St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-04-30
Work for the Secretary of State
BY JAMES F. COLBY, ESQ.


BY JAMES f. COLBY, ESQ.
National interests will soon compel
the United States to define anew its
foreign policy. Our geographical pO-
sitiOn making it possible to avoid en-
tangling alliances. the first administra-
ton wisely adopted the policy of strict
attention to domestic affairs, steady
avoidance of foreign complications, and
firm insistence that the powers of one
hemisphere shall not NEEDLE in the
politics of the other. The policy thus
inaugurated was followed by successive
administrations for more than three
quarters of century. 1t contributed
UNNECESSARILY to our peace and pros
perity, and has made the United States
the great neutral power of the world.
Despite the strong presumption thus
raised in it's favor, during the past
eight years the germs of new foreign
policy have appeared. Mr.. Evarts in
terfered in Egyptian affairs; then Mr..
Blaine in the CALIFORNIAN war and
the United States was represented in
an European conference, engaged III
partitioning Central Africa, and the
senate was recently discussing the eX-
pediency of an alliance OF vague if not
unlimited liability with Nicaragua. In
view of the rapid development of these
diplomatic germs, the present admin
istratiOn can hardly avoid choosing be-
tween a definite abandonment, or an
express reaffirmatiOn of our traditional
foreign policy. Possibly the time may
come when we shall have more to gain
than to lose by entering the European
concert; but the proof ought to be con
elusive and our navy powerful for
our primary interest is still, and must
continue to be, in America, and such
action will give the states of the Old
World more than color of right to
interfere in Panama and Nicaragua.
Advocates of "spirited foreign poll
cy," and of an "eXtensiOn of our pOliti
cal influence" say or imply that our
secretary of state can be useful only by
meddling in foreign politics. The
founders of our government, not hav-
ing been under such illusion, our ira
ditional foreign policy has limited the
subjects of our diplomacy but it has
left ample scope in the state depart
ment for the powers of Madison, John
Quincy Adams, Webster and Seward.
These statesmen never failed prompt
ly to assert and firmly maintain our
international rights; but they left un
settled international questions numer
Gus and serious enough to keep the
most energetic minister of foreign at
fairs, who seeks the public veal, out
of mischief.
Among these subjects needing the
early attention of the secretary of state
are:
|. Prevention of fraudulent natur-
alizatiOn. No one class of questions,
perhaps, has, directly or Indirectly, Oc-
casioned our state department more
trouble than that connected with ma
turalizatiOn. The embarrassments re-
Gently caused by the confinement in
''British dungeons" of persons claim
ing American citizenship, would not
have arisen if our state department
lad persistently sought Legislative
sanction for the application to such
claimants of the rule adopted in our
treaty with Wurtemberg in 1868, that
the intent not to return to the country
in which one has been naturalized
may be held to exist when such person
renews and continues for more than
two years his residence in his native
country. The policy of encouraging
immi grafton, the bidding of rival par
ties for new made voters, and the long
denial by one of our great parties of
such IA status as that of United States
citizenship, have produced lax natur-
aliZatiOn law, which has been laxly
administered by IA large number of
local courts. There has been no uni
formity in the procedure, or in the
mode of keeping the records of these
courts, or in the form of the certificates
issued by them. In December, 1875,
President Grant, calling the attention
of congress to the invitation to fraud
given by the law, said 'On many Oc-
casiOns it has been brought to the
knowledge of the government that GER
tlhcateS OF naturalization are held, and |
protection or interference claimed, by |
parties who admit, not only that they |
were not within the United States at the |
time of the pretended naturalization,
but that they have never resided in the |
United States i'll others, the certificate |
and record of the court show on their
face that the persons claiming to be
had not resided the reQuir-
ed time In the United States; in 9th
ers, it is admitted, upon examination,
that the requirements of law have not
been complied with in some cases
even certificates have been matters of
purchase. These are not isolated cases,
arising at rare intervals, but of com
non occurrence, and which are report
I'd from ALI quarters of the globe. Such
| fraud being discovered, however,
here is no practicable means within
he control of the government by
which the record of naturalization can
De vacated" The evils thus described
n 1879, continue but the state de-
'artment seems to have ceased its eff
orts to induce congress to create a
bureau of Naturalization for the pres
rvatiOn of records and the detection
# frauds, or, at least, to provide ,
method by which, upon the :
discovery of fraud, the record of natur-
.liZatiOn can be vacated.
:. The status of American women 6
Who marry Foreigners, and of children I
'orn In foreign country of American I
'arents. The general rule of law is ,
hat women acquire, at marriage. the I
atIona1ity of their husbands. By our 4
Avs, however, a woman born in the $
Jnlted States, marrying a foreigner. i
to be a subject of the United +
tates, though an alien woman, marry- C
lg a citizen of the United States. ac- I
uires his nationality. The result is +
hat is called double nationality, with h
ii its Inconvenience. A woman born v