Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-01-16
THE RUTLAND HERALD
TUESDAY, JANUARY a. lsa,.
The Rights of NaturaIixed ,iIiNeu,
Abroad,


olution relating u il now heinr unly'
consideration by tho Committee on Tor
sign Relations, u which Gen. Banks a
Massachusetts, is chairman and it il al,
engaging the attention ~ tht masses a
'he people rahlic mcrtm-. sre hcmg held
in the ritir, aud larger nWus, anal T.t5,
,ions asking far a declaration and s,ttl,,
ment Of the right, oi American citizen
abroad, arr hciug daily presented Ia Con-
gross from all section, If the country.
The immediate aus Tor il, agitation l.
shat the government Of Great Britain and
other Foreign Powers have arbitrarily Ar,
rested and Illegally Imprisoned natural
lied citizens If the United States, Will,
travelling within their territory, for words
spoken in this country, aud have denied
the right of trial by mixed jury, right
according Ia British law, allowed Ia M
prisoners citizens Of a,iarcigu power, and
assume % maintain the doctrine ''onrr
subject always subject" and by viz,
tue OF this doctrine denying the VALIDITY
OF naturalization according To the consti.
tuition and laws Of the United Stats H.
all countries, whore the English com.
mon law does not prevail, the right of
expatriation exists and is recognized by.
the courts The naturalization laws Of
the United States proceed on the princi.
pie that every individual has clear and
incontestable right to change his allcgi-
snce at will, and such has ever been the
spirit and letter Of our diplomatic COM
munications II has always been held in !
our intercourse with foreign nations, that |
whenever child a,tains To his majority |
according 10 the law Of the state or eoun- |
try of his origin, he becomes free IL
choose his own nationality. Ii will be re- !
membcrod by those familiar with the sub /
leet, that in 1859 Gen. Lewis Cas,. then
Secretary of War. instructed the Amcri- /
can Minister at Berlin that 4" the right ~
repatriation cannot he doubted or denied
in the United States, Tho most eminent
writers on public law recognize this right.
and 1T can only be- contested Ly those.
who, in the nineteenth century, are still
devoted TO the ancient icudal law with all
ITS oppression. The doctrine Of perpetual
allegiance is relic Of barharism which
has been gradually disappearing from
Christendom during the last century"
1t follows from this doctrine ~ express
sively laid down by Gen Cas-, that the i
United States i bound To protect our
adopted citizens, when abroad from i
J wrongs and injuries from arbitrary acts =.
of oppression or deprivation of property,
but not, of course from penaltie, incurred !
by an infraction of the laws of the coun- ,
try within whose jurisdiction they have Il
placed themselves Thus, whenever the
welfare of the citizen is put in jeopardy !,
il becomes the duty of tho government to,
go to his relief. 1t is not often that the
rich and powerful need the protecting "
care of the government but il is the poor j
and the weak and tho humble who need t,
its watchful care and when they are pro- %
tcctgd, all others are safe and secure. =
In the class of cases that have recently h
arisen, it ~ the duty of the native born d
citizens to take prompt and decided ac- I
ton, because when our government was IL
formed and ever since, we have invited II
the oppressed and down trodden Of all Il
lands 10 come and enjoy our liberty and a
the fruits of their labors unmolestcd h
Provision was made for their naturalila- b
ton that they might not only enjoy the Fl
fruits of liberty, hut that they and'thcir %
children after them, might enjoy all the o.
rights of citizenship, and be bound by all
its respousibilitics-bound to protect ana
defend the government mdcr which they ''
choose to live, and by Which all kindred %
tongues and people are 10 I've welded to- u
gethcr into a nation, where all shall gov =
ern for the good of all 4"
On this invitation they have come to us -,
by tehs of thousands, until they and their
children ar, now numbered hy millions ~.
They have como from the Emerald Isle. il.
from the hills of Sco'l1nd from Turlaul +.
and France. from tn. rushing Rhine and
Elbe and the fertile valleys Of the gent. r,
flowing Danube. They have joiuel thc.ga
fortunes with. ours, and uobly have they
earned tho right Of joint Citizenship and -
protection on the bloody fields of shiloh
and Gettysburgh, down tt" Pcninsul9 and .
around Petcr-burgh and Richmond Thyy o
offered up their lives in a common -acrj- h,
Ace to save the nation and by mingiing e..
their blood in the common mass helped 10 il,
wash out the stains of slavery from the IF
flag of liberty, to secure our nationality n,
and establish il upon the broad and cne 81,
during foundation OF liberty for all, equal j.
privileges 10 all, equal burdens for all and 81
equal protection to Ill. "A,
When the American citizen of German p,
descent goes back to look once more upon Il
the scenes of his hoyhood, for business or d.
pleasure, he is liable to the claim Of the
Prussian government to serve in her army
the same "a though he had never left her +
territory to become the citizen of another y
government. They claim that by no act d;
of his, and under no circumstances. can ca
he absolye his allegiance 50 but it revives 1t
again, when his foot presses her soil. No in
difficulties of a serious nature have arisen, \
because the Prussian government has al to
ways released all persons whose cases have II
been brought to hef knowledge by the ii,
United States, without relinquishing the W