The native American., 1839-04-13

WIN an lHulscTlHllnate ASSAULT upon Foreigners;
and various efforts have been made to show that
our motives are not repeal OF our naturalization
laws, only for the public good which may be de-
rived from that repeal, or, at least, from rad-
cal modification of them but that we, too are
striving to create party for selfish purposes
Our opponents well know if they can succeed
in creating such an impression, that they take
from us the most powerful engines by which we
hope to effect our purpose-patriotism and love
of country. BY the way, and once for all, let
us here observe, that there is a broad distinction
between these two, which are SO often used by
demagogues synonymous. No man can be a
patriot without love of country; but many may
have love Of country without patriotism.
To produce this result, no effort has been spared
to identify us with one or the other of the great
political parties now struggling for the ascendant
cy. Once again we repudiate every such ALI
ance. We desire the aid of both; we present to
them common ground, where they may both
meet; and we rejoice that on that common ground,
many from both parties have already rallied.
1t is impossible to close our eyes to the course
which leading papers Of both these parties are en-
deavorng to pursue. They know the strength,
energy, and concentration of the force which the
naturalized citizens of this country can and do
bring into all political contests. They know, too
that there is power strong to draw this force
into their ranks, as the prejudice which they've
mean the majority of them-feel towards every
effort to circumscrbe even, much more to destroy,
the means of access to citizenship. Their argu-
zen that the object of Native American Associa-
tons is to strike at the root of the glorious priv
leges accorded to them by the liberality of our
laws, and to disfranchise them in effect, while
the law holds out to them the cup of promise
then if we can identify this party (for they per-
sist in calling us party with our opponents, we
necessarily bring to our aid and the support of
our party all the naurazed citizens, and with
them all within the sphere of their influence.
We protest against this Misrepresentation of our
objects, and boldly deny the imputation it casts
upon us, while we entreat our friends to weigh
calmly and fully the consequences of this scheme
of arraying us, against our will, on the side of
either. Among us we have no Wings, no Adj
ministration men. We know no such distinc-
ton. We repudiate and reject it. We are what
cans. As such, and as such only, will we COM
bine as such, and such only, do we present our
selves to the world
We deny that we at any time have, would
now curta any one of the rights, or limit, or re-
strain any one of the privileges of the naturaized
citizens. Our action, our hope, is prospective.
To those who are among u.s. who have so far
as is in their power cast off their native allegi-
ance, and put themselves under the panoply of
the laws Of this country, we say God speed;-
to their children we say grow up in the nurture
and admonition of regulated lberty;-look not
back to the titled pageantry of the Old World,
nor forward to an unlicensed freedom; cherish the
laws, and learn the principles of the Government
under which you are to live, and which you may
be called upon to administer.
True we have, and we do avow preference
for the native, over the foreign born citizen,
where their capabilities are equal. 1t is just and
natural. So we prefer brother to friend. 1t
should be so. But we neither guided nor led
away by blind prejudice, nor jaundiced or dis
tempered mind. We do not deny that we have
received great and lasting benefits from those who,
born i'll foreign lands, have brought with them
valuable improvements in mechanics, arts, and
sciences. We give them full credit for all this.
We deny to them only superiority, intellectual
or physical, over the native; and we demand the
enforcement of the great social principle, bro
Their before friend, native before foreigner,
citizen before an alien, member of community
before stranger. This, we think, we have
right to, without being charged with intolerance,
or misrepresented by interest," or maligned by enc
mics.
True it is, and we freely admit it, on some oc-
casons we have used language which in its scope
may have embraced all those who were not born
in this country. In the ardour Of writing, when
assailed wantonly, or unjustly, or when we have
seen an alien, or newly-Aedged citizen emf
nently preferred before native equally deserving