The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-08-22

While the governments of Northera
Europe cling to the medieval proposition
of perpetual allegiance. the southern
governments go all the way back to
Rome for their model and insist upon
the allegiance Of natiye-born Americans
whose fathers were subject to them.
There is the case of Ugo de Prato, the
son of a naturalized American Of Ital-
ian birth
This young man, who was born in
Boston, visited his ancestral country as
student and there was forced into the
Italian army. Here is a citizen who
might be President Of the United States
and vet the King of Italy claims him as
subject. For three Presidents were
sons of naturaliZed citizens and de
Prato Is precisely the same kind Of
American as Jackson, Buchanan or
Arthur.
The State Department did ask for the
young Bostonian's release. but at the
same time it warned those who inter.
coded for him that there was no natur-
al1zation treaty with Italy covering such
cases. In other words. any redress Of
this gross injustice must rest upon IA
! vor rather than upon right.
An American without a Country.
A native of Louisiana. the son of a
naturalized citizen of French birth.
wished to go to France on business but
was informed by the French consul at
New Orleans that If he went he could
| lawfully be impressed into the army or
even be punished for not having al
| ready reported for military service in a
land which, for all we know, he never
mad seem The Louisianian appealed to
the State Department, rightly consider
ing himself as he said. las much an
| American citizen as President Wilson
ana wishing to know whether my con-
stltut1onal privileges as an American
! citizen follow me wherever go with
its constitutional guarantee"
secretary Lansing. in his reply quoted
the fourteenth amendment which de-
cares that all persons born in the United
states are American citizens, and then
over against that provision of the Ma
tional Constitution he set down a prov!-
sion of the French civil code which de-
ciares that every person born of a
frenchman in France or abroad is a
! French citizen. Whereupon the Secretary
coolly informed this native American that
1t thus appears that you were born
with a dual nationality and the depart
ment cannot therefore give you any as
assurance that you would not be held
| liable for the performance of military
! service in France should you voluntarily
place yourself within French jurisdic.
ton
The Secretary. we all know, Is much
| preoccupied these days. and doubtless he
did not mean to make so complete an
| abandonment of the American principle
! Of expatriation- For the louisa MAN was
not even born of Frenchman. but of a
naturalized American.
No one would ask the United States to
be eager to take up arms against the
| world in a struggle to establish a prac-
tice new to nations. Even Great Britain,
which is supposed to convoy with a gun
boat every Briton that trots the globe.
| expressly informs its naturalized subjects
| that in the absence of a natura lization
| treaty 1t will not protect them in the
| country of their birth. But the Amer
! can government should not neglect any
| fair opportunity to commend and uphold
before sister nations the American view
| and to stand at all times for justice and
common sense
For the talk of a dual ALLEGIANCE and
a dual nationality is outworn nonsense.
Now. when men have won the right to
| change their homes they necessarily must
have the right to defend their new homes
| even against their former sovereign Dual
allegiance Is a contradiction. and means
no allegiance at all. Dual nationality
means neither one nationality nor the
| other and leaves a man without a coun.
| try.
! tCopy-isht. 1915. By James Morsan)