Before the adoption of the present con stitution of the United States, the several states had each the privilege of conferring naturalization. Each state can still grant local privileges. There is a considerable diversity in the laws of different states respecting aliens. By a permanent pro vision in the state of New York, an alien is enabled to take and hold lands in fee, and to sell, mortgage, and devise (but not to demise and lease the same), pro vided he has taken an oath that he is a resident of the state, and has taken the preliminary steps towards becoming a citizen of the United States. There are similar provisions in several of the other states. In New York resident aliens holding real property are liable to be enrolled in the militia, but they are not qualified to vote at any election, of being elected to any office, or of serving on a jury. In North Carolina and Vermont the constitution provides that every person of good character who comes into the state and settles, and takes an oath of allegiance, may hold land, and after one year's residence he becomes entitled to most of the privileges of a natural-born citizen. In Connecticut the superior court, on the petition of any alien who has resided in the state six months, has the power of conferring upon him the same privileges, in regard to holding land, as if he were a natural-born citizen. In Pennsylvania aliens may purchase lands not exceeding 5000 acres, and hold and dispose of the same as freely as citi zens. In Georgia aliens can hold land, provided they register their names in the Superior Court. No alien can act as ex ecutor or administrator in this state. In Kentucky, after a residence of two years, an alien can hold land. In Indiana, Missouri, and Maryland the disqualifi cation of an alien holding land is done away with on his giving notice of an in tention to become a citizen. Most, if not all, of the state legislatures are in the habit of granting to particular aliens, by name, the privilege of holding real pro perty. (" Law relating to Aliens in United States," in Boston Almanac, 1835.) In the States generally, perhaps in all, as in England, the alienage of a woman does not bar her right of dower.
The following information is abstracted from evidence given by Harvey Gem, Esq., before the Select Committee on aliens, in 1843, and the information was stated to have been obtained from the ambassadors or ministers of the different Powers in London:— In Prussia, from the moment when an alien becomes a resident and places him self under the protection of the laws, he enjoys the same rights as a natural-born subject, and not only has he a right to vote in the election of members to the Provincial States, but he is also eligible himself as a member.
In Saxony, by a law passed in 1834, an alien may acquire the privileges of a natural-born subject by right of domicile, granted by the local authorities of each district, or by the purchase of real pro perty, and in towns by obtaining the freedom of the corporation. In the two latter cases, the alien must have been in possession of his real property or of his freedom for five years, during which period he must have resided in the place where the property is, or in the town of which he has obtained the freedom. The right of voting, eligibility as a repre sentative of the Chambers of the King dom, &c., depend upon the nature and
value of the real property acquired, whe ther a manor, a house in a town, &c.
In Bavaria aliens can possess landed property, without the condition of resi dence, but they are liable to the duties which attach to the property. Naturali zation is obtained either by marriage of a foreign woman with a Bavarian, by domicile and renouncing foreign alle giance, or by royal decrees but a resi dence of six years is necessary before the full citizenship can be obtained. The privileges of an alien in Bavaria depend in some degree on the policy of the state of which he is a subject towards fo reigners in general or Bavarians in par ticular.
In WOrtemberg an alien who wishes to be naturalized, first purchases landed property in or near the place where he intends to settle, by which he obtains the consent of the local authorities to reside among them (burger-recht). These con ditions having been fulfilled and the sanction of government obtained, the alien acquires the Staats-btirger recht, which gives him all the privileges of a natural-born subject, and with them its obligations, as liability to the military conscription, &c. The bilrger-recht may give an alien all the municipal rights of a citizen in a town, while, as respects du Staats-biirger recht, which makes him s citizen of the state, he may still be an alien.
In Hanover naturalization is acquired in one or other of the following ways: by marriage of a foreign woman with a Hanoverian subject; by the adoption by a Hanoverian of a foreigner as his child ; by holding any office under the govern ment; by becoming a member of a com mune; by the purchase of a residence or freehold in any commune ; oy the autho rity of the State, independently of the will of the commune ; and by a residence of five consecutive years in any commune with the express approbation of the bailiff or mayor—the conditions in the two last cases being the possession of sufficient means of subsistence and an irreproach able character.
In Austria a residence of ten years is sufficient in all cases to obtain naturali zation. Whoever holds any office, either civil or military, under the crown, is thereby naturalized. Merchants or manu facturers who come to settle in the country with their families can obtain naturaliza tion at once, if they are of good reputation and not in needy circumstances. Natu ralization confers, without any exception, all the rights and privileges of natural born subjects.
The Act of the German Confederation, Art. 18, gives to every German the right of holding civil and military offices in the different states of the Confederation.
In Denmark, every foreigner who settles there with the intention of remaining, and who owns land of the value of 30,000 crowns, or houses in the towns of the value of 10,000 crowns, or a capital of 20,000 crowns in trade, acquires by that alone the right of demanding letters of naturalization. Children born in Den mark of foreign parents, and persons na turalized, are eligible to all public offices, with one exception, which is this, a na turalized foreigner does not become eli gible as a deputy of the provincial States until he has resided for five years in the European dominions of Denmark, and re nounced his foreign allegiance.