Speech #710020014

If it be true that all the ihhabitants. all the residents. the entire population of the United States. excepting those who had affirmatively declared their intention not to become citizens of the United Statesand there were such immediately after the Revolution. some who had not been in sympathy with the Revolution. some who had conspired in favor ofthe inother country to bring about a defeat of the continental forcesif with those exceptions. It be true that we may understand that the Constitution in its application to citizenship at that time intended to cover under the blanket of the Constitution and the flag all those who were in the country at that particular time. except such as might have affirmatively declared their intention not to -become: citizens. we certainly can not project that interpretation to the indefinite years of the future to include the situation which now exists in this country. Even if it can be interpreted to mean all those who have a legal status in the United States. whether citizens or not. all those who have entered here under our Immigration laws. under passports. properly visaed and countersigned. indicating the approval of the Government of the United States. it certainly can not be extended to Include those who are unlawfully here. who enjoy no legal status. who can not become citizens of our Republic. who are subject to deportation if the Government has the power to locate them and bring about their deportation. as is now provided for in the naturalization and immigration laws of the United States. It has been claimed that because in section 3 of the fourteenth amendment. which is a repetition somewhat of the original section. it is provided that no person shall be a United States Senator unless he shall have been a citizen for nine years and no person shall be a Representative until he has been a citizen for seven years. and no person shall be President unless he is a naturalborn citizen and unless he shall have been 14 years a resident within the United States at the time of the adoption of the Constitution. that the Constitution makers necessarily meant to include other persons besides citizens of the United States. In order to test whether it be subject to that interpretation we might transpose the language and say. which would mean the same thing. that any person who is President of the United States must be a naturalborn American and must have been here 14 years at the time the Constitution was adopted. that any person who is a United States Senator must have been a citizen for nine years and any person who may be a Member of the House of Representatives must have been a citizen for seven years. and so on.