New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-22
Especial Correspondence Of the Republican.
NORTHERN POLITICS.
Tho Issue of National Citizenship.

Especial Correspondence of the Republican,
NORTHERN POLITICS.
The Issue Of National Citizenship.
New YORK, September Is. 1876.
The position taken by the Sun in regard
to the question of Federal citizenship, is
likely to lead to very important political
results. 1t raises the question. of citizen
ship and in this our German population is
deeply interested. The new Confederate
Democratic theory is that suffrage consti-
tutes NO necessary part of citizenship. This
is monarchy, pure and simple. On this
issue, the Republican press will ring the
changes until every naturalized citizen will
understand that according to Confederate
Democratic doctrine suffrage is not right,
that it can not be claimed or held as an
individual personal right.
/ give herewith . sample of the "ire"
which the Republican papers are beginning
to open on this exposed and weak point in
the line of the opposition:
NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP.
If the view now taken by the Confeder-
Democratic press Of New York in re-
gard to the question of citizenship be the
correct one, then the United States is tim
ply league, the bond of Union is consent
and paramount sovereignty is still lodged
in the States. This is 60, because all pO-
litical rights and civil privileges in a free
country ultimate in citizenship. Deprive
man of citizenship rights and you at once
set up over him an autocratic despotism. 1t
is in citizenship and in citizenship alone
that We find the one thing which makes the
political difference between England and
America or Germany and America. In all
other respects both England AMI Germany
are a. well, if not better governed than the
United States. But in these European
monarchies men are mere machines In
America they are men, and 1t is citizenship
which makes them men.
Applying this principle to the questions
ct Issue between the two great pontical
parties of this country, it will be seen that
"allegiauce" necessarily goes hand in hand
with citizenshin. How can government
demand the allegiance of . man whose
rights of citizenship are derived from and
protected bv some other authority? How
can the government of the United States
claim the paramount allegiance of the citi-
zen of Georgia, for instance, when the
Georgian is made to feel, in all tho relations
of life, even to the question of citizenship,
that his State is his government 1t was
this which made the last war, and it 10 self
evident that it will make another, unless
this question of national citizenship is
settled beyond further question.
The thirteenth fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments to the constitution were in
tended to strengthen the principle Of Ameri
can citizenship, a. we'll as to abolish slavery
State sovereignty having been with slavery
one of the issues of the war, it was deemed
land wisely deemed necessary to overtime Y
it by the same constitutional procedure
which overthrew human slavery. National
citizenship was therefore, established by
the amendments, and this change in the or
ganic structure of the government has
made Us q nation in which the supreme po'
litical allegiance of the citizen is due to the
national government.
If we are right in the positions we have
thus taken, it follows that protection goes
hand in hand with allt glance. The Amerl
can government must protect its citizens
| and if We are to stand as nation, we must
uphold the doctrine of national citizenship
Here, then, we have the whole question
at issue between the Demo
cratic aristocracy and the national Repub
| lican party. There is neither rant nor bonn
bast in the argument above quoted. 1t re
lates to a question which every American
understands. The rights of citizenship EN-
brace of necessity all other rights. The,
embrace, among others, q voice in tn
making of the laws and protection from
violence and wrong. These things ar
vital. They are fundamental and fanc
tional in their relation to civil liberty, Tn
article above quoted says that in Europ
men are mere machines. while in Americ
they are men, and that it is citizenshi
which makes them men. Does not thi
apply to the emancipsted race at the South
What would emancipation amount to if th
colored man preserved no rights of citizel
ship And what is the Union to him if d.
prived of these rights!
Inow predict as q result of this discu
zion the passage of law by Congret
which will impose crushing penalty upo
any man, North or South, who influence
directly or indirectly, by money or othe
wise, the vote of the elector. The freedol
of the ballot box and the rights Of nations
citizenship are issues which the Republica
party must stand by, and which it wi
stand by. In this position the countr
will sustain it. B.