The native American., 1838-09-08

during five years, will not give them the requisite
knowledge of our laws and Government, or the
character of our country and its institutions, to
hold the power or WELD its destiny. In fact, the
great, the safe, and the necessary remedy for these
various evils, is ultimately to be found in the eX-
tension of the time during which foreigners shall
be required to have remained in this country, to
fourteen or lwenty-one years.
The question, us the emigration of any partlcu-
lar class of foreigners into the United States, at
this time, preludcial to the interests of the cit-
zens, or dangerous the institutions of the
try; if So what class, and what remedy can you
suggest for avoiding the evils apprehended?" re-
qures no very elaborate discussion after what has
been said respecting the general character Of those
emigratng to this country. If ''class' is to be
understood in reference to moral character, the
convicted felons from all parts of Europe, and
those who flee hither to escape the rewards of
Justice, or to prosecute more successfully the va
rious modes to which they have been accustomed
of crime are doubtless the most Immediately dan
gerous to our institutions. But | am convinced
that, under the general denomination of ''the
ignorant" this class includes very large proper
ton of1he vicious and criminal, and, consequently
is by far the larger of the two. The cultivation of
the intellectual faculties tends, we well know,
to the improvement Of the moral. Besides, the
powers of the perceptive and reflective faculties,
if naturally active and predominant, or if improv-
ed by education, deter lroc. the commission of
crime and the violation of law, by pointing out
and by approaching the consequences. The igno-
rant, whose propensities generally predominant
over both the moral and intellectual faculties, are
those from whom experience has taught us that
our country has most to apprehend. Urged on by
ungrverned passions, with fancied or superstious
objects in view, such require restraints and pen
altes which our laws do not impose. The char
acter of our free institutions not adapted for
such citizens did the trainers of those nstitu-
tions contemplate the nature and mental character
of the bulk Of those who have since flooded our
country. OF this class the Irish constitute alto
gether the largest palt When, as before ntlmaed,
such arc permitted to exercise the rights Of suffrage
and thus to control our rights, our liberties, and
our Government, no one of which they understand,
the result must prove pre- Judicial to our interests
and emnently dangerous 10 our laws. Ignorance
is, therefore, the greatest curse of population,
and the source from which we are to expect the most
alarming evils. 1t happens that the most ignorant
part of our population (and perhaps this is appli-
cable to all nations) are most devoted to dogmas
and religious opinions which reason, experience,
and all past history has shown to be most incom-
improvement of society. and the happiness of ma
tons hence it will be inferred what class are the
most dangerous, &c. 1t will not be denied that
much the largest part Of foreign emigrants from
all parts Of Europe are of this class, with the ex
ception, only, that the creeds and dogmas Of all
do not present exactly the same shades of charac-
ter. .' .-~-
That the criminal and the dishonest in trade flee
to this country in immense numbers, is but the re-
velation of every day. Our courts of Justice and
bitter experience continually confirm this. The
latter, it has been remarked ultimately succeed in
their business operations much better than our ma
tive citizens and for reasons which, to our citizens
are too obvious. Indeed, if we take the grea
mass Of our ordinary trades, of which foreigners
constitute, perhaps the larger part, we find that
they remarkably successful in competing with
our native citizens.
Of the innumerable cases before our police and
criminal courts, it is estimated that three-fourths
are those of foreigners. From this circumstance, il
from no other, enabled to Judge of their gen
era character. The number of convicts at the State
prison at Sing Sing, according to late report
was 800, SOB of whom were foreigners. Hence
we have over three -fourths of the whole number
who are foreigners, or one in every "A of for
eign population, and one for ,294 Of our own ma
| 1--WE country men. vi IneSe, ana the NUMBERS a,
our city prisons, exclusive of blacks, the dspro.
portion is still greater. The expense of our police
alone is $4,000; that is the amount betrayed by
our city governments; but this, it will be under
stood, is byno means the actual expense of that de-
partment. Whatever it may be, however, three
iourths of the whole is for the arrest and conviction
of foreigners. Thus it is with our higher criminal
courts, as is seen by the results at Sing Sing SO
that the enormous taxes necessarily imposed upon
our citizens for the support of these various depart
ments, is for the benefit of foreigners. In
fact, our institutions seem to be made alone
for the use of foreign paupers and criminals,
while we who have established and who support
them have comparatively little use of them. We
have become nation of philanthropists truly. We
invite all the refuse of the old world among us,
that we may support them, or suffer in every way
by their crimes and idleness. By adding toge-
ther the proportions which we have heretofore
made out, the facts conclusively show to what
ruinous extent our misguided philanthrophy and
ridiculous sentiments of Gberality have been car
ried. Can it be possible that, with these things
in view, we can longer submit to such outrage and
imposition What an immense expense we are
at in numerous charitable, criminal, and all
other institutions, for the special accommodation