The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-12-17

enough 10 enttle them to become natural1Zed,
nave generally not much over passed that period,
ana have returned to the country of their origin,
where they reside avoiding all duties TO the United
States by their absence and claiming to be exempt
from all duties TO the country of their nationality
and of their residence by reason OF their alleged
! naturalization.
great mass of naturalzed citizens who entirely, both
in name and fact, become citizens OF TIE United
States, that the high privilege OF citizen
ship OF the United States should not be held by
fraud, in derogaion OF the laws, and of the good
name OF every honest citizen. On many occasions
it has been brought to the knowledge OF the Gov
ernment that certificates of naturalization are held,
and protection interference claimed by parties
who admit that not only they were not within the
izaton, but that they have never resided in the
United States In others, certificate and record OF
court show on their face that the persons claiming to
be naturalized had resided the required time in
the United States. In others, it is admitted upon
examination that the requirements OF law have not
been complied with. In some cases even, such certh-
Gates have been matters Of purchase.
These not isolated cases. arising at rare intervals
but OF common occurrence and which are reported
from all quarters of the globe. Such occurrences
cannot and do not fail to reflect upon the Government
and injure all honest citizens. such fraud being
discovered, however, there Is no practical means
within the control Of the Government by which the
record OF naturalization he vacated, and should
the ceruhcate be taken up as 1t usually Is 10y the
diplomatic and consular representatives OF the Gov
eInment to whom it may have been presented.
There is nothing 10 prevent the pt-so eaifuiHg to
have been natuTalized from obt-ining certif-
cate from the court in place Of that which has been
taken from him The evil has become great and
of such frequent occurrence that cannot too stronly
recommend that some efiectUal measures be adopted
to provide proper remedy for the yacating OF anv
records lraudulenty, and Of furnishing guilty parties
to the transaction In this connection refer also to
the question of expatratng and the election to ma
tiOnality, in which the United States is foremost,
holding TO the right Of eXpaT1atiOn, and was pTnci
pally instrumental in Overthrowng the doctrine of
perpetual allegiance. Congress has declared the
right Of eXpatriatiOn to be national inherent right
Of all people But while many other nations have
laws providing what fOTmalities shall be necessary TO
work a change OF allegiance, the United states mas
enacted the provisions of law, and has III no re-
spect marked out how and when expatriation may
be accomplished by its citizens Instances are brought
TO the attention OF the government where citizens of
the United States have naturalized or native born
nave formally become citizens or subjects OF foreign
powers but who, nevertheless, in the absence Of
any provisions of legislation these questions when
involved in difficulties or when 1t seems TO be Tor
their interest," claim to he citi zens Oi the United
States, which they have long since abandoned, and
to which Tor years they have rendered service
had themselves in any way anenable In other |
naturalized citizens Immediately after natur
alfzation have returned to their native country |
have become engaged in business, have accepted ef
fee pursuits inconsistent with American citizen
shin and evince no Intent to return to the United
States until called upon to discharge some duty 10
the country where they are residing when at once
they assert their citizenship and call upon repre-
sentatives of the Government to aid them in their
unjust pretensions. 1t is but justice 10 bonafide |
citizens that doubt should exist on such ques |
tious, aud that congress should determin. by the |
enactment of law show expatTiation will be ac-
eompished and change OF cltlzenshlp be es-
also invite your attention to the necessity of reg
ulating by law the status OF American women who |
marry foreigners and oi defining more iuy that oi
children born in foreign countries OF American par
ents who may be residing abroad, and also Of some
further provisions regulating or giving legal effect to
marriages OF American citizens contracted IN foreign
countries. The correspondence submitted herewith |
shows few OF the constantly occurring questions
these points presented to the consideration Of the
Government. There are few subjects to engage the
attention Of Congress on which more delicate rea-
lions are depending.
The month of July last the building erected for
the Department of State was taken possession OF and
occupied by that Department: ! am happy TO say
that the archives and valuable papers of the Gov
ernment in the custody of that Department are now
safely deposited and cared properly for.
The report of the Secretary OF the Treasury show
the receipt from customs for fiscal year ending June
80 1874 to have been S163, 3,1U3 S3 SO, and for the
fiscal Year ending June 30. 1915, to have been $751;
IG7722 35-a deereasd for the last fiscal year OF 50,
80 Ill "a Receipts from internal revenue Tor the
year ending June 30 were siO3, iO9 Is4 80 ano for
The year ending Jpne 80, 1872 were SllOoo1 49, so
history of the working II the Department for the
last wear. and contains Recommendation for re-
forms and for legislation, in which concur but
cannot comment ON fully as should like 10 do II
sIlace would permit I; but viii confne myself to n
few SUGGESTIONS which look upon as vital to the
best interests of the whole people coming within re-
view Of the Treasury.
