e earnest consideration of Congress.

In the meantime, and unless Congress otherwise direct, I shall not
oppose the landing of any telegraphic cable which complies with and
assents to the points above enumerated, but will feel it my duty to
prevent the landing of any which does not conform to the first and
second points as stated, and which will not stipulate to concede to this
Government the precedence in the transmission of its official messages
and will not enter into a satisfactory arrangement with regard to its
charges.

Among the pressing and important subjects to which, in my opinion,
the attention of Congress should be directed are those relating to
fraudulent naturalization and expatriation.

The United States, with great liberality, offers its citizenship
to all who in good faith comply with the requirements of law. These
requirements are as simple and upon as favorable terms to the emigrant
as the high privilege to which he is admitted can or should permit.
I do not propose any additional requirements to those which the law now
demands; but the very simplicity and the want of unnecessary formality
in our law have made fraudulent naturalization not infrequent, to
the discredit and injury of all honest citizens, whether native or
naturalized. Cases of this character are continually being brought to
the notice of the Government by our representatives abroad, and also
those of persons resident in other countries, most frequently those who,
if they have remained in this country long enough to entitle them to
become naturalized, have generally not much overpassed that period,
and have returned to the country of their origin, where they reside,
avoiding all duties to the United States by their absence, and claiming
to be exempt from all duties to the country of their nativity and of
their residence by reason of their alleged naturalization. It is due to
this Government itself and to the great mass of the naturalized citizens
who entirely, both in name and in fact, become citizens of the United
States that the high privilege of citizenship of the United States
should not be held by fraud or in derogation of the laws and of the good
name of every honest citizen. On many occasions it has been brought to
the knowledge of the Government that certificates of naturalization are
held and protection or interference claimed by parties who admit that
not only they were not within the United States at the time of the
pretend