The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1840-04-25

VINO DOUBTS 1T p" But there IS another
euil IN the elections Of this City, more, disas-
trous still" What is it? Foreign votes! Per
haps Americans will oneday acknowledge that
oar warnings relative to foreign votes, were
not without foundation. TWENTY-FIVE humid
red foreigners can be naturalized IN one week
fo.r the purpose of carrying one city, we opine
that the number mighteasily be increased to
twenty two thousand in the United States IN
anv emergency that Politicians might need
them. THIS great and crying evil mast be
abolished. or our elections will become mere
farce. What need is there at any election to
make votes? What object have these men
in view, to be naturaized just at the time Of
an election? If they ale SO pliable as TO be
bought by either party, they should not have
vote If they ore good citizens, they Will
attend to their own voting, and the necessary
preparations thereto, in its proper ..'ne' i'u'
we emphatically say, that when men, can Dc
bought to vote at any election, we shous' Ia
terpose strong barriers against it. Foreigners
who have no more interest in our political
welfare than to barter the blood bought liberty
of the elective franchise to corrupt politicians,
should be we'll guarded, else in an evil hour,
their enormous burthen should bear us down.
We mean not to rob any man of his rights,
we have given them to him--but let us see
that they are not perverted How is it that
twenty-five hundred foreigners are competent
to vote exactly at given time? Hear what
the Sunday Morning News says concerning
this matter:
:But there is another evil in the elections Of
this city more disastrous still. 1t is stated in
numerous papers that TWENTY-FIVE HUMID
RED FOR EIGNERs were naturaliZed in the week
preceding the election. Allowing for exag-
geration, we saw enough in several visits to
that nusance-that sink-,the Marine Court,
to satisfy us how the fact was. Votes enough
were manufactured to carry the city. We
would never abridge or impair therights which
any man possesses to exercise the elective
franchise But when scenes like that at the
Marine Court are occurring at every election
when thousands of men are induced for
the benefit Of politicians, to do what we saw
done-the elective franchise becomes mere
farce Republican Government itself, if these
things are to go on, cannot long subsist. Mon
tesqrieu, we believe it is, declares that the
foundation of Republic is VIRTUE and our
great and good men declare that VIRTUE and
INrELLIGENcE are its pillars. And when
elections become the arena where bribery, per-
jury, drunkenness and violence not only act
their parts, but control the result what must
the Government be? Forms may be retained
for time, but the poor hypocrisy will be dis
pensed with as soon as ambition and talent
shall find it safe.
ain the latte. ages Of the Roman republic,
Scylla, PompeY, Crassus and Caesar, would
bring in their thousands from Thrace, Mace
donia, and even,Asia, to vote for them as con
suis and nothing remained but for the battle
of Pharsalia to end the Republic; and Rome
slept soudly in her chains. "
"Can there be no union of honest patriotic
men, irrespective of darty divisions, to devise
and insist upon some correction Of the evils
which poison our elections corrqpting the
very fountain of liberty itself? We have
never yet met any man of intelligence and
worth on either side Of politics, WHO did not
acknowledge and deplore them; and the ex-
perience of elections in the city has created
deep and abiding conviction that something
must be done, and done soon"