District (or State), to wit:

Court,

187

Then the said (name of applicant) personally appeared before the clerk of said court, and made oath to the truth of the facts as set forth in the above declaration to the court, by him subscribed.

I,

CERTIFICATE OF THE CLERK TO THE DECLARATION.

A COPY.

clerk of (naming the court), do hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the declaration of intention to become a citizen of the United States, of the original whereof is on record in my office.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and affixed the seal of said court, at

in the year eighteen hundred and

on the

day of

(Seal of the court).

(3).

(Signature of Clerk).

APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION AS A CITIZEN.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

District, ss.

To the Honorable the Judge of the (here insert the name of the court) within and for the District of (here give the district or county).

RESPECTFULLY REPRESENTS (here give the name of the applicant) of (the an alien, that he was

name of the town or city) in said district,

of

born in (insert here the place of his birth) on or about the
in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and
and is now about
years of age; that he arrived at
in the United States of America, on or about the
in the day of

day

day of

in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and that it is his bona fide intention to reside in and become a citizen of the United States of America, and to renounce all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, state, potentate, and sovereignty whatsoever, — more especially to (here insert the name of the sovereign or state to which he owed allegiance) whose subject he has heretofore been: All which appears in the record of the honorable court (naming

the court where he made his preliminary declaration), to wit, on the day of

A.D. 18

And the said petitioner further represents, that he has ever since continued to reside within the jurisdiction of said United States, to wit, at said (the place or places of his residence in this country); that he has never borne any hereditary title, or been of any of the orders of nobility; that he is ready to renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty whatever, and particularly to (here repeat the name of the sovereign or state to which he has borne allegiance),

whose subject he has heretofore been; that he is attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States of America, and well disposed towards the good order and happiness of the same.

WHEREFORE your petitioner prays, that he may be admitted to become a citizen of the said United States of America, according to the forms of the statutes in such case made and provided.

187

(Signature of Applicant).

Sworn to by the said petitioner,

Before me,

Clerk.

If the applicant was a minor, and made no preliminary declaration, the form of his application must be the same as above, excepting that the words, "being then a minor under the age of years," must be inserted immediately before the words, "and it is his bona fide intention;" and the words, "all which appears in the record of," as far as "A.D. 18," must be stricken out.

If the applicant comes as a sailor, who, having declared his intention as before provided, thereafter served three years in American vessels; or if he comes as one who enlisted in the regular or volunteer service of the United States, and has resided one year within the United States, a statement of the necessary facts must be inserted immediately before, "Wherefore your petitioner prays;" and such changes made in the application as the facts require.

WE

(4.)

DEPOSITION AND OATH OF WITNESSES.
(Blanks to be filled in accordance with the facts.)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

District, to wit: city (or town) of

187

both citizens of said United States, severally the foregoing petitioner,

depose and say, that we have known for five years last past, during which time he has resided in said and that he has resided within the State of Massachusetts one year at least; and has conducted himself and behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed towards the good order and happiness of the

same.

I,

do solemnly swear, that I do absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty whatsoever, particularly to (name of the sovereign and state to which he has borne allegiance), whose subject I have

heretofore been; and that I will support the Constitution of the United States of America, so help me God.

District of

(6.)

CERTIFICATE OF CLERK TO THE OATH.

(Blanks to be filled in accordance with the facts.)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

to wit:

Ar a special District Court of the United States, holden at said Boston, on the in the year of our Lord 187 the said

day of

having produced the evidence required by law, took the aforesaid oath, and was admitted to become a citizen of the United States of America; and the court ordered that record thereof be made accordingly.

Attest:

Clerk.

(7.)

CERTIFICATE OF CLERK FOR RECORD.

(Blanks to be filled in accordance with the facts.)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

District, ss.

BE IT REMEMBERED, That at a District Court of

day of

and seventy

court

at

an

in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
Personally appeared before the clerk of said
in said district,
and by his declaration in
on or about
in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred
and is now about
years of age; that he
in the
in the

of

alien and a free white person,
writing, on oath set forth, That he was born in

the

day of

and

arrived at

district of

day of

that it then

United States of America, on or about the in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and was, and still is, his bona fide intention to become a citizen of the United States of America, and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign prince, state, potentate, and sovereignty whatsoever, more especially to whose subject he has heretofore been. He therefore prayed, that his said declaration and intention might become a record of said court, agreeably to the laws in such case made and provided.

Whereupon the declaration of the said become a record of said court accordingly.

was admitted to

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the

(8.)

CERTIFICATE OF THE CLERK TO BE GIVEN TO THE APPLICANT.

(Blanks to be filled in accordance with the facts.)

District, ss.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

TO ALL PEOPLE TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHall come,
Know ye, That at the

ING.

court of

day of

and seventy

born in

in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred

having produced the evidence, and taken and subscribed the oath, required by law, was admitted to become a citizen of the United States, according to the acts of Congress, in such case made and provided.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the

seal of said court at

A.D. 187

aforesaid, this

and in the ninetyIndependence of the United States of America.

day of year of the

FORMS ANNEXED TO THIS SECTION.

1. Preliminary declaration of intention.
2. Certificate of the clerk to the declaration.
3. Application for admission as a citizen.

4. Deposition and oath of witnesses.

5. Oath of petitioner.

6. Certificate of clerk to the oath.

7. Certificate of clerk for record.

8. Certificate of the clerk to be given to applicants.

SECTION XVII.

ADMISSION OF NEW STATES.

The framers of the constitution contemplated the possibility, perhaps the probability, of new States desiring and receiving admission into the Union. But we may look into the debates and discussions of those days, and nowhere, even among the most sanguine anticipations, shall we find even a hope expressed of the vast increase of the Union by the admission of new States. To the original thirteen, twenty-four have been added, making the whole number now thirty-seven; and we have also nine territories organized,

which are awaiting a sufficient growth in population to ask for admission as States, and some of whom will receive it soon.

In giving to Congress this power of admitting new States, precautions were adopted to prevent injury to States already in the Union; no new State can be formed within an old State, as by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the consent of the legislature of the States concerned, as well as of Congress.

It must be remembered that by this formation of new States the balance of power between the States may be much affected, by reason of the construction of the Senate. Thus Texas was admitted as a State in 1845. But in the act admitting that State (which covers a vast extent of country), it was provided that four new States might be formed from that single State. If that provision were carried into effect, what is now Texas would have five times the strength in the Senate which it now has.

SECTION XVIII.

A REPUBLICAN FORM OF GOVERNMENT GUARANTEED.

The constitution provides that the United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government.

The true construction of this clause is, not that the United States shall guarantee to each State that it shall have a republican government, but that the United States shall guarantee to every State that every other State shall have a republican form of government. For, let it be supposed that a State desired admission under a government which was not republican in form. Thus we may suppose by way of illustration, what is hardly possible, that one of the provinces of the Dominion of Canada desired to enter into the Union, but that it retained so much fondness for monarchical government that it wished to have a permanent executive, with an hereditary body invested with hereditary rule or power. If the word "guarantee" is to be construed technically, it is only a promise to a party to make good to that party some benefit or advantage which that party requires or desires. Therefore, that party may waive the guaranty, and may say it was intended only to secure to us that we should have a republican form of government if we chose, and we do not choose it. Surely the answer would be, All the other States are interested in this question. All would be injured if there were one among them which was not republican, and the constitution promises all that all should be republican.