The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-22
NEAR TO TREASON,
SAYS ROOSEVELT
OF BRYAN LETTER
Calls for Reputation Of the
Doctrine Of Dual Ma
tionality.
WOULD GIVE NOTICE TO
ALL THE WORLD POWERS

dangerously close TO treason 10 the
Matted States is Col. Roosevtlt's opin-
I'm Of some ideas on hyphepated citizen.
ssIp which the Colonel says recently
oar. EXPRESSED by the state Department
a, washington in a letter signed. For
IN, Secretary Of state, Robert Lansing.
Counsellor
The sentiments In the State Depart
nent's letter which the Colonel believes
are close to treason relate to the case
a, r. 4. Lelong. Jr, Of New Orleans.
u, IL an American born son OF a French
man who had taken out naturalization
pap,rs. lie wrote last March to Secre-
AIRY O, State Bryan to ask whether he
nigh, make a business trip to France
vi,hou, the risk Of being impressed into
the French army.
Col. Roosevelts caustic comments on
m. State Departments letter appear un-
der the heading. When Is an American
No, an American In the June number
a, magazine to he issued to-day.
state Departments View.
The state Department informed Mr..
Lelong. Jr.. tina although an American
citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment
O, the Constitution. he also Is from the
vexpoin, OF France a Frenchman under
N. section OF the French civil code
which. says the State Departments LEI
Ter. states that the following are
Frenchmen Every person born OF a
F~renchman in France or abroad"
cit thus appears" concludes the state
Departments reply 20 Mr.. Lelong. Jr.
.,ha, YOU were born with a dual ma
,ionality. and the Department cannot
therefore give YOU any assurance that
YOU would not be held liable for the per
fo-mance OF military service in France
should you voluntarily place yourself
within French jurisdiction"
Here" the Colonel, is IAN
attitude on the part Of the national Ad-
minlstration which challenges the care
ful consideration OF every American"
Col. Roosevelt continues in part:
shouId R%epudiRte II.
II hold that II is the clear duty OF
the national Administration. speaking
for the American people, Immediately to
repudiate the doctrine thus laid down oy
the Department OF State. Two or three
years ago il was announced that Ger
many had passed a law by which she
provided for her citizens who became
naturalized in the United States or else
where the means of also retaining their
German citizenship. hold that II was
the business OF our Government as soon
as this staten Mt was published To IN
vestigate the facts. to require would-be
citizens to repudiate the law and to
notify the German Government that we
Protested against and would refuse to
recognize its action hat we would
hold naturalized citizens to the full per
iormance of the duties of American citi-
ienship. which were necessarily eSclu-
siye Of and inconsistent with the pro-
tession of citizenship in or allegiance to
any other nation.
We should not for a moment tolerate
the assumption by Germany or by any
other foreign Power that foreign born
citizens Of the United States can retain
any citizenship in or allegiance to the
country from which they came.
But the present case is even worse
II seems Incredible that the Department
OF State can promulgate the doctrine OF
dual nationality promulgated In Its letter
above quoted. II is dangerously close
to treason to the United States to hold
that men born here of foreign parentage
80 should be blandly informed by
the State Department that II they visit
the countries in which their parents
were born they can be seized, punished
for evasion OF military duty or made to
serve In the army"
Two Alien PresidentsS
Col. Roosevelt points out as "a few OF
the possible applications Of the doc
trines thus laid down by the Department
Of State the items that II Maiden
Goethals went to Holland. Admiral'
Osterhaus or Schroeder to Germany
Gen Barry. Peter p~inne. Mark Sullivan
and others TO England-Ireland. rather
they could he made to serve In Euro
pean armies o. navies without help from
US And. on the same theory, says tn
Colonel. President Arthur n Andrew
Jackson likewise could ave been pressed
Into foreign service.
There should not be a moments de
ay" concludes Col. Roosevelt. in as
sert'ng this neutrality-suspicious. by tn
United States OF her citizens at hom'