| OCR Text |
Show and agxicultnral pursuits, noted for their intelligence, virtue, sobriety, and industry, and Indians only in r&ce and as to a few of their customs; r ' and (b) t l ~&wi ld, nomadic, and savage tribes, not further advanced in . . civilization than the hunter state, whose only means of subsistence were the chase and depredations not infrequently committed upon the property of their inore civilized and industrious neighbors. As the re-sult of tho plans of government adopted by the Mexicans after throw-ing off the Syauish yoke, the members of these wild tribeswere made Mexicall citizens with equal rights, aocording to their merits and vir-tnes, wit,h the more civilized Indians and with Mexicancitizens of Euro- . . pean or Spanisti blood. Act of Congresa needed to make them oitieens of the United States.- ' .. The question now arises, have the Mexican citizens of Indian blood Sbove described, or has either class of such citizens, been admitted to the enjoyment of all the rights of citizens of the United States? It will be remembered that the treaty of Ouadalnpe-Eidalgo did not confer fall citizenship in the United States upon Mexicans remaining in the ceded t territory and :electing to acquire such citizenship, but only provided that they could elect to acquire the rights and title of American citi- . . zens, and after so electing Oongress should, whep in its judgment the proper time should have arrived, admit them "to the full enjoyment of all the rights of citizens of the United States according to the princi-ples of the Constitution." There are always two things necessary to be done before a foreigner can become a citizen of the United States: (I) Renunciation by him of his old allegiance, and (2) an acceptance by the United States of that renunciation. (Elk. 8. Wilkins 112 U. R., 101). I The treaty of Ouadalupe Hidalgo provided a manner in which the , , Mexicans remaining in the territories ceded could make renunciation . of their allegiance to Mexico, but the ratification of that treaty by the United Btates did not operate as such an acceptance of this renuncia-tion as would immediately confer citizenship upon such Mexicans as . ~ '. elected to acquire the same. It operated simply as an agreement that at some future time the renanciation would be accepted so 8s to make citizens of the United Statesof a11 Mexicans citizens desiring the same. Some positive action was necessary before ivIexicans in said territory could exercise all t,he rights of American citizens; that is, Congress I must fix the time when they could exercise those rights. Clearly, however, it had the power to admit one class of Mexicans to the enjoy-ment of riglits of citizenship at one time and to postpone to a future % ; date the admiasion of another dass. ,Act of Congress Wantiig.-But Oougress has not by any act declared that the time has come for the admission of Mexican Indians to the I privileges of citizenship in the United States. On the contrary, acts passed respecting the political rights of persons in the Territories embraced within the ceded country would seem to indicate that Con- I |
