Americsn doc
t%rine," because the rights of expatria'
ton and naturalization have been most
| firmly maintained aud consistently car.
| ried out in this country, and not be-
cause the doctrine originated here. The
right of expatriation is not only older
than the United States, but it is Older
than any existing civilization. 1t was
recognized by all the Greek and Roman
republics, with perhaps but one e1cep-
| ton. Cicero claimed it as a GLORIOUS
right" Of the Roman citizen, and one
Of the frmest foundations Of Roman
liberty, that the citizen could not bs
compelled to remain in the common
wealth against his will, and that he haC
absolute power to retain his citizenship
or abandon it, according to his owl
free choice. 1t was a clearly estab'
lished principle Of the Roman policy.
and is expressed in n of the grea'
digests of their laws, " that every maj
has q right to choose the State to which
he will belong" and in accordance with
this, they provided for both eIpatri'
alton" and naturalization" This
is in exact agreement with natural
law, and Was the recognized public
law on the subject until the feudal
system gave birth to that doctrine OF
allegiance which has been perverted in
to tho modern claim Of perpetual "
and "uualienable " allegiance, rs now
put forth by England, France and some
parts Of Germany. But this claim has
not been sanctioned by the great writers
on public law. On the contrary, in
spite Of their surroundings, these wri-
tiers have in the main stood manfully by
the natural right of emigration and
adoption Of another and more acceptable
domicil and citizenship. They are de
clared to be a natural right by Vattel
Burlemalui, Wicquefort and Bynker'
schoek. They set forth tho reasons thai
lie at the foundation Of these rights.
We have not space to give them in de-
tail, but the substance is that men have
a right to leave their country and relin-
quish their allegiance, from a sense Of
insecurity, oppression, annoyance orin'
convenience, or when it fails to afford
them a living and protection. "Ths
| subjects of n State cannot be denied the
liberty Of settling elsewhere, in order tc
procure the advantages which they do
| not enjoy in their own country" as cit
is o right inherent in all free people,
This is Burlemaqui and Bynkerchoel
SAYS that it is lawful for the subject t
| change his condition aud transfer his al
Lsgianee; "and this is the CASE" hi
adds, whenever the country is not Q
prison."
It will thus be seen that the European
claim is justified by neither the sncien'
nor modern eIpositions Of public law
and that the American doctrine Il
simply in accordance with both, and
with the natural and Inherent rights o
men. Great Britain and France both
have their laws for the naturalization
Of foreigners, as we'll rs their declara'
tons Of the ways in which Englishmer
and Frenchmen cease to be citizens o
subjects Of those countries, both o
which are utterly irreco Noticeable will
their theories Of unalienable allegiance
It is imperative on the part of the United
States to speak to the nations Of Europ'
who attempt to reclaim the naturalize'
citizens Of this country as the States o
Holland did in l6l4, when they demsn
ded Of England "by what laws and Gus
toms the Parliament pretended to b
guided, when they maintained that al
Englishman, residing out Of the king
dom, who had established his domicil'
in Holland and there became a citizen
is still subject to the Jurisdiction ant
laws Of England"
EXPLORATIONS IN ALAsKA.-An explor
ing expedition sent out last Summer 4
Alaska, by the United States Coast Sur
vey, has recently returned, and Mr.
Davidson, the officer in charge, ha
made hia rennrt The nrincina1 discoy