The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-12-08

gross to the unsatisfactory condition Of III
existing laws with reference TO the expa
lriailon and the election OF nationality
Formerly amid conflicting opinions an
decisions Il was difficult to exactly deter
mine how far the doctrine Of perpetua
allegiance was applicable 10 citizens O
the United States. Congress by the act @
the eth of July, 1868, asserted the ab
stIact rightoi repatriation Us a iundAmen
tai principle OF this government Not,
wlthstanding this assertion and the neces
Stty Of formal application OF the princi.
pie, no legislation has been had dellninl
what acls or formalltles shall worl
expnttistIon, or when q cit2sn shall bl
deemed TO have renowned or lost his cit.
iZanship, the Importance oil such definition
Is obvious. The representatives Of thI
United States In foreign countries are con
tlnually called upon to lend their aid ant
the protection of the United States to per
sons concerning tho good faith or the re-
slity OF whose citizenship there Is at leas
question. In some cases the provision!
OF the treaties furnish some guide, in 9th
ers II seems as II left TO persons claiming
the benefit Of citizenship while living In {
foreign country, contributing in no man
ner TO the performance Of the duties Of O
citizen Of the United States and without
the intention at any time TO return and
undertake those duties, to use the claims
OF citizenship of tho United States simply
as a shield from the performance OF The
obligations OF o citizen elsewhere. The
status OF children, born Of American par
ents residing in foreign country, OF
American women who have been married
to aliens of American citizens residing
abroad where such questions are not reg.
ulaled by a treaty, are all questions OF ire.
quent difficulty, The decision of and
legislation on these and similar questions,
particularly defining when and under
what circumstances eXpatriation can be
accomplished, are to be presumed espec.
tally needed in this connection. car
Mostly call the attention OF Congress to
the difficulties arising from
FRAUDULENT STANDARDIZATION.
The United States wisely, freely and
literally oilers its citizenship to all who
may come in good faith to reside within
its limits, on their complying with certain
prescribed reasonable and simple formal.
ties and conditions. Among the highest
duties of the Government is that to afford
firm, efficient and equal protection to all
its citizens who are native born or natural.
lied. Care should be taken that Il right
carrying with it such support from the
Government be not frauduIently obtained,
and should be bestowed only upon full
proof Of a compliance with the law, and
yet there are frequent instances Of illegal
and fraudulent naturalization and Of the
unauthorized Use of certificates thus i'm
proper y obtained. In some cases the
fraudulent character of the naturalization
has appeared upon the face Of the certif.
cate ITSELF in Others examination discoses
that the holder had not complied with the
law, and in others certificates have been
obtained where the persons holding them
not Onl ~ were not entitled to be natural.
lied, but had not been within the United
States atthc time of the pretended natural
i1ation. Instances Of each of these classes
Of fraud have been discovered at our lcga-
tons, where certificates of naturalization
are presented either for the purpose OF
obtaining passports or of demanding the
protection Of the legation. When fraud
is apparent on the face Of such certificates
they are taken up by the representative of
the Government and forwarded to the De-
parIment Of State; but even the record Of
The port in which the fraudulent naturali.
cation occurred remains and duplicate GER
titiCates are readily obtainablc. Upon pre-.
sentation of these for the issue of passports
or i'll demanding the protection of the
Government, the fraud sometimes es.
capes notice, and such certificates are not
unlrcquCnt in transactions Of business, to
the deception and injury Of innocent par
tice. Without placing any additional oh.
stacles in the way Of the obtainment of cit.
ilenship by the worthy and well-inten-
toned foreigner who CONES in good faith
to cast his lot with ours, l earnestly re.
commend further legislation to punish
fraudulent naturalization and to secure the
ready cancellation Of the record of every
made in fraud.
TREATIES OF EXTRACTION AND COM
MERGE.
Since my last annual message the cx-
change has been made of the ratification
of treaties of extraditiOn with Belgium,
Ecuador, Peru and San Salvador; also of
Il treaty Of commerce ind consular priv
ilcges with San Salvador, all of which
have been duly proclaimed, as has also n
declaration with Russia with reference to
trade marks.
TREASURY MATTERS.
The report of the Secretary of the
Treasury, which is made directly to Con-
gress and which forms no part of
this message, will show the rcceip and
expenditures of the Government for the
last fiscal year, the amount received from
each source Of revenue, and the amount
paid out for each Of the departments of
the Government. 1t will be observed from
this report that the amount of receipts
over the expenditures has been but 81 ,3i4,-
49, for the fiscal year ending June 30th,
1874, and that for the current year the cs-
timated receipts over the expenditures
will not much exceed S9,O0O,0O6. In view
of the large national debt existing and the
to add one per cent per annum
to the sinking fund-a sum amounting now
to over 100000 per annum-I submit
whether revenues should not be increased
or expenditures diminished to reach this
amount of surplus. Not to provide for
the sinking fund is Il partial failure to
comply with the contracts and obligations
of the Government. At the last session
of Congress a very considerable reduction
was made in the rates of taxation and in
the number Of articles submitted to taxa.
ton. The question may well be asked
whether or not in some instances thisIwas
wise. In connection with this subject
of fundiag, 1 am of the opinion that the
means Of collecting revenue, especially
from imports, have been so embarrassed
by legislation as to make it questionable
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