The independent. [volume] (Lincoln, Neb.) 1902-1907, 1904-07-14
Our Nation

UUJ UoljVu
"Old politicians chew. on wisdom
And .blunder on in business to
the last,
Recognizing the right divine to
rule. Pope.
Editor Independent: A noted writ
er. A. w. Clason, mot he OF The IA
triarch out on the Sound), in recent
magazine article anent the American
suffrage system, says: ut Is much
less difficult to understand than to
misunderstood our system. There is
no completely to be mastered
citizen of the United States must be
citizen of some state, but man may
be a citizen of state and not OF the
United States. AS the citizen OF
state, he has rights against and du-
lies to the citizens of that state; those
are under the social compact. AS a
citizen of the United States, he has
rights against and duties to the citi--
sens of the United States also; those
are the political compact. The two
differ as widely as air and water,
which none confound because oxygen
is present in both.'
The classification, as submitted. ID
wrong. That, however, is not the
subject matter for the purposes OF this
paper-ncyertheless 1t is well to state
that this and the other propositions
laid down were defensible during the
first three-quarters OF the first century
iof our national history, i. e., from 1855
to 1866. During that period OF seven
five or eighty years, clear and au-
thoritative definition of the denOm-
ination, "Citizen of the United States
cannot be found either in the legisla-
tive records, or embodied in judicial
decisions, (not even dictum), or IN
consentient act to that effect by any
two departments of government.
Article XIV. of the federal consti-
tuition has been part OF the organic
law of this nation since it's completed
enactment on the 21st day OF July,
1868. The definition of citizenship
therein set out is clear and cOmprc-
hensive. and it seems quite impossi-
BILE to misunderstood it's phrasing:
ssAii persons born or naturallZed in
the United States, and subject to the
Jurisdiction thereof, are citizens OF the
United States, and of the state where
in they reside"
No construction is necessary to en-
able any one to grasp the meaning OF
such language as that 1t destroyed
completely, as it was evidently de-
signed to destroy, the Californian
states rights theory, reversed the or
der of allegiance, and overturned The
Patrick Henry idea of state sOver-
eighty. and recanted New Englands
old spirit Of and desire for nulliflCa-
tiOn-grOwing out of the nOn-inter-
course act Of 1909.
Now, a person may be a citizen Of
the United States without being a
citizen of any particular state; but he
cannot be a citizen of any particular
state without being citizen OF the
United States.
To be a citizen Of the Union, 1t is
only necessary to be born or natur-
allied somewhere within the national
territory. or under the protection OF
it's jurisdiction; whereas to be a citi-
zen of state, the legal condition Of
residing therein is necessary.
This change, though politically q
righteous one, logically involved the
reputation of fundamental law, the
validity of which change has had the
concurrent sanction OF every depart
ment of our government for over {
quarter of century-so that now {
resident or member of the state. lie
gally entitled to all its privileges, is ;
federal citizen (Cont. Lin, Cooley
I'd But this does not include per
son who may be a citizen of the stat
for commercial purposes and is not
resident or member thereof for politi
cal purposes.--(7 Nd. 203; 5 Wallace
u. s.. 1851: en- PEASANT. In the latte
case, the federal court in passing Of
the rights OF sole corporation, &
corporation composed OF single per
SOM. to suffrage, held that the tern
citizen as used In the constitution ap
plies only to natural persons.
The reader now sees that we are n
longer nation without citizens O
subjects. as was virtually asserted b
President Jciferson-t Mote: but prio
10 his purchase OF the Louisiana ter
ritory. 1851 land subsequently main
tanned by Calhoun and later on b
YssAA A.