Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-03-01

ASIiiN'i ION. ID. {. February ~
Few people realize how many native
and naturalizcd American citizens arc
lighting ! nthc European armies Re
liable estimates place their Number
at about ten thousand. These ten thou
SAND men are giving rise to all sorts
Of legal and diplomatic complications.
The question Of Ntcir STATUS in the
United states. If they get through the
war alive and return home, is bother
ing good many Of them. The state
Department IL getting "a stream OF in
quirtcs. wanting TO know If an Amer
lean who cnliSts in foreign army
loses his citizenship, or if such an en-
listment is breach Of his duty as Il
citizen. To which the Department re-
plies that IL all depends.
Our law sets forth that any Ameri-
can citizen who takes an oath OF al
lcgiance to a foreign State has en-
patriatcd himself. Some OF the i:u-
ropean armies require an oath 81 al
legiance from the recruit. while others
do not. Any American who has taken
such an oath is no longer AN Am-ri-
can citizen. The question of his res
toration to citizenship should he de-
sire it, will probably have TO hc set
tied In American courts.
AS to the duties Of American citizen
ship, the state department SAYS in its
dignified way that ii does not under
take To prescribe the duty OF an in
diHidual with regard TO his citizcu-
ship. bu; it is, nevertheless oC the
opinion that American neutrality re-
1uircs American citizens TO keep out
Of the actual fighting. That is Just
the way a number Of the lighting Amer
leans in Europe feel about II.
Naturnlixcd Americans C0nscrIptcd.
They belong To- the class Of natural
lied citizens VINO were travelling in
their native countries when the war
broke out. Tho home government,
promptly snapped them up, presented
them with nice new uniforms, rifles and
trcnchinC tools, and shipped thom OF
to the front. Most OF the complaints
along this limo arc coming from Italy
Italian law holds that naturalization
of AN italian subject in "A foreign coun-
try without consent Of the Italian gov
crnmcnt does not make him less La
bic to military service. The United
States has no treaty with Italy defining
the status Of former italian subjects
who have become American citizens
Thus former italian subject WHO
visits Italy is Liable 10 arrest and en-
forced military service ii lac is be
tween sixteen and thirty-two years
old. y good many OF the Americans
on tho .tus;io- Italian front belong 10
this class.
The French government is not very
willing Ia give up it's claim on mon
OF military age. To got . release from
liability to serve a special permit has
to he secured from the Minister Of
Justice by the cx-Freuchmau vino has
naturalzch himself in another land.
Besides the trouble involved, such a
permit costs about Sl25
Very few l'rcnchmen who became
American citizens took the trouble to
arrange the formalitics involved in re-
moving their names from the list Of
men available for active service.
Hence good many Of them arc now
up 10 their knees in mud, shooting At
Germans along tho line that runs from
Switzerland to the sea
Where such service or their part is
unwillngly rendered. the State De-
partmcnt is doing its best to get them
out. but each individual case means an
immense amount OF correspondence and
labor. There is no means by which
Washington can compel the release of
a naturalized citizen from his home
land when there is no naturalization
treaty between the two nations
British Army includes "Ynnkces."
The British army has been getting it's
share OF Americans, chiefly in the Ca
madam contingent. Numerous youths
from the border states have enlisted.
many of them under the age Of legal
majority. The American government
has succeeded III arranging for condi-
lions OIL release TOT Sucn recruits. Al
though they enlisted voluntarily, some
OF them found that war is a bigger
contract than they had barsained for.
and the parents Of others came for
ward with various and vehement obicc-
tons The British government has
agreed that when convincing proof is
brought forward to show that an
American citizen was minor at the
time Of his enlistment In the British
army. he will be discharged without pay
wherever he may happen to be when
the discharge goes into effect.
In consequence. he may find himself
stranded without money to live on or
20 pay his passage home. Persons
discharged from the British service
are not allowed to wear the British
uniform thereafter, so the erstwihle
soldier may not even have q coat to
his back. The State Department has
no funds appropriated for the care of
cases such as these. and therefore, the
department requires that q deposit big
enough to take care OF the discharged
recruit and pay his passage home shall
be made by whoever Is interested in
getting him out Of the service, before
the case is brought TO the attention
OF the British government.
Numerous naturalized Americans are
lighting I'm the German armies. A num-
bcr Of German businesses in this coun-
try are being managed by the women