The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1837-12-30

mittee, exclusively OF foreigners, whose prejudl-
ces may or may not be used according the dis
covery does or does not conflict with the reputa-
non OF Their respective country or countrymen.
lie thinks, good, easy man, that he is transmit
ting his plans and models to depot Of his own
|people-to men of kindred feelings, who have an
equal interest with himself in advancing the repu-
tation of the country; but after he hears that a
band OF foreigners have to supervise his rights, he
mentally exclaims, have we no natives that can do
tins service to fellow countrymanl Alas 1t
seems not. Political influence, disregard as
to the objects of the Office, give all confidence to
strangers, while the native looks on in wonder
that such things are; and there are none to re-
dress them. Independent Of the objection to for
elgners In this Department the score OF nation
al pridc there is of an individual character of
great force; and that is that the maintenance of
this branch OF the government is drawn wholly
from private contributions, from the tax laid upon
the genius OF our own people, and therefore what
they pay for, apart from the means OF the nation,
ought not TO be applied to the support of aliens or
people of other countries, whose sympathies and
interests are at variance with our own, and, at
any rate, against whom, compared with our
own countrymen, there is, to say the least, pre-
JUDGE.
The public are not aware that the amount of
money paid daily for patents, is very near, if not
fully, three hundred dollars; while the annual ex-
penses, presume, do not exceed sixty thousand
dollars; SO that there is clear yearly gain to the
government of about.ffty thousand dollars.
This part of the administrations, therefore, sus-
tanned by money drawn from the studies of pri-
vate citizens, and the government in superintend-
ing its concerns ought not to outrage the rights of
Native Americans, nor yet wound the public sem
timent; nor, still further, msapply the funds ofits
countrymen, nor mortify their pride by employ
ing foreigners, and settling them as pensioners
upon the intellect and handicraft of our much
abused and injured natives. National strength is
the result of national pride among the citizens,
which moves them at all times to do all things for
the country; and if you destroy the ties of fell
lowship which constitute that pride, and transfer
the confidence which is the right of the native to
the stranger; if You place that stranger in high
places, in posts of honor or profit, and put out,
or neglect to put in, your own countrymen, that
national pride is broken and dissolved--an apathy
comes over the people, who see themselves thus
made subordinate and the nation is left rather to
the casualties of fortune, than to the of her
own subjects. The end of this is weakness
weakness which might be practically illustrated at
this moment-for the United States, though a
powerful empire, in all the outward attributes of
greatness, is, nevertheless, so weak in system,
from the control which the opinions Of foreigners
and naturalised citizens, who make up great part
in the mass of our population, have upon her ac-
tons, that she could not successfully contend with
any great foreign power in asserting her rights,
no matter how Just her cause.
The struggle of the nation would be employed
and exhausted in political discussion between ma
tves and aliens, as to the holiness of such a
war; and the zeal and efforts of the patriots
would be scoffed at and impeded in every form
that natnraiised hostility could suggest.
These are things Of deep consideration, for
those who have entered the paths Of public life
with the honest intention Of benefting the country,
and if they will direct their energies to the link
ing and strengthening their own countrymen in
the one common cause of making and maintaining
la national character, exclusively among them
selves, they will do for their future greatness
than can be achieved by all the schemes of poll
ticians, and all the successes Of party. T.