The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-11-02
Real and Spurious
american Citizens
From the Troy Times.

From the Troy Times.
1t is reported from Germany that the
United States embassy at Berlin has
been applied TO in the cases of more than
100 young men VINO claim exemption from
military duty by virtue of their title of
American citizenship. In most, If not all,
of these cases the claimants are sons of
Germans who after securing American
citizenship have returned to the father
land to reside and now contend that their
sons should not be required to enter the
army for compulsory service under the
German system. 1t is the same old story,
and one that is growing extensively mo-
notonous. For years the United States
department of state has been constantly
embarrassed by the raising of just this
question: Of the rights of Americans
abroad. The general proposition that an
American citizen is entitled to protec-
tion, no matter in what land he may
chance to dwell, is conceded both by stat
ute and by our national policy. Upon
frequent occasions the government has
been called upon to exert its authority
to insure such protection, and in the
cases of bona fde citizens there has never
been any reluctance to secure for them
their guaranteed rights.
The whole trouble arises from the fact
that there is much confusion in the Of
bona tlde citizenship. The proposition of
"onCe an American citizen, always an
American citizen" which is sometimes
advanced in connection with this ques-
tion cannot be maintained. for it is in
consistent with the American policy Of
permitting foreigners to take out natur-
alization papers here. 1t would be equal
ly proper to say that "once a German
citizen, always a German citizen" and
in such a case the United States would
not have the right to admit Germans to
citizenship Nor does it follow that citi-
zenship cannot be renounced except by
affidavit before a court of record The
men who come to this country from Eu-
rope for the express purpose of avoid
ing cOnScriptOn and after living here
the required length of time and obtain
ing their naturalization papers, return
to their former homes with no intention
of ever coming back virtually renounce
| their citizenship and have not rights
that should cause this government en-
barrassment.
There has been trouble with Germany,
| with Russia, with France and with Spain.
| over this very question and there is like
| ly to be more trouble in the future than
| there has been in the past The prac-
| tice of using American citizenship mere
! ly as cloak and means of evasion is
| growing. This is shown by the fact Ct
so many cases having recently come Up
| in Germany alone, 1t is high time that
| some official action was taken clearly de-
| hning the status of these alleged citizens
who are in no sense Americans and who
| cannot be expected to yield allegiance
any more to the United States than to
the countries of their birth. Justice de.
mands that such action be taken. II
would make the work Of the state depart.
ment far easier and it would likewise be
only fair to the real citizens who are en-.
| titled to protection. but who are now an.
| fortunately in many cases classed with
the evaders. Discrimination between the
true and the false should not be very
| difficult task, but in any event the effort
| should be made