National Republican., 1883-07-28
NaturnIIzed Citizens.


what THE REPUBLICAN said some days ago
on the doctrine of perpetual allegiance, dis
cusses the article and characterizes it as :" an
attempt by radical organ to appropriate to
its party well known democratic doctrine"
The wild and scattering way in which the
able-bodied bourbon writer discusses the
subject Is the best evidence of his utter
ignorance of the doctrines of any party.
Tho point made by THE REPUBLICAN was
that the American doctrine is that the
naturalized citizen is entitled to all of the
tive born citizens, exceHiing only the prohi-
bition in the constitution against any but
Il native born citizen being qualified to hold
the Office of president or vice president. This
is and always has been, the doctrine of the
republican party. In proof of this, the platform
of the republican party of 1860 declared that
"Tho republican party is opposed to any
change in our naturalization laws, or any
state legislation by which the rights of citi
zenship hitherto accorded to immigrants from
foreign lands shall be abridged or impaired,
and in favor of giving full and effective
protection to the rights of all classes of citi
2cns, whether native or naturalized, both
at home and abroad"
In 1865 the national convention of the re-
publican party announced as one of the prin-
ciples of its creed that the doctrine of Great
Britain and other European powers, that be-
cause man is once subject he is always so,
must he resisted at every hazard by the
United States as relic Of f, udal times, not
authorized by the laws Of nations, and at war
with our national honor. and independence.
Naturaized citizens ard entitled to protec-
tion in all their rights of citizenship as
| though they were native born and no citi-
zen of the United States native or natural
lied, must he liable to arrest and imprson-
ment by any foreign power for acts done or
words spoken in this country; and if so ar
rested and imprisoned, it is the duty of the
government to interfere in his behalf" The
republican platform Of 1872 went still further
and asserted that "the doctrine of Great
Britain and other European powers concerning
allegiance-'oncea a subject, always ubject'-
having at last, through tho efforts of the
republican party, been abandoned and the
American idea of the individuals right to
by European nations, it is the duty of our
government to guard with jealous care the
rights of adopted citizens against the assump-
ton of unauthorized claims by their former
governments, andwe urge continued careful
encouragement and protection of voluntary
immigration" In 1876 the republican national
convention enacted that it is the impera-
tive duty of the government so to modify
existing treaties with European governments
that the same protection shall be afforded to
the atopted American citizen that is given to
the native born, and that all necessary laws
should be passed to protect immigrants in tho
absence of power in the state for that pur-
pose" In 1880 the republican convention en-
acted as q part of its declaration of principles
that everywhere the protection accorded to
a citizen of American birth must be secured
to citizens by American adoption" 1t will
thus be seen that from 1860 to 1880 in every
convention of the national republican party
the doctrine as announced by THE REPUBLI-
CAN as the American doctrine, in the matter
of the rights of naturalized American citizens,
has been repeated and reaillrmed