The Illinois free trader and LaSalle County commercial advertiser. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1841-1843, 1842-06-24

| exercise Oh luOse IISHls, arc .lOuliuCu Ill
wisdom and ought 10 be uniformly and
faithfully complied with; and every de-
par,ure from such provisions is unques-
tionably an outrage upon the law of the
land, that operates not only as danger
Gus precedent, but tends To weaken the
public respect for wholesome statutes, and
open door for the entrance Of intrigue,
faction, and corruption. The practice,
therefore, that has obtained TO some OK
tent in this state, of suffering unnatural.
lied foreigners to vote after six months
residence, without compliance with the
requisiton of the laws of congress, and
without taking the oath of allegiance to
our government, is an unmiXed evil, that
cannot be too deeply deprecated, nor too
promptly resisted and overcome. What
shall the subjects of foreign potentatc,-
fresh from the soil of their birth, or only
sojourners from the provinces of a rival
power, with all their prejudices and pre-
objections unrcmoved, come to our polls,
and rote IN rulers orer this free Gl,d en-
! HgMeaed people? Forbid it Justice for
bid it common sense forbid it spirits of
the departed patriots, who founded this
glorious system Of free government in
the fall Of tyranny and in defiance Of all
other schemes Of power!
But what is the pretext upon which
these denizens of other lands are permit
ted to use the incstimablc privilege Of free
men in the state of Illinois! Why, it is,
that the constitution provides that ''all the
inhabitants of the state" of certain age
having resided six months therein, shall
vote for all elective officers, and that con-
gress has sanctioned this constitution
Now, let us look at this reasoning for a
moment: tile pO1cCr Of congress Is ST.
preNe IN certain cases, aghcre The po3cer
is expressly delegated, Orer ell state i0icS
whoteger, and this position is admitted in
the act Of submitting the state conslltu-
ton to the approval Of that body, at the
time Of organizing the state government.
Well then, this point secured, it is only
necessary for the utter demolition of the
lallacious assumption that The siGte con-
SHtution can gice to Wlnaturalieed for
cigncrS the rigdt 10 cote, TO establish the
fact that CONGRESS ALONE by the constiu-
ton of the United States has The p01eey
10 posS lalcs regulating tie nGturali@a-
ton Of foreigners, which laws OF course
must be uniform throughout the Union {;
and that congress in accordance with this
express authority did long anterior to the
organization Of this state government, en-
act wholesome and general laws for the
naturalization Of foreigners who came 10
this country and declared their intention
to become permanent residents. BY no
process Of reasoning acknowledged in the
arena of logic and common sense, can
these conclusion be unsettled or conro-
vcrtcd and if the subterluge OF the pc
culiar phrase of the state constitution,
"Rhajudats," and inadvertently sane
toned by congress, be resored TO, III sup
port Of this dangerous practice, 1t will Ut
terly fail; for by every principle OF fair
constitution the state could not enact, and
congress could not approve an instrument
of that kind, in direct and palpablc viola
ton of the great fundamental law of the
general government, in relation to the nat
uralizaton of foreigners. The power eX-
pressly resides i'll congress, and cannot by
any process be aIienated, or conferred
upon the legislature of any of the states.
TO the writer, this view of the subject is
perfectly conclusive and unanswcrable
and he fully believes that these facts,
brought plainly beforct the public mind by
the press, will completely dsspate the
fallacy complained of, and that by com
mon and universal consent, III all future
elections in this state, those "inha6j-
tants" only, who have declared their in
tention Of becoming citizens, and have
complied with the laws of congress OF
the subject, will be admitted by the in
: spectors of elections to vote for the off
, GERS of government. Preserve, with the
f utmost care, the priceless privilege o
l suffrage from the unhallowed touch o
: those who will not conform to the saIuia
: nv provisions of law, and above all things
+ defend your sacred rights of lIccmen from
!, the pollution and inuigues of those VIII
# may be, (under such a latitude of con
+ struction) the myrmidons Of a iorelgr
: power, and that power the deadIiest 10
: TO our liberties. The right of suffrage i
o the sheet anchor Of freedom,-let it b
l. extended to every man, who will assum
# the responsibilities and duties Of the cit
y zen; but never, never let it be employc
l. by those who contemn our institutions