The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1868-01-31
RECEPTIONS.

RECEPTIONS. .-rT
We are authorized to announce that the ladies
NJ the Executive Mansion, Mrs. Patterson and
Mrs. Slower, will be home on Monday evenings.
The evening has boon fixed in lieu Of the after.
noon receptions, rs they were last season. ..
SPEAKER CoLyAx's receptions are to be every
Friday evening, from 81 to II p. m, commencing
Friday, Jan. II. 5000.
The receptions of the Speakers mother and |
sister, Mrs. and Miss Matthews, for ladies, and |
gentlemen accompanying them, viii be every
Wednesday afternoon, from TO p. N. Real
dcnee, I Lafayette Square, Sixtcen-a and a-ksif
street .E1f.Er
Mrs. PosTNAsTKR GENERAL RANDALL win
bold her receptions on Wednesday afternoon of
each week, No. 4o2 L street, corner Fourtccnth
and l..
Tnr LADIES OF Secretary Brownins's nulp4
will receive their friends, as usual, on wedNes-
days, from II TO O'Clock, p. N. Residence on
Montgomery street, acorgctown Heights.
GENERAL GRANT will Be at home on wednss-
day evening, February5. No cards OF Invitation
will be issued. Residence, ] street, near New
Jersey avenue.
THE REPORT OF GENERAL BANKS.
The report OF the House Committee on For
eign Affairs, with an accompanying bill, which
was introduced into the House several days ago
by their chairman, Mr.. Banks, 10 thoroughly ex-
haustive Of the subject matter which IL dis
cusses, viz: the rights Of American citizens In
foreign lands. As we cannot nnd space for the
report, we must content ourselves with brief
notice Of some Of Its salient points. And we mAy
premise by saying that the time has fully come
for our Government to enact some positive lcgis-
lation upon this question, which must be main
tained at all hazards, and which viii give for
eign Powers to understand that they must re-
spect the rights Of all our citizens whether
native or foreign born.
The bill gives to naturalized citizens the same
rights which arc possessed by natives. Il also
particularizes the kind Of acts that shall place
citizen beyond the protection Of the Govern
ment The bill also authorizes the President Of
the United States to arrest and tmprison citI-
zen OF a foreign State by way OF reprisal for the
arrest OF an American citizen. OF the ex pediency
of this latter clause there is room for doubt and
we confess that To our mind II presents some
troublesome and complex difficulties II may
revive and bring into active operation that old
maxim Of the Ter iaiionis, which may work evil
to many innocent people, who might reside or
be travelling abroad, either in Europe or In South
America. Foreign nations might entertain the
notion that our President had offended some Of
their subjects, and under this belief or In the
excitement of the moment, subject American cit
liens to much suffering, and then we might
further retaliate, and thus keep up this business
of reprisals for long time, and extend II to an
almost indefinite extent II Is never wise nor
safe, as general thing to adopt A. principle Of
policy or law the doctrine OF retaliation because
In such proceedings, there arc always blows 70
take as well as blows to give. The view to be
Insisted upon and maintained In all our ncgo-
tiations and diplomacy with foreign Powers il.
that we know no difference between the natural.
Iced American citizen and the native born, and
that our Government can never recognize any
distinction, so far as the question Of rights are
concerned. II does not matter how the Govern.
ment under which he was born may regard the
matter. He has cast of that allegiance volun.
tarily and Of his own free will and choice; and
moreover, he has sworn allegiance to the Gov.
ernmons of the United States, and Is, therefore
to all intents and purposes, an American citizen,
and our Government must defend and protect
him in every part Of the globe as such. An
American citizen can, by complying with the
laws OF foreign lands, become Q citizen thereof
and when he does 30 we have no disposition "a
Interfere with him, neither do we attempt 70
sbridge his rights az citizen OF Great Britain Of
Of any other country.
man cannot be citizen OF two countries at
tho same time any more than he can be In two
places at the same moment The claim set up
by the English and some other Governments,
that all persons born In their dominions are for.
ever and always subjects Of their Governments
and cannot expatriate themselves, Is an ab.
surdity, and, like many other absurdities of an
cDeie past, must be knocked In the head and de.
molished; and our Government, II It will do its
work, will accomplish this reform even wlthou,
resorting to the questionable expedicnt Of re-
prisals.
1t does not matter practically to us that Eng.
lish precedent and English law determines that a
man born On English soil must remain all his
life British subject, and that even his children
and grandchildren, II he has intermarried with
English born people, must also remain subjects
Of that country. This may be good British law,
aa expounded by the high court Of Great Britain,
but we cannot recognize 1t as applicable to those
people who have thrown of their allegiance
and, by their own choice, have become America an
citizens In accordance with our naturalization
laws.
Upon this view OF the question we must insis,
at any and every hazard, even as a dernier 70
sort to reprisals, II nothing else will do In tn,
maintenance Of these rights we go with him who
goes the furthest, though we are not prepared
TN every other means to right this wrong have
been tried and failed.
The eommittee's report Is historical and argu
nentatve, and complete refutation Of the
sophistries set up BY foreign powers In defence
OF their treatment OF naturalized American citL
zens' 1t cannot fail to accomplish much good.
Nominations.
The following nominations were sent to tn,
Senate yesterday by the President;
y. Scott Stewart, of Pennsylva nia, to be con
sui OF the United States at Osaca and HIogo
Harrison Phoebus, to be postmaster at Old Poln
fnnnG AEt III.