Ex parte Blumer

27 Tex. 734
Texas Supreme Court·Decided July 1, 1865·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinion

Roberts, J.

The question in this case, is whether* or not the appellant, Samuel Blumer, a native of Switzerland, is liable to enrollment as a conscript, after a residence or sojourning of three years in the Confederate States, as exhibited in the statement of facts as follows, to-wit:

“ The applicant, Samuel Blumer, is a native of Glarus, in the Republic of Switzerland. He came to Texas on business in 1854and remained here a few months, when he returned to his native home in Switzerland. A portion of the time he was in Texas, he worked as a day-laborer for R. H. Peck, at the butcher business In December, 1858, he again left home to come to Texas, traveling by way of Paris, Havre (passing through New York on the 7th day of June, 1859,) and New Orleans,' stopping at these and other places, and arriving in Texas on the 24th day of June, 1861. He was sick when he reached here, and remained in bad health [736] for about two years —able to work a month or two, and then sick for a month or two, and did work when able to do so. Since he recovered his health, he has performed manual labor for different persons for pay, such as splitting rails, butchering and working on a farm, and following the ordinary avocations of the country, and was so employed at the time of his enrollment. On his arrival in Texas, he said he had not come to make this his home, and declared his intention not to remain in Texas, but to return again to Switzerland as soon as as he recovered his health sufficiently to travel, and got money enough. That since he recovered his health in 1863, ho has been destitute of means, and has continuously and often expressed his determination to leave Texas, and to return to his native home to live as soon as he earned money enough to defray his expenses in traveling from here there; but never stated any particular time when he would start, nor has he, since his return to Texas, ever put himself in motion to leave the State, or manifested, by any act done, an immediate intention to start at any time, during that time. That he has never declared his intention to become a citizen of the Confederate States; has never voted at any election, but has, at all times, refused to take any part in elections, alleging, as a reason therefor, that he was not a citizen of the country. He has never 'purchased property here, or infested money in business. He is a single man, and is thirty-two years old.

“ He was enrolled as a conscript on the 2d day of July, 1864, by Capt. John Rapp, enrolling officer of Travis county, and by him assigned to the respondent officer , Lieut. E. M. Green, recruiting officer for Waterhouse’s Brigade,) for service in the army of the Confederate States.”

The laws of conscription embrace all white men of his age, who are “ residents of the Confederate States.” A resident is “one who resides or dwells in a place for some time.” To reside, is to “ dwell permanently or for a length of time, to have a settled abode for a time.” To dwell, is “ to abide as a permanent resident, or to inhabit for a time, to live in a place, to have a habitation for some time or permanence.” It invariably involves the idea of .the present home of the person, whether it is designed to be per[737] manent or temporary, or for general or special purposes. In view of the different significations which may attach to it, from the various circumstances which may be connected with and qualify this central idea of present home, its true meaning, in this or any other ease, must he arrived at by considering the manner or mode in which it is used, and the subject matter to which it is applied. Here it is used by the Congress of the Confederate States in a general law; the object of which is to compel persons to render military service in defence of the organized government. The government could hardly be presumed to intend to compel a person to render military service, who is not under obligation, as a duty, to serve the country when called upon. Compulsion, in a just and enlightened government, implies duty on the part of the one compelled. Congress supposed that there might be some “ white men between the ages of seventeen and fifty,” who might not be under such obligation, although they might be found within the territory of the Confederate ' States—such as foreigners, sojourning here on temporary, or transient business, or visiting the country for health or pleasure; which is indicated by adding as a limiting qualification, the terms “ residents of the Confederate States.” The word residents is ordinarily used to designate persons in a particular locality, as of a city, town or county, and not, as in this case, to designate a class within the whole limits of the government.

Congress designed that this term should include more than citizens, native and naturalized, otherwise the word citizen would have been used. It includes also foreigners, not naturalized, whose residence here has been such as to attach to them a national character as members of society, and who are thereby under obligations to defend the country.

Vattel says, “The inhabitants, as distinguished from citizens, are strangers who are permitted to settle and stay in the country. Bound., by their residence to the society, they are subject to the laws of the State whilst they reside there; and they are obliged to defend it, because it grants them protection, though they do not participate in all the rights of citizens.” Such are the foreigners intended to be embraced by the term “residents.” They [738] are strangers who settle and stay in the country. After they shall have settled, made it their home, their place of abode, the time they shall have stayed, or intended to stay, is not defined; but while they do reside there they are bound to defend it. (Vattel, p. 160.)

Such a residence, it is believed, will generally be found to correspond with what is meant by domicil, as it is now understood and adjudged, by the courts of England and America. Descriptions of domicil are more easy and not less intelligible than efforts at a definition of it. In the case of Bruce v. Bruce, in the House of Lords, the Chancellor, Lord Thurlow, said, “ But what will make a person’s domicil or home—must occur to every one. A British man settles as a merchant abroad; he enjoys the privileges of the place; he may mean to return when he has made his fortune; but he dies in the interval; will it be maintained that he had his domicil at home? ” (Bosanquet & Puller’s R., 229 and note.)

Justice Washington in the Venus case, says, “ If it sufficiently appear that the intention of removing was to make a permanent settlement, or for an indefinite time, the right of domicil is acquired by a residence even of a few days.” (8 Crunch R., 279.)

Story says, “In a strict and legal sense that is properly the domicil of a person where he has his true, fixed and permanent home, and principal establishment, and to which, whenever he is absent, he has the intention of returning.” (Story Conf. of Laws, 49.) Again he says, “ Two things must concur to constitute domicil; first residence, and secondly the intention of making ithe home of the party.” (Id., 53.) And again he says, “ Vattel has defined domicil to be a fixed residence in any place, with an intention of always staying there. But this is not an accurate statement. It would be more correct to say, that that place is properly the domicil of a person in which his habitation is fixed, without any present intention of removing therefrom.” (Id., 52.)

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Ex parte Blumer, 27 Tex. 734 (Tex. 1865).

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