The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-17

vive once more the bitter newspaper at
lacks upon Mr.. Aston for having expa-
triated himself and taken up his residence
in Great Britain.
or, course these attacks are based In
great part upon the fact of Mr.. Astor's
very unpleasant personality; his faculty
for always placing himself in the wrong:
his singular want of tact, and his gem
erai disagreeabieness and snostrry. On
all of these points he is doubtless npen to
attack. although 1t may be questioned
what particular business 1t is of The ,ews-
papers of this country that a priv, ls in
disagreeable.
On the question of his choosing TO ex-
patriate himself there Is another word to
be said Does 1t not appear that there Is
a singular absence of propriety in any
American newspaper making a personal
attack upon any man because he has cho-
sen to select some other country for a
place of residence, because he desires to
abandon his citizenship here; and become
citizen OF some other state: Every man
in the United States who is a citizen Of
this country is so because he personally.
or some ancestor, abandoned the land Of
his nativity. expatriated himself. renounc-
ed his allegiance to his fatherland. and
took on a new allegiance. No one dreams
of questioning the propriety of any Euro
naturalized here. On the contrary. there
II rather a disposition to resent the re-
fusai OF small number Of foreigners, long
domiciled In this country. to take upon
themselves the obligations OF citizenship
1t seems rather provincial, to assume
that what IL perfectly commendable act
on the part Of a European immigrant TO
the United States. should be something
discreditable and disgracefui on the part
OF an American who desires to follow the
example of his ancestors, and move to a
new country, renouncins allegiance to the
land OF his birth.
Mr.. Astor. we may admit. IL. from the
American standpoint. somewhat singular
in his preference for Great Britain as q
place OF residence. rather than the United
States. Several millions OF former inhab-
itants Of the British isles have In the
past held exactly the opposite view. But
this ID I mere matter OF individual taste.
As to the propriety of his action, 1t II
difficult to see how any American is In
a position to question It without at the
same time questioning the propriety Of the
action OF his ancestors, more or less re-
mote. who were doing precisely the same
thing when they left the land of their ma
United States.
OF course, something is made Of the ar
gument that the wealth of Mr.. Aston was
accumulated in the United States. is large
~ invested here. and should be spent here.
On that point, again, It n a question
whether Mr.. Astor's emigration to Europe
differs in any appreciable respect from
previous immigrations to the United
States. II is fairly probable that IN nearly
every shipioad of early immigrants to this
country there have been men who in per-
son or through their descendants have
been ultimately of far more value to the
United States. from every standpoint. even
that of dollars and cents. than Mr.. Aston
will ever be to England. Indeed. there
are quite number of such In the Aston
family itself.