The evening times., 1897-04-03

!. jurisdiction OF the United states not only
| violates the letter and spirit OF our neu-
| trality laws. but violates our treaty of
| peace with Spain, which decla res that there
shall be firm and inviolable peace bet ween
| the two governments wit hout exception of
| persons or places.
"The American citizen who engages in
hostility against Spain in Cuba violates
| the compact of peace which binds every
1 one of our citizens, and to which every
good citizen should consider himself
! party, bound TO conscientiously keep the
letter and spirit Of the compact. Besides,
citizens of the United States, whether
| native or naturalized, who, within the
territorial jurisdiction of Cuba, actually
take part in hostilites or other measures
designed to overthrow the Spanish au-
thority within the island, are subject to
all laws, regulations, and measures which
Spain is forced to adopt for the preserva-
ton OF her sovereignty.
When the Government OF the United
States was engaged in suppressing re-
bellon, and the government OF Great Bri-
tain colapained of the arrest Of British
subjects, Mr.. Seward put the matter thus:
is the Government of the United States to
be expected to put down treason In arms
and yet leave persons at liberty who are
capable OF spreading sedition?
Certainly, the Government could not eX-
pect to maintain itself if 1t allowed such
mischevous license to American citizens
Can the case he different when the dan
gerous person is a foreigner, living under
the protection OF this Government?
can canNaiva only opa ,rr,,un1 1,pon
which his release can be ordered, and that
is that he may be too unimportant and
too passionate person To be needed in
his ratings against the Government. But
you will bear in mind that the times are
critical, and that sedftion i S easily moved
now by evil designing men who in time of
peace might be despised'
And the same principles were ac-
knowledged by Mr. Frelinghuy sen in
1882. The President cannot assume that
an exercise of national sovereignty which
was performed by the United States when
their security was assailed cannot be per
formed by other powers similarly situated,
subject, Of use, always 10 he questioned
when the good faith of its exercise may be
drawn in doubt
These citations go to show that Sec
retaTy Sherman is perfectly familiar with
the rules OF international and municipal
law governing these subjects, and that
he proposes TO observe them. All these
propositions apply substantially to all
American citizens alike. The naturaliz-
ed citizen, however, who owed his al
legiance originally Ia foreign power,
stands in some cases on more deli
cate footing than one born iii the United
States, subject TO their jurisdiction. The
tendency 10 disregard the Obligations of
citizenship acquired by naturalization has
led the country into number OF COM
plications, and has led Presidents Of
both parties to recommend changes in ex-
listing laws and treaty relations on the
subject.
president Grant, in his message Of
1876, declared that while emigrants in
large numbers become citizens of the
United States, il is also true that persons,
both native born and natnaliZed citizens
of the United States, either by formal
acts, or as the effect of a series of facts
and circumstances, abandon their citizen
ship and cease to be entitled to the pto-
lection of the United States, but continue
on convenient occasions To assert a claim
to protection in the absence OF provisions
on these questions.
Emigration and naturaliza ton in en-
tire good faith must be the beginning of
an aliens claim TO protection as an Ameri-
can citizen. This was well put by a re
cent American text writer webster, ON
Naturalization in his preface The OBJ
servation would seem correct that complete
naturalization in an International sense
when N absolute good faith
all the rules which govern emigration
from the country of origin, and all the
rules which govern naturalization in the
country to which the alien transfers his
allegiance have alike been complied with
But even when his naturalizationis regu-
lar, if we have no naturalization treaty
with the country Of origin, and the natural
lied citizen chooses to return there and
get into trouble, we cannot then claim
that our municipal laws override the mu-
nicipal laws of the country of his birth.
Our true attitude on this subject was Well
put by Mr.. Gresham in a telegram to Mr.
Terrell:
department of State, Washington, d.
c., Oct 27. 1898. Mr. Gresham recog-
nizes as an attribute of sovereignty the
right of Turkey to exclude aliens and to
deport or expel undesirable classes of in
dividuals. The absence of treaty of
naturalization makes t impossible to in
sst that the naturalization of Armenians
in the United States shall be respected by
that government Heinstructs Mr. Terrell
to use his best efforts for the relief of
arrested persons without losing sight of
the foregoing"