Maysonet v. Sucs'n de Zamorano

11 P.R. Fed. 412
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedNovember 26, 1919
DocketNo. 1278
StatusPublished

This text of 11 P.R. Fed. 412 (Maysonet v. Sucs'n de Zamorano) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Maysonet v. Sucs'n de Zamorano, 11 P.R. Fed. 412 (prd 1919).

Opinion

HamiltoN, Judge,

delivered the following opinion:

In this case the complaint alleged that tbe plaintiff was Porto Pican and that the minor defendants were Spanish citizens. On the trial the proof developed that the father of the minor defendants came to Porto Pico about the year 1906, that the minors were born here in 1908, 1910, and 1912, and that the father has registered both himself and the children at the Spanish Consulate from time to time with the view of retaining ■Spanish citizenship. On the trial the court declined to grant .a motion to talie the case from the jury, based on the theory of lack of diversity of citizenship. The same point is now presented after verdict for plaintiff, upon a motion to enter judgment for the defendants non obstante veredicto.

1. The' American rule as to citizenship goes back to England, and the English rule no doubt is based upon the fact that that country is an island and interested in maintaining absolute independence in her institutions. It is true that the English word is “subject” and not “citizen” as in the United States, but the meaning of the two words-is the same. Hennessy v. Richardson Drug Co. 189 U. S. 25, 34, 47 L. ed. 697, 698, 23 Sup. Ct. Rep. 532. As shown in the Tapia Case in this court, the word “citizen” came into use with the Erench Revolution, •as a mark of distinction from a monarchy, the people of which were subjects of a sovereign. In a republic the people as a whole constitute the sovereign, and the constituent members are [414]*414called citizens. Despite the change of words, tbe English doctrine has prevailed in the United States. What is sometimes called the Jus Soli here prevails as distinguished from the Jus Sanguinis prevalent on the European continent. Indeed much of the treaty history of the United States centers around the American effort, now generally successful, to insist that residence is the basis of citizenship rather than original birth, while on the other hand continental countries have been reluctant' to give up their right to citizens who have emigrated. Down to the treaty of Paris of 1899 it is quite true the continental theory, being part of the law of Spain, prevailed in Porto Pico, a province of Spain, and it is also true that for many purposes the Spanish Civil Law remains the law of Porto Pico. It would, however, be impossible to apply this rule to public matters. Whatever may be the rights of individuals over against each other and in connection with th.eir property, which remains under the control of the civil law as retained in Porto Pico, public matters, all political bases, must be regarded as changed by the cession to the United States. It would be impossible for the United States to have one public law applicable in Porto Pico and another applicable in the states themselves unless Congress so enacted. Porto Pico, internationally, must be considered as thoroughly American as any state of the Union. Ex parte Garcia, 10 Porto Rico Fed. Rep. p. 516. If this case is dependent upon the question. whether the principles of the civil or common law prevail, it would have to be-settled in accordance with the- latter. M'Creery v. Somerville, 9 Wheat. 354, 6 L. ed. 109; Lynch v. Clarke, 1 Sandf. Ch. 583.

2. If there ever was any question as to this point, it was set at rest by the adoption of the 14th Amendment in 1868 and [415]*415previously by the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Rev. Stat. § 1992, Comp. Stat. § 3946, 2 Fed. Stat. Anno. 2d ed. p. 115. The first section of the 14th Amendment declares that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.” This principle has been steadily adhered to by the Department of State and by all other branches of the government.

3. Article 9 of the treaty of Paris provided that “the civil rights and political status of the native inhabitants of the territories hereby ceded to the United States shall be determined by Congress.” Under this article Congress has made several provisions, such as what is called the Foraker Act of April 12, 1900, and. Jones Act of March 2, 1917. It is to be observed that the treaty refers to the “native inhabitants,” and primarily at least this would mean those in existence at the time of the ratification of the treaty. The treaty has no provisions to be executed in future, except as to Spanish commerce for a limited period and the like. However, Congress under its general power as to territories of the United States proceeded to erect a government in Porto Eico called the People of Porto Eico, of such a character that it was to be considered as a-quasi sovereignty, fully organized, but which the Insular Cases (Downes v. Bidwell, 182 U. S. 342, 45 L. ed. 1127, 21 Sup. Ct. Rep. 770 and Goetz v. United States, 182 U. S. 221, 45 L. ed. 1065, 21 Sup. Ct. Rep. 742), decided^ was not incorporated into the United States. All inhabitants continuing to reside therein who were Spanish subjects at the time of the treaty, and who then re-' sided in Porto Eico, and their children born subsequent thereto, were deemed and held to be citizens of Porto Eico, and as such [416]*416entitled to tbe protection of tbe United States, excepting such as bad elected to preserve tbeir allegiance to tbe Crown of Spain, in accordance witb tbe treaty. Tbis, known as tbe Foraker Act, is similar in terms to tbe organic act of almost tbe same date for Hawaii, except that Iiawaiians were made citizens of tbe United States, while tbe inhabitants of Porto Pico were declared to be citizens of Porto Pico. Tbe way was thus left open for further approximation to American citizenship or for some form of dependency, “as such entitled to tbe protection of tbe. United States.” Tbis situation, witb immaterial amendments, continued until tbe present Jones Act of March 2, 1917, which converted all but a very few of these citizens of Porto Pico into citizens of tbe United States by § 5. It was during this interval between tbe two acts that tbe plaintiffs in, this case were born in Porto Pico, and it is under such conditions that tbeir citizenship is to be determined.

They were not made Porto Picans by the Foraker Act, for they were not born. Tbeir father was a native of tbe peninsula of Spain, but did not come to Porto Pico until long after tbe Foraker Act, and so was not embraced in tbe provision making Porto Picans of Spanish inhabitants of April 11, 1899.

4. It is claimed that Porto Pican legislation found in § 10 ■ of tbe Political Code made tbe plaintiffs Porto Picans, inasmuch as it states that “tbe citizens of Porto Pico are: (1) All persons born in Porto Rico and subject to tbe jurisdiction thereof.” Tbe basis of this claim is not that Porto Pico was sovereign enough to establish citizenship, but that this Code, not being disapproved by Congress under § 31, is to be considered practically as Federal legislation. This section contains a proviso “that all laws enacted by tbe Legislative Assembly shall be [417]*417reported to tbe Congress of tbe United States, wbicb hereby reserves tbe power and authority, if deemed advisable, to annul tbe same.” In tbe first place, however, tbe provision in the Political Code applies not to all persons born in Porto Eico, but to tbe persons so born who are subject to tbe jurisdiction of Porto Eico; and a Spaniard is not subject to the jurisdiction except as a foreigner. Moreover, there was no occasion for Congress to annul this- law, as it was subject to tbe general rules as to citizenship already estalisbed.

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Related

McCreery's Lessee v. Somerville
22 U.S. 354 (Supreme Court, 1824)
Hennessy v. Richardson Drug Co.
189 U.S. 25 (Supreme Court, 1903)

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Bluebook (online)
11 P.R. Fed. 412, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/maysonet-v-sucsn-de-zamorano-prd-1919.