The native American., 1839-01-12
THE NATIVE AMERICAN.
from tas Sunday Morning Nsrs.

In
IN IN ceeI assured will be readily accorded, es-
: Will. from the tone of your article on the
pS,a,e &c parties,'') | will submit my views 10
q. .ho .ct;o, Of the public mind upon suolect ol
,;,o, p,nortanee TO the stability and very eAis'ehee
's'" annbl;con institutions; that subject is ed't-
,,;oa ., opI The moral necessity ef fs beng CON
,se,eJ ,rith o,r preSeai laars ott'anchsse and q
,,oj,traEzaiion: believing the approaching onght
ness of our political horizon to be ansP'cious 10
It's un,rammellod and liberal inyestlgahon.
After long aud repeated Deliberations NE con
.;,.;orol trainers OF lhe naturalization laws while
nerce;yipo the advantages derivable from the emil
grat;on to our widespread and ihiniy populated
terr;torv. of the useful classes of all nations, as
well the agrculturist, mechanic and iaoorlhg
moor as of the wealthy capitalist and enterPrsing
manp facturer yet deemed 1t prudent to require
that foreigners desirous Of becoming cltlzens. III
law. should declare their intentions 10 that effect
and as one of their qualifications should remain
five wears in the country prior TO their being re-
ceivable as American ciiizens (excepthg such as
had arrived under eighteen years OF age, &C.
with the view that residence Tor TINS space OF line
should be required, to the end that they might
sufficiently oulgrow local and nAtlohai Pafoali-
ties and predictions. cvnce their actual Intention
.rd desire /, become permanent dwellers in the
land of their adoption, and tha, they might acquire
knowledge of the system Of governmentand laws
which thew were to bind themselves TO support
and obev by becoming citizens.
The advantages derived from the operation oil
this system are known, particularly the rapld I'M
movement Of the surface of the country, the con-
structon Of many of our public works, which but
for the flood of emigration would have been yet
barely contemplated, and our consequent rapid
progress in power and importance as nation.
One Of the results OF its defects has been the
al ,,t Mt md
welded by influential designing sectarans and po-
ltcal leaders in directing the votes at public cleo
,ions Of large masses Of chiefly naturallzed ci,i-
zens in aid OF or in opposition TO particular par
ty: and it has been by means Of the religious and
national bias Of these comparativel Ignorant and
unenlightened masses (partlcularlslng the irish
Catholics,) that they have been thus swayed, and
very naturally feelings Of jealousy have been ere
ated thereby in the minds of the more enlig ghtened
native citizens. who think and act more from their
own individual observation and judgment. l
speak not from prejudice, for feel assured that
there is not people on the face OF the earth
possessed OF stronger innate love ana desire lor
human liberty than the Irish, but from their want
of intelligence owing to the nature Of their gene
raj religion they are more liable to be led astray
than any other class of citizens, for their very
excess of patriotism is made the lever by which
thew have been misguided into the commission o
deeds utterly repugnant to the existence OF true
liberty, and the enoyment OF individual right
So deeply seated has the jealousy of many of the
native citizens OH this subject become, that po-
litical party has been formed principally on the
Atlantic frontier, and which is constantly adding
TO its numbers, whose avowed object tor the pur-
pose of destroying this dangerous infuence) is
to procure repeal Of the naturalization laws, or
so far to annu or modify them as to require all
foreigners arriving in this country to declare their
intentions of becoming citizens, hcenty-one gears
before then shall become entitled TO the pricileges
of citizenship, and for ever to prevent their ele-
gibility Of election 10 any political ofhce. ms
party would make no reservation in favor OF worth
or intelligence, but would bring all applicants who
had first breatked the breath Of life in a foreign
land under its scope. Now, sir, what would be
the obvious result Of such change III the law!
There are thousands of educated foreigners annu-
ally arriving in our country: men OF wealth and
substance and of Enlightened political experience,
MANY of whom having witnessed an;l endured
the operation Of unequal and oppressive forms of
government in other countries come here with
feelings Of strong reliance and trust IN our repub-
lican institutions, and with warm desire to share
in our constitutional duties and privileges. The
feeling of nationality Of the native citizens (which
from moral reasons is stronger than that Of any
other people under the SUM would certainly pre-
vent any undue elevations OF these foreigners to
offices in the gift of the people, without the re-
QUESTION Of law to that effect Would the pas
sage of this law ever be wholly just to ourselves
or liberal to such applicants: Would not its ten
tency be to prevent the emigration of very many
of the most valuable classes and consequently in
a great measure to retard the advancement of our
national prosperity! For the dim and distant
prospect of waiting half lifetime before they
could become American citizens would be unpro-
missing, and may say, an-democrac, to their
views Would not such law show either that
we were rather arisfocratic in our rcpubHcGntsn1,
or that we were apprehensive that the republican
doctrine OF self-government was not SO powerful
as that Of the Divine right of Kings, and would
not bear the slightest collision with it unscathed!
1t also seems to be one of the assumptions of
this native American party, that our population is
becoming so dense TO call for the passage Of
such law, the effect Of which would, they Justly
conclude, he to relieve US from the anticipated
horrors of over-popnlation. Surely the majority
of this MaAhust0n party must be untraveled in
their own country and unread in the statistics of
n mutation for certainly their fears are and will