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

Congress determined to challenge the
dogma of perpetual allegiance with a
formal declaration of the American doc
trine of expatriation. AS the bill passed
the House in 1868 it asserted that the
right of expatriation' was "a natural
and inherent right of all people" and ii
provided that whenever a naturalized
citizen should be arrested by a foreign
government on the ground that he still
owed allegiance to the country. of his
birth, the President should arrest and
detain any subject of that government
found within the jurisdiction of the
United States. But the Senate very
properly refused to sanction that absurd
and unjust retaliation. Instead. it made
an amendment which directed the Presi-
, dent to use all means not amounting to
acts Of war to obtain the release of a
prisoner SO detained in a foreign land.
Although that has been the law of
the United States for Al years. it must
be said that the Government has done
little to vindicate and enforce il. A
few months before the act was passed.
George Bancroft. who had received at
London in 1S4s Secretary Buchanan's
vigorous Instructions on the subject and
who was now Minister at Berlin. sue
ceeded in making a liberal naturalf-
cation treaty with the North German
the favor of Bismarck, generally rec
ognized the American position and it
remains binding obligation upon the
German Empire.
Great Britain also consented. in 1870
to make a treaty which places British
born citizens of the United States upon
an equal footing with native Ameri-
cans. Austria. Belgium. Denmark
Sweden and Norway gave like pledge
R,tf At
have followed those successful nego-
| tiations. no other European Govern
ment has given its assent to the prin-
ciple.
Under Which Flag:
With the rise of the system of uni
versal CONSUMPTION, the military ma
, lions of Europe have grown 'increas-
ingly averse to parting with the alleg-
| lance of their subjects. The states
men of those powers, with eyes in the
| backs of their heads. were little troub-
led to see millions of men withdrawn
from their industrial forces and en-
| rolled in Uncle Sans army of labor
in its victorious campaign of conquest
But they were alarmed by the loss OF
| so many. from their martial army and
they have resented American natural
| ization as a shield from military serv-
ice.
France has forsaken a liberal policy
which she had pursued on the subjec,
| of expatriation and takes the stand
| that Frenchmen naturalized abroad
still are bound to serve in her army
| and its reserve. Italy not only holds
the same position, but threatens with
| the penalties of her law any Italian
who. as a soldier of his adopted coun-
try, bears arms against his former
| sovereign.
Happily. war between italy and the
United States is almost unima ENABLE
| But we may suppose the republic to have
! the misfortune to be assailed by a Euro
| pean alliance in which Italy is entangled
| If. in such a conflict. naturalized citi-
zen of Italian birth should volunteer OF
| be drafted in defense of his new country
| he would be liable to the penalties of the
| Italian law. - z. - '-.--..
| Turkey Is another nation which has
abandoned the more friendly attitude II
former times. The Sultan now refuses tc
recognize the right of q subject to re-
nounce his allegiance. and any subject
who attempts to return to Turkey as q
foreign citizen Is excluded from the
country.
| 49, Russia's Harsh Rule.
Russia also holds an subjects born un.
der the, rule Of the Gar liable to military
duty. and decreee perpetual banishmen,
! from their native land for those who