Lmean specie resumption Too much stress eau
not be laid upon this question, and hope Congress
may be induced at the earliest day practicable, TO
gress at its last session, 10 bring about specie re-
sumption on and after January l, 1873 furthest,
it would be Il great blessing IL tins could be con-
Summatet even at an earlier day. NOthlhg seems 10
me more certain than that 4 full healthy and per-
manent reaction not take place in favor OF the
and financial welfare OF the country until
we return TO measure Of values recognized
throughout the civilized world, while we use cur
rcncy not equivalent this standard. The worlds
recognized standard specie becomes commodity. |
Like the products of the soil, the surplus seeking
market " wherever there is demand for it, Under
our present system should want none, or would {
we have any were il not that the customary dues
must he paid in coin, and because OF the pledge {
pay the interest on the public debt in coin TIL |
Yield of precious metals would flow out for the pu
chase of foreign productions, and leave the United
Df the wiser legislation the subject of finance 10y
nations with whom I'VE have dealings. l am not | /
prepared to say that suggest the best egisla-
lion to secure the great end most heartily COM
nended, it will be source of great Gr1IhcatOn TO
looking effectively toward securing resumption | :
Unlimited imitation would probably bring about | I
ipecie payments more speedily than any Legislation
looking to the redemption oi legal tenders III CON-
but it would be at the expense of honor; the legal
tenders would have value beyond settling present
liabilities, properly speaking, repudRIng them
hev would buy nothing after the debts all set
led. There are few measures which seem to me )
important in this connection, and what | commend |
10 your consideration, is q repeal Of much of the
egal tender acts make these notes leccivGble n
or debts contracted after date he fixed in an
act Of itself so as to be not later than 1s January
1871. We should then have quotations at real | g
,aIues not fictitious ones geld would no longer be 7
It premium, but currency at p discount, healthy
reaction would set in at once, and with desire to
make the currency to equal what 1t puiP9rts to be-
ho merchants, manufacturers and trademen OF =
very calling could do business on fair margin OF
profit, money having an unyarying value La i
,r salary would receive in their income, be-
,ause an extra profit would no longer he charged by
capitalists to compensate for the risk of dOWnard
in the value of the currency.
That the Secretary Of the Treasury be authorized
% redeem, say not to exceed two million dollars i
monthly OF legal tender notes by issuing IN their
tead along bond, bearing interest at the rate oil
'-25 100 per cent; per annum oi demonlnatlons
ranging from $500 10 $1,000 each This would in |
time reduce the legal tender notes to volume that
would be kept ffer it, without demanding redemp-
lion in large sums suddenly
I,o rsiyp tp he of |
he Treasury to accumulate gold Tor the final re- |
lempion OF the currency, increasing the revenue,
both. and recommend that reduction OF expendi-
urc he made wherever il can De done without i'm |
pairing government obligations or crippirg the due
execution thereof. One measure for increasing the
revenue, and the only one, think, is that OF the
iutes would add probably 2lSG0OO1O to the present
amount received for imports, and would in no way
increase the prices paid tor those articles by ihe
consumers. these articles are the products OF |
countries collecting revenue from exports, and rs
we the largest consumers reduce the duties, they
increase them, " lih tins addition
10 the revenue, many duties now collected, and |
which give but insignificant return Tor the cost
If collection might be remittcd, and to he direct
advantage OF consumers alone. ] would mention |
hose articles which enter into manufactures OF all
sorts An duty uaid upon such articles go directly
10 the cost Of articles when manufactured here and
must he paid for by consumers The duties not /
protection foreign manufactures Of the same cOm-
peting articles in our own and distant markets.
l will suggest or mention another subject bearing
The Treasury accumulate balances. II is TO devise
better method OF verifying claims against the
Government than at present exists, through the
Court Claims especially those Claims growing out
lf the late Nothing is more certain tlian that
large per centage Of amounts passed and paid, ar
part wholly fraudulent far in excess ol The
real losses sustained. The large amount Of losses
proven on good testimony, according 10 existing )
avs by afidavits of fictitious INSCRIPTIONS per-
sons to have been sustained on small farms aid
plantations, are only far beyond the possible
yield those places for any year, bat as every
lne knows who has visited the = the spoia-
lions, they in many instances, more ihah the | I
claimants even worth, including G
personal and real estate. I
The report Of the Attorney General, which VIII | G
be submitted to Congress at early day VIII con-
tain a detailed history Of awards made and :
Claims pending Of the class here referred.
THE ARMY. /
Tie report Of the Secretary OF War accompanying ]
his message gives detailed account OF the army {
operations for the year just passed, expenses for
1ilntenance etc with recommendations for legis-
alton to which respectfully invite your attention
TO some Of these ! invite special attention
First-The necessity OF making $4,000 OF the ap-
ropriation for subsistence department available :
,edre the beginning Of the next fiscal year. Without