The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-02-11
GDe Gnquirer.
RICHMOND, 11tb FEBRUARY:
REFLECTIONS. ON p. DODDRIDCE's
PROTEST-CoNcLu

MIR. Jeferfon is faid to h-ve made no ne of
1.-THE frn.b of that policy, which would deny
TO foreigner an admifIion to the rights of citi-
zenfhip among us" He is faid to have main.
tanned, in his "Notes ON Virginia." that i. was
= Better TO carry orr pro7IjfonJ and materials to
7oor&nien abroad, than to b,ins them TO TIE pro-
1iFonJ Nnl materials, and auth fte,u their bs,,-
nieioas manners and principles" and yet, "after
he became PRECEDENT, he approvet. laws admit
ting aliens to the rights of ctizenihip on eafier
terms, and npon fhorter re6dence than were
! 1,Jfore required of them" The anfyver to this
argument NAV be comprifed in Jingle remark
Mr.. Jeftcrfon's opinion on this fubief is evil
IDENTIFY fuggefted with all the modefty of doubt !;
rather as problem 10 be foved,than as one that
was iet.lcd. Whatever opinion he had form
ed on this fn'Ieef, was either deduced from alb
Tract reflections upon the poflible character of
the men who !hould emigrate from abfolute
monarches to a republic like ours, or from the
actual character of thofe who had emigrated
under the laws of that day. Twenty years of
additional experience might have proved his alb
itraet calculations falfe twenty years of OFFER
Vaeion on the character of the European emf
grants, and on the beneficial effects which have
reislted from increafine the rigour of the uatu-
ralization, law, might have difpofed him to mo-
dify the feverity OF his doctrine with regard TO
emiarant foreigners. The fact laft ftated is of
infinite Importance in this argument. when
the "Notes on Virginia" were competed, that
is, during the years ISL & 49, the laws of Vir-
gina were liberal to an excefs in granting the
rights OF citizenihip. GA foreigner of any ma
tion, not in open war with us, becomes natura-
lized by remoz,ing TO the fate to reide, s. TAX
ing an oath of fidelity, and thereupon acquires
! every right of private Citizen" When MIR.
Jeiferion became Preiident, he found the laws of
~, az, ,E,,,it r.
! ceding the rights of oitizenfhp. To become a
| citizen of the United States, and of courfe to
"acquire all the rights of a citzen' of Virginia,
| twas necefary that he ihoud teft his attach
ment tn our country and his obedience of our
criminal and political jurifdieton, by a ref
| dence of A certain number of years. The emf
| grants To this country were of courfe more IL
mited rs to their number and more feleet as TO
| their character than they were under the laws of
| 81 and 's2. The mott enlightened men of Eu-
rope vifited our flores. The fpirit of the alb
folute monarchies" of Europe was itfelf foften-
ed and improved by the determination Of Anne
| rican. principles; and their unfortunate fnb-
jests, intead ofimporting among us the pernici
Gus principles of their country, or hurrying in
to llcentouinets, were mott of them found
deeply attached to our inftitutions, aud capa-
BILE, after few years of probation, of under
ftanding and supporting our principles. Had
then Mr.. Jeferfon in his Notes pronounced a
verdict of eternal exclufcn againa all emigrants,
who claimed the right Of citizenihip under the
laws OF 81 and SO, we may find in the change
OF the conditions of naturalization fnce that
period, the change in the fpirit of European
manners, and the character of the emigrants who
have fince vifted our flores, fufficient apfwer
to any charge of inconfltency to be deduced
from his prefent policy and opinions. But the
fact is not that Mr.. Jeferfon has pronounced
this fentcnce of eternal eecInEon. After having
| alphabetically fnggelted fome of the diEadvan.
tages likely to refult from an uufettered emiqra.
ton of European fubiects, does he recommend
that barriers lhond be ercGied againn them
that punfhments fhoud be infl;Sted, or the pri-
viieges of citiZenfhip be denied? No: the Do
icy which he recommends, IS comprif;.d in the
Il following fcntinlent: elf they come them.
flzsS, they are entitled to all the rights OF
citzenfhip but I doubt the expediency of in
7itine them by extraordinary ANNOUNCEMENTS u
Mr. Jefferion did nor then "perCe Give the truth
of that policy which would denv TO foreigner
every admlilion to the rights of ci,iZenthip A.
mong US, under the pr.f'nt laqU5 :" but only the
truth of that negative policy, which forbears to
invite them by extraordinary encourage
ments." To prove this charge of inconliffen.
cy; to prove, in other words, that MIR. Jeffcr-
ION has not hnce made any yS Of a truth, OF
81 'N''Nh hN idu !LeN al luminous DeTCf0tf0V, Mr.
Il Doddrdge has reforted to the palpabie fophifn,
that " after he became Prefident, he approved
laws admitting aliens to the rights of citizen
hip on eaiier terms and upon iI,orter relidence
than were before required of them.'' Before
what time! The couffe of Mr.. Doddridpe's
argument evidently points at the period OF
writing "the Notes on Virginia" But it ha.
been already fhewn that the prefent federal re-
gulation on that fubjed is more rigorous than
the law of Virginia of 1881. Mr.. Doddridge
could not refer to the naturalization law under
general Walhngton's and the early part of Mr.
Adams's administration becaufe the law in.
troduced after Mr.. Jefferfon became Pref.
r dent' was intended to place the rights of ali
ems upon the fame footing, on whe they had
food during that period. 1t is fli true, how
|, ever, that Mr.. ]. has approved laws for improv
ing the condition of aliens; but thefe were
laws intended to relax that rigorous fyftem q
naturalization, which had been adopted II
times of heedIefs terror or wary ambition
when an alien and a fedition law had beer
, enacted by feeble administration. Let it ever
then be admitted, that Mr.. ]. has approve,
laws admitting aliens to the right of citizenfhir
t on elfer terms and upon Norter refidence thai
! were before required of them," it is miferabI
fophifm to confound two ditinci eras together
l and by proving that he relaxed the naturalizati
lS.,,I lac $40.