Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1841-02-27
PROSPECTIVE PRE-EMPTION BILL
In SENATE--Jan'y 6.

MR.. CLAY, of Kentucky, rose and adj
dressed the Senate nearly as follows:
The amendment now offered by my friend
from Vermont, by drawing line between
the legislation heretofore pursued with re-
lation to prescriptions, and the new. COM
prehensive, and interminable legislation
proposed by the present bill, opens the
whole question for discussion; and l avail
myself of the opportunity thus afforded, to
present to the Senate some of the general
views / have taken of this subject, and
invite, in the outset, the serious, and would
say, the solemn attention of the Senate to
the bill before it. Before, however, pro-
coed to examine its provisions, allow me,
in passing to notice most novel and sur
prlsng doctrine advanced yesterday by the
Senator from New York-Mr. Wright
not that propose to DISCUSS, at this time,
the position he assumed, but that l may
here enter my public protest against it, lest,
should remain silent, it might be thought
by any that | yield my assent to it. The
Senator's position is, that it Is competent
to State, under the Constitution, to admit,
an unnaturaized foreigner to vote in our
elections. l wage no war against foreign
ers. respect them when their characters
entitle them to respect / well know es-
{ pecialy the value of the German yeomanry;
q honest, industrious, economical, admirable
Judges of the soil, the best Judges of land
in all the country, devotedly attached to
their families-that is the character of cur
German population as | have become ac-
quained with it in my immediate neighbor-
hood. will not now stop to speak of the
gallant Irish, whose virtues, and will add
whose defects of Characteristic virtues far
overballancing the defects-are so well
known throughout the world. | am not the
enemy of foreigners, but the opinion ex.
pressed by the honorable Senator from
New York, is one of immense practca
importance; for if | am not greatly misin
formed President Van Buren, owes the vote
of one State of this Confederacy, NEAR
the State of Illinois, to the fact of unnatu
rallied foreigners voting at our late election
and casting their votes for him. | will not
however, enter on that subject, and have
adverted to it now, merely that no conclu
sion may be drawn from my silence that
approve or tolerate the doctrine advanced
by the Senator from New York. | here
publicly express an opinion decidedly oppo
Sue. thlilh tlidt inc eAeTCiSc Vi inc clcC
tive franchise always implies citizenship
though citizenship does not imply the RICH
to the exercise of the elective franchise
hold that voter, whose voice may effec
or change the entire policy of the country
may alter or subvert the constitution am
laws of the country, is a component part G
the political power of the country. | hol
that the power over the subject of natvra
ization has been confided by the Constitr
ton exclusively to the General Cover
ment, and that no State can constitutional
exercise that power; and that, therefor
no State can confer those privileges an
inmunitcs, or grant those rights whic
proceed from naturalization. This is m
opinion, and | advance it here merely as
counter project to that expressed by the Sci
ator from New York. When foreign'
has once been naturalized, regard him as
brother, as amember of our political comm
nifty, and as entitled, with some few cons
tutional exceptions, to all the rights of n
tive born citizens, and to the protection al
defence of the Government at home al
abroad; but until he has renowned his al
glance to his foreign Sovereign, and swo
fidelity to our country, cannot and "