The native American., 1839-10-19


them to the rights of citizenship, or even TO the
rites Of hospitality amongstus, we utterly deny;
and sentiment Of sef-respect commands US to
deny the false and mpudcnt assertion. But sup
pose, after all, that this Clinton editor were right
in his opinion. that the free admission of immi-,
grants, "adds TO the responsibility and strength of
the nation," how does that opinion justify his
coarse assaults upon the principles avowed by the
Native Americn Association. Those associations
never have opposed the immigration Of foreign
crs Of responsibility. On the contrary, they
have ever spoken to them, words Of encourage
ment. But We have, and will continue to protest
against the admission Of all foreigners, respocta-
bic or otherwise, to the unrestricted exercise Of
poAficalrights in our country. The nation which
has produced such men Washington, and
Jefferson and Madison and Adams and Van Buren,,
and Webster and Clay and Calhoun, and thous-
ands their equals i'll virtue and patriotism if their
interiors in talents and fame, want no such addi.
tons as can be made to its 'srespectability," by
lmportations Of "the Wise and patriotic (God
save the mark y from other Countries
The man who can unblushingly promulgate
before the American people, the insulting senti-
ment that we are dependent upon foreign impor-
tations, to keep up Or add to the stock Of Ameri-
can responsibility, is but single step removed
from the condition Of traitor, and should be LASH
ed by his readers with whips Of scorpions from
his editorial chair. We turn from him with
loathing and contempt.
The communication Of A, as to the late fires
in New York and Philadelphia, would give rise
to much serious speculation in the absence of
proof to their origin. Our correspondent is not
the first to suggest the idea that the "torch Of
the incendiary may be found with imported
sons, as well as motives Of deeper policy, which
would point the finger Of conviction at the TO-
reigners as the probable authors of these calami-
ties. lii the first place, the people Of the United
States are perhaps, from education and example,
the most moral upon earth their condition, as
an aggregate, is better than that Of the people Of
any other nation, and as the temptation to crime
is lessened in proportion to the abundance of the
means of.living, it follows that even putting the
human depravities Of all men upon the same
footing, there is less motive with Americans to
be bad than there is with those of Europe. Be-
sides this, tuition and good example, with the
emulation so natural to all men to be, if not the
wisest or the richest, at least considered among
the good, keeps the individuals Of our own great
community Of natives comparatively within the
pale Of good order and sound integrity. It is
not so in Europe; there the exampars Of what
is termed general honesty in the scale Of their
loose ethics, are either the rich, whose power
| puts them above the reproaches Of the law, or
I the impotently weak, whose imbecility makes
them obey the law through fear, rather than
from reverence of its virtue.
The mass Of the people are, therefore, without
that good example proceeding from early incul-
cation, which makes men valuable integrants Of
society, and hence it is that the current Of vice
takes strength from the pressing appettes Of
nature, and the rights of communities and virtue
of all the world are laid under contribution for
the qualification of private wants and private
cupidty. We shall never avoid these conclu-
sions until we avoid or prevent the causes that
lead to them. In former days we heard Of no
wholesale ineendiarism-no cities wrapt in diff
ferent parts and on the same moment in the de-
vouring fames-no mobs at our elections-no
appeals TO clans with foreign notices to raise
their standards against the children of the land.
There were then few prison houses and fewer
penitentiaries. Now our States are full of such
things; the revenue of towns is exhausted to
suppress riots in which the alien rage is heard,
to detect the punderers and incendiaries who
scarcely speak our language, and our State taxes
are absorbed to restrain within the walls of our
numerous houses Of correction the wandering
emigrant who claims to be patriot Of America.
Crime, by the digested accounts in Great Bsi.
tain and Ireland, seems to be portioned out in
ratio Of its population; there not less than an
army Of culprits is brought under the sindictive
sanctions Of the law, and yearly the mass fur
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