The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-07-02


ternational law has not been eminently |
successful. The elaborate opinion Of his
upon question addressed to him by the
secretary of state, will be read with
alarm by all American citizens of German
birth, and with indignation by all other
American citizens. The case submitted to
Mr.. Pierrepont was very simple one.
A person, born subject of Prussia, emf
grated to this country in 1S48, the year in
which Mr.. Carl Schurz and a number of
other German subjects did their best to
overthrow not only the Prussian monarchy
but all other monarchies in Germany. AT
ter six years this emigrant,in 1854, became
a naturalized citizen of the United States.
A year afterwards he, being then to all in
tents and purposes quite as much an
American citizen and quite as we'll entitled
to the protection of the United States as
Mr.. Edwards Pierrepont, Mr. George Ban
croft, or ex-Captain Ulysses Grant, had a
son born to him in the city Of st. Louis, in
Missouri. This son, of course, was at his
birth, and until his majority shall bring to
him the right to abjure his citizenship
must continue to be,a citizen of the United
States. During the first years of the civil
war, the father Of this child, one Mr.. Stein
kauler, thought fit to return to Germany.
taking with him his American son, and es-
tablished himself in Weisbadeu. In 1866,
by the fortune of war, the Duchy of Mas
sau, in which Weisbaden is situated, be-
came Incorporated with the North Ger
man Confederation. This incorporation
of course could not possibly have any sort
Of effect upon the right of the American
Republic to the services of Mr.. Steinkaul-
er's son, nor upon the duties Of Mr.. Stein
kauler's son 10 the American Republic.
Mr.. Steinkauler's son having now attained
the age of twenty years, and being regard
ed as food for powder by the North Ger
man Government, the officers of the North
German government have called upon him
ito report for military duty" The father
of this young American citizen naturally
at onse appealed to the paid agent of the
American government in Berlin, Mr.. Ban.
croft Davis Whose uncle has just received
q decoration from the royal and imperial
German government for protection.
To this appeal Mr.. Bancroft Davis re-
piled by requiring the father who made it,
not to give him evidence that his son had
been born an American citizen, but to as
sure him that his son, within some reason
liable period to be fixed by himself, would
return to this country, reside here and
assume his duties as citizen" MIR.
Steinkauler, to his credit be it saba once
declined to compromise in this way, the
rights of his son. And Mr.. Bancroft Da-
Wis thereupon addressed himself to the
state department with q request for in.
structions. This request, of course, was
referred to the attorney-general by the de-
partment of state, aud President Grants
latest appointee has now responded to the
reference.
Mr.. Pierrepont's decision is that he sees
mo occasion in the case presented for inter
ference on the part of the American govern
ment," or in other words, that the German
government is entitled, without remon
STRANGE on our part, to lay hands upon thi:
born citizen of the United States, deprive
the United States Of his services, and make
him German soldier. For the present
of course, young Steinkauler has no redress
against this base and cowardly abandon
ment by President Grants government o
its first and paramount duty to the peopl
by whom and for whom it exists. Blu
there will be convened in Washington il
December next house of representative
competent and disposed to subject thi
case to quite another sort of revision, ant
when that revision takes place, not onl
Mr.. Attorney General Pierrepont, but Mr.
Bancroft Davis, and Mr.. Bancroft Davis
decorated uncle, will be extremely apt t
learn q good many things important to b
known by people who solicit public offic
and crave public honors at the hands Q
the American people.
For Mr.. Pierrepont shelters his cringin
decision under the still more cringin
treaty negotiated by Mr.. Bancroft in lS6
with the North German sovereign, who ha
now rewarded his abandonment of tn
rights Of the people whose minister h
was, with a royal and imperial decoration
The fourth article of that treaty, as "
long ago pointed out, contains the mos
disgraceful concession ever made by
public servant of the United to fol
eign--power. 1t deliberately deprive
naturalized American citizens of Gel
man birth of the rights conferred on ther
by naturalization, by the operation of tn
simple fact of their residence in German
after naturalization here 'for more tina
two years" The monstrous servility an
absurdity of this clause may be appreciat
ed if we simply ask ourselves why a resi-
dence "of more than two years" in an
other country than Germany fails to dc
prive naturalized American citizen @
German birth Of HIS American citizenship
The doctrine which the American peopl
hold, and which they intend to compe
the German Empire and all other en-
pires to respect and to recognize. is simpl
this, that no American citizen can be dc
prived of his citizenship without his ow
free and deliberate assent, He may hav
have been born in Germany, or he ma
have been born in Japan. He may find
necessary in the course of his business, O
the pursuit of pleasure, to reside for one
two or six years in Germany, in Cochi
China or in the Sandwich Islands. Blu
so long as he chooses to remain an Amer
can citizen the United States will defen
him as an American citizen. A preslden
capable Of apprehending the meaning G
American citizenship would have chastis
ed the imbecility of Mr.. Bancroft in lS6
by recalling him at once in disgrace.
senate alive to the importance of the right
put in peril by his subserviency or indif
erence would have thrown his treaty int
the waste-basket. President Grant ser
this feeble ENJOYS nephew to fill the pos
reluctantly vacated by him; and Presideu
Grants attorney general now actual
stretches the cowardly concessions mad
by him so far as to surrender a citizen {
the United States who never was and whC
until he attains the age Of political election
never can be, anything but an America
citizen. to the military service of foreig
despotisml Never was there a case NOR