The native American., 1839-01-12

of individual States for their exertlons Ill the
cause of education, yet, as SO much depends upon
it, the people of the whole country would have
acted most wisely in obtaining the enactment OF
laws recurring that all persons, born after the
passage thereof, should be capable OF reading
prior TO their becoming entitled to vote. This re-
quirement would not have been oppressive, 1or
il would not have taken away any privilege al me
time enjoyed. and in connection with TINS law,
ample provisions would have been made, by The
respective States, for the purposes OF education.
| noi0 advocate the passage OF such laN. lhe
rich man could not oppose it, for it would tend to
the maintenance of individual right; and the poor
man would have to joce i'll thus being
placed and secured upon the same intellectual and
political level with his wealthy fellow citizen.
and there would certainly be but few who could
have reason to believe that the mere possession
OF property should be made the touchstone Of
political equality
! think that strong rs party spirit runs, vet the
obvious benefits accruing TO the people IN time to
come, are so great, that the measure could not and
would not be opposed on party, or with justice,
on any other grounds. And where is the man,
having the we-being of his country al heart, who
could find augEe to complain Of in this effort To
render the people more capable of self-govern-
ment-indiyidua more independent and conse-
quently less open TO the artfces and designs OF
d2magogues and anarchists.
Ny proposed amendment 10 the law frr the
naturalization of foreigners is, that the laws re-
main in force as they now stand with The simple
annexation Of section requiring that they should
he or become capable of reading before they
should hc entitled to the privileges of citizenship.
To follow out the differences resulting from my
suggestions, and the probable happy results of
such amendments to our laws ai franchise, leave
10 the deductions and calm reflections of your
readers, and the people generally, resting in my
own mind confident that the attendant benefits
would be in an hundred fold greater than those
resulting from the accomplishment Of the plans SO
strenuously recommended hv the native American
| party, and that they would at the same time be
free from the illiberal features Of the latter Thus
! having simply preached the suhect-a fruitful and
noble one-l leave its further discussion to those
more capable of doing it justice than my abilities
! will permit. REPUBLICAN.
| ET7We give the above communication in full
reserving to ourselves the liberty of adding run
l ming commentary.
Our opinion always has been, that our natura
lizaton law, as it at present stands. is nexpedi
ent and unwise. The time has gone by wher
l it was an object with the United States to encour
i age immigration. to settle our praries, and clea
our lands Itwas supposed that foreigners woull
come out in small parties at a time-would anal
gamate with, and be lost and swallowed up, as i
were, in the mass Of the people. No one eve,
I imagined that they would invade us in armies o
from one hundred thousand to t"o hundred thou,
sand per annum, although we find that Jefferson
| doubted the policy at the time, and Madison pro-
nounced it Grecian horse, which would prove
destructive of our liberties. The Father of his
Country warned us against the evils of foreign in
i and, bov in tic sb,
orr Notwithstanding the public peace. interfer-
| ing with our elections, pronouncing upon our
! measures of civil polity, and breaking down the
! barriers Of individual morality and public virtue.
! In our city we have amount OF fforel9n influence.
| arising from numbers, which is perfectly appa-
ing; and although we are willing 10 admit that a
portion of those entitled to the right Of ufrage,
may be useful and valuable members of society.
We, the number is small when compared with
those who exercise it, without feeling any interest
in the questions on which they undertake to pro-
nounce
In one thing we entirely agree wirh the writer
Of the above communication, and that is, that no
onc should be entitled to the right of suffrage who
is not able to read and write, whether native or
adopted; and this point. we understand, would be
prominent one with the native American party
but when it is considered that oar constitution
makes no distinction in this respect, and that it is
an objection which is daily wearing out by the
extension of our school system, and the spread Of
intelligence among the people, it was thought
! best to leave the remedy to time. which would
eventually work the eradication of ignorance, so
| degrading to a free people. The main object of
| the much misunderstood and msrepresented
native American association, is not to deprive any
adopted citizen Of any right, natural or acquired,
! but to place them, as it were, more on a footing
with those born on our soil. No native American
exercise the right Of suffrage until he is twen-
| ty-one years of age, and they would consider all
foreigners as infants, and require of them resi-
dence, under the jurisdiction Of the United States,
of ftventy-one years, before they allowed to
pronounce on political subjects. BY that time ii
is supposed they would be identified with the
country Of their adoption, in thought, habit, feel
ing and interest, and might be safely trusted with
the elective franchise BY that time, arguing on
the common duration of human life, our present
population who have attained the age Of manhood.
would, in a large proportion, be gathered into the
granary of the grave, and we should then be
more homogeneous and united people, deciding