Hawaii holomua = Progress. [volume] (Honolulu) 1893-1895, 1894-04-05
LOGICALLY PUT.
The Citizenship Question
again

Last evenir gs Sdr confirmed
what rurportsd to be interviews
with Ministers S NTH and Hatch,
c ,ncernins the effect of the oath
prescribed in the convention Act,
upon the citizenship of foreigners
Who shall. take it. This action
If the Star Vas intended as an
offset to the opinion furnished to
the HoLoNUA two days ago. by
Mr.. C. ". Ashford. With u copy
of the Sur il hand. reporter OF
this journal again called upon
Mr.. Ashford and asked for his
views upon The interviews there
10 reported, and he said. in effect
Il commend the pradence of
Mr. S it'll n not attempting "A
discussion of the gu st,on. and
III combining his comment to the
promulgttion # another author
ity statement As tn Mr. Hatch |
am confident he has been mis-.
reported lay tile Star. for lawyer
of his ability wnuid never say
such thing as the tvpss make him
say. Mr.. Hatch i represented
as saying that citizenship and
allegiance are very temporary
and very portable commodities.
AS much 50 as ones clothing; and
that when o1o leaves his coun-
try, whether temporarily or
permanently, he leaves his
citizenship and allegiance be
hind him. and that when he
swears nlleg glance to new power.
it is with the implied servation
that the new allegiance shall
continue only while it suits the
new citizen to remain ON the soil
Of the new country; and that,
when the new citizen leaves his
adopted country. his newly ac-
quired political status, like Eli
abs mantle. on his departure
from earth toheaven CONVENIENTLY
detactes itself, and clings to the
soil. l do not believe that Mr.
Hatch said. or could be ind lced
to Say anything SO foolishly- at
variance with law AMI reason.
Just look for II moment at the
result of such lrgic. The claim
is that the citlz N leaves his
citizenship behind on leaving
our shores. Well, he must be
citizen of some country
and. after disrobing himself
of ours. what cit,z .nsliip does
he assumel The plain inference
from the interview is that he as
sumes citizenship in any country
! to which be goes that citizenship
is IN incident of physical presence
upon the soil Of any given coun-
! try According t. this doctrine,
how often would IN Englishman
change his citizenship in the
course of IL trip from London to
Constantlnople? There is another
rule of law, that II ship on the
high seas forms part of the terri
tory of the country whose ftg
she carries. Now. suppose one
of Mr.. Hatch's natnr,lized H,
waiian citizens was to leave this
country, leaving his new stitus
behind him. and acquiring Il
citizenship of the country whose
flag his vessel carries. Then. if
sach vessel happens to Garry the
Chinese fl G, it would make a
Chinese of the passengers. though
they may all be bonn in Irel,nd
Just think of and yet there is no
escape from this conclusion. if the
opinions attributed by the Star to
Mr.. Hatch be sound. | need
scarcely say that | dissent from
such view. and so does Mr..
Hatch. twill be noticed, how
ever. that neither of the Ministers
named has attempted to dispute
my former position that the pre-
scribed OATH, being an oath of
allegiance. transfers the allegi-
auce of all foreigners taking 1t.
to the Provisional Government.
All they say is that an allegiance
so transferred and acquired. is a
mere temporary makeshift, that
will not survive departure of
the new citizen from the country.
This last position, (if really
taken by either Minister. which
beg to doubt. will not. in my
opinion. be upheld by anyone
whose opinion proceeds upon
judicial process or reasoning