The Irish republic. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-18??, 1868-03-28
citizenship.

Citizenship
The question of what is facetously called the
robso of American citizens in foreign states still drags
its (very) slow length along through the present Con-
oress Meantime hundreds of gallant men, whom the
Government of this great Republic bound, both by
duty and by honor to protect, learning in English
prisons how much that patriotism" is worth. If our
national legislators were in thorough earnest the SUBJ
iect we would not be left long without enactment
which would compel delinquent Executive to do his
duty They did so-and speak 1t to their honor
where Southern Reconstruction concerned. Their
action when the interests of their country were
concerned was it ought to be- Short sharp and de-
cisive. But how expect Americans to interest
themselves deeply in question IN which lrshmen,
and other foreigners mainly concerned when
hundreds of thousands of these very Irishmen them
selves are ready, at the order of the political
party to which they belong to vote for such a
man as Charles Francis Adams the late Ambassador to
England who is a leader of the Democrats, and the
most eligible candidate they put forward for the
Presidential chair? Bah So long as such an i'm
ense section of our people make themselves the tools
and fools of those who them and despse them just
so long will their rights or wrongs be matter of SUI
to enforce the one ayenge the other. Thesehigh-
" intelligent and we'll drilled doors of Democratic dirty
work declare that "they will not vote the Radical
ticket" They hate the nigger"-whom God has
made what he is-with too bold and Christian alb
florence for that Well be it SO. We shall endeavor
to be content if in this instance, they will be true
to their own nterests-to their suffering brothers who
pine in feon chains-to the race from which they
sprung, and the land that gave them birth We con-
slider these matters of infinitely greater Importance to
every Irishman that deserves the name than the
fifty thousand majority which New York can roll up SO
easily for City Council plunderers and Tammany Hall
thieves.
We have asserted from the FIRST and we did so be-
cause we knew it to be true that large proportion Of
the great Republican party-whose members constitute
threefourths of the present Congress-areb both willing
and anxious to secure to all citizens of foreign birth
every right which, under this free Government they
are Justly entitled We have discussed the entire ques
ton with more than dozen gentlemen, both Senators
and Representatives and we found, and found to ou
intense satisfaction that both in principle and object
we were thoroughly agreed. The duty of the Govern
ment to protect all citizens whether native adopted
alike, the right of exradtion possessed by those who
had the misfortune to be born under oldword despo
isms, and the necessity of stringent measure
which will force Presidents and Ambassadors and Con
suls-who may have peculiar reasons for exercising
such very marked friendship for certain foreign powers
to spread the broad unbroken shield of the American
Union the head of every loyal American citizen in
every land on earth. Where many show an honest
anxiety to do what rght-f the men whose interests
they are endeavorng to serve would only hold up their