CHAPTER VII. NATURE AND DUTIES OF CITIZENSHIP. THE state has been defined as a community of people. A citizen of a state is a member of this community, who is entitled to be protected Citizens and by the government in the enjoyment of his civil rights, both at home and abroad. A person residing within a country, but not a citizen, is an alien. There are two classes of citizens, Classes of Citi zens. native and natu ralized. Native citizens are those members of the state who were born within its territory, or whose parents were natives. Naturalized citizens were once aliens, but have become citizens by complying with certain legal requirements. The second class have all the civil rights and duties of the first, but certain political privileges are sometimes withheld. Thus none but native citizens can hold the office of President or Vice-President of the United States. Citizenship, like all other relations, has certain duties peculiar to itself. The individual Duty of Support. who enjoys the protection of the government is bound to support it. He may do this in part by respecting its authority, and by obeying its laws. A 46 Obedience. government is strong in proportion as it can command the obedience of its subjects. Evasion of law is as bad as wilful violation of it; inasmuch as it shows a want of respect, which needs only to have the fear of punishment removed to become disobedience. Every good citizen holds the spirit of a law as sacred as the letter. One who breaks any law of the state violates the right of those for whose protection the law was made. This duty of obedience is limited in one direction. When to obey a law of the state would be Conscientious to disobey a clearly revealed law of God, the obligation to God takes precedence, and the citizen is bound to disobey. This is a question of conscience, and as such must be decided by each individual for himself. But the government may not recognize this as a valid excuse for disobedience. If it did so, the most unscrupulous would become the most conscientious. It must treat disobedience as such, and punish it accordingly. Nor has a citizen any ground of complaint. If his respect for the divine government is so great, he must also respect the government of the state enough to suffer the consequences of his scruples willingly. Besides the moral support which comes from respect and obedience, the citizen is bound to con- Pecuniary Suptribute of his means to meet the necessary port. expenses of the government. These expenses are incurred for the benefit of all. Every citizen enjoys personal security and personal liberty; and, if he has property, that is also protected. For all this, justice requires that he shall pay in proportion to his means. This obligation is as binding as any between man and man; and wilful evasion of it is as dishonorable as any other form of fraud. Defence. The citizen is also bound to support the government by force of arms. The benefits of government are so many that no sacrifice can be considered too great that its safety makes necessary. The highest virtue of a citizen utters itself in the saying, "It is sweet to die for one's country." A citizen who meets these obligations cheerfully is a patriot. To obey the laws because they Patriotism. are laws, to pay one's taxes without grumbling, to give up friends or one's own life, if necessary- these are the evidences of patriotism. Another weighty obligation rests upon the subjects of a limited government. They are bound to vote. Duty to Vote. Voting, or suffrage as it is called, is often spoken of as The Right of a right. There is an historical reason for Suffrage. this. All the limited governments of the present day have grown out of more absolute ones. In every state there has been a time when the government was supposed to derive its authority directly from God, not from the people. They had no voice in establishing the government, nor in administering it. From various causes, in different countries, the existing government, usually a sovereign, either alone or with an aristocracy, gave to a portion of the people suffrage as a privilege. These extended it to others, until the voting class in each state has come to be what it is. When people have once enjoyed the privilege of voting, they have claimed it as a right, basing the claim upon the fact that it has been given by the government. For the last century the tendency has been toward universal suffrage. Whatever opinion may be held as to the limits placed upon suffrage, there can be no doubt Basis of Obligathat whoever may vote ought to vote. tion to Vote. The obligation upon the state to have the best government rests upon every individual to the extent of his possible influence. If he have a voice in the selection of officers, and so in making the laws, he is as much bound to use his opportunity for good as to perform the commonest act of honesty or charity. The difference is so wide between a good government and a bad one, the interests at stake are so precious, that indifference in politics becomes a crime. Voting is a trust held by the few for the interest of the many: to use it, and to use it conscientiously, this is to promote order and happiness; and not to use it, or to abuse it, is to take the part of those who prey upon society for their personal profit. upon those Duty of Revolution. The duty to have a good government rests upon the subjects of absolute authority, as well as who have a vote in controlling the state. When the government fails to meet its. obligations to the people, when its acts are injurious rather than beneficial, the people are bound to seek a change either in the form of the government, or in the mode of its administration. This is the duty of revolution. This change may be effected in either of two ways: first, by what is termed moral resistance, that is, by complaint, petition, and refusing to aid in enforcing the law; or, second, when there is just ground of complaint, when the other method has failed, and there is a fair prospect of success, by armed opposition. The third condition deserves notice as illustrating a general principle. Though the acts of a government may be ever so oppressive, it is better to suffer them for a time, than to start a rebellion which cannot succeed. The evils resulting to the state from a civil war are so enormous, that to begin such a contest for trivial reasons, or against overwhelming odds, is the highest crime that can be committed against the welfare of society. Government bound to Punish Rebellion. The duty of the government here is as plain as that of the individual. While one may be bound to rebel, the other is as much bound to resist. The man who undertakes to overthrow the established government takes his life in his hands. The government must regard rebels as traitors, and if they are unsuccessful must punish them as such. If the cause is a worthy one, rebels may be patriots; and, if successful, their names may go down to posterity with honor. The British government looked upon Washington as a rebel and a criminal: America considers him a model of political virtue. Nature of Political Duties. The various duties of the citizen, that have been enumerated, are moral obligations with all the weight of such. They are things to do or not to do, to do well or ill, demanding choice, and involving responsibility. They go along with such obligations as honesty, chastity, and temperance, and come under the great law of human relation which requires every man to love his neighbor as himself. SUMMARY. 1. A citizen is a member of the state. 2. A citizen may be native or naturalized. 3. Persons on being naturalized usually have all the civil rights and duties of native-born citizens. |