Preamble

Whereas the number of the naturalized citizens of the United States is Daily increasing—and whereas any interference of the foreign Diplomatic Representatives near the government of the United States, with the private rights of the ^such^ naturalized citizens, growing out of the transactions with their former Countrymen residing abroad, might prove dangerous to the institutions and policy of these United states, and might occasion a misunderstanding between its government and the foreign powers:—To prevent therefore any such danger of misunderstanding with foreign powers—as well as to protect the private rights of the naturalized citizens growing out of private transactions with their former countrymen residing abroad,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled:

Section 1^st

A declaratory act to protect certain rights of the Citizens of the United States, native and naturalized, against the interference of the Diplomatic representatives near the government of the United States.

Section 1^st Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled; That whenever a citizen or subject of a foreign country, who shall possess or claim a real or personal property being within the United States, shall voluntarily make a parol agreement or execute any instrument in writing vesting in or giving to a citizen of the United States, native or naturalized, any interest in such a property or any power of Attorney in relation thereto, revocable by its inherant nature at the pleasure of the party making such an agreement or executing such an instrument in writing, No revocation thereof shall take effect within the United States, nor shall it be enforced by any of its Courts of justice, when the Citizens of the United States interested in upholding the original parol agreement, or the first instrument in writing shall prove, that their revocation had been obtained to subserve political ends of a foreign power, at the instance, through the medium, or at the request of the Diplomatic representative near the government of the United States, representing the Sovereign of the Country to which such foreign Citizens or subject revoking the original parol agreement power of attorney or any instrument in writing, belongs.

Section 2^d Be it further enacted: That in all cases of controversy arising under the circum-

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stances defined by the 1^st Section of this act, the Supreme Court of the United States shall have the appellate jurisdiction over all the judgements, decrees, and decisions of all the Courts of the United States, including the Courts established in the Territories thereof and in the District of Columbia.

Section 3^d Be it further enacted: That the provisions of this act shall extend to all cases which may arise from the interference of any foreign diplomatic representative with the rights of any citizen of the United States, native or naturalized, which might have taken place at any time previous to the passage of this declaratory law.