The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-02
CONGRESS-.

In the Senate on Monday, MIR EVANS, from the
Committee on Finance, to which had been referred the
Army Appropriation bill, amended by the House
made report thereon, recommending that the
Senate insist on all of its amendments and concur
In that OF the House, wiz specifying that no
more than li6 296 10 shall be applied for arrearages
out of the appropriation of 100000 for preventing
and suppressng hostites in Florida; and that a
Committee of Conference be appointed to meet that
which may be appointed by the House to confer on
the disagreeing points.
The report of the committee concurred in
with the exception of the part in relation to the Com
m tlee of Conference the further consider alton OF
| which was postponed until Tomorrow.
| Mr.. WALKER, in pursuance of notice, asked
leave to introduce bill to reduce, from five to two
years the term of residence required by law for the
naturalization of foreigners
Mr.. ARC HER observed that the request an
extraordinary one aud he hoped that the Senator
would not press it, Every must be aware that
our naturalization law sufficient and he
prised that the Senator from Mississippi had asked
leave to introduce such modification of ii had
been suggested. The subject was likely to lead 10
debate, and he would give oountenance 10 the pro-
position whatever in this, its incipient stage.
Mr.. WALKER inquired why the request had been
called an extraordinary one' he had merely asked
leave to introduce bill to revive original act pass
ed by the trainers of this Government in the first
Congress assembled under the Constitution and which
received the sanction of the Father of his Country
Was it extraordinary that he should ask To revive
act passed under these circumstances and was it
extraordinary that the Senator from Virginia
should object to granting leave to introduce the bill
This act was repealed on the Goth OF March, 1898;
and, by the Alien law, the time required for natural
iZation extended TO fourteen years. But, after
its repeal, the term gradually reduced to what it
now was-that is, five years. In $780, according to
the census of that year. the number OF persons the
United States not naturaized, was lO7 1872. Most
unfortunately, by strange inadyertency, there was
no returns made by the of 1910 upon this sub
ect. But if the number OF aliens had increased in
proportion to the population of the country, the
Der l44, 4S4 and, if ii had increased in pro-
portion to emigration, 2S3, SAB. He objected to an
exhibition of SO large number Of persons among US
who did not desire to be aliens, but who, from the
first moment they came here, had the bona fde nten-
ton OF becoming American citizens-of making this
their adopted country-and OF defending 1t IN
war and supporting 1t in peace, in common
with the natives of the soil. His attention
was first brought to this matter by the attention
which he had paid the debate growing out OF the
Nc Leod question. In proportion as they increased
the plumber of Aliens they extended the jurisdiction
OF the Federal courts. These courts were for civil
causes, yet there was undoubted jurisdiction, in
consequence of our vast puIaon, the business Of
these courts and the Supreme Court o. the United
States had prodgiousy increased the business of the
latter particulaIly 30 much 30 that 1t had not been
able to reach half of The the docket dur
ing It's last session. Wken he looked what had
been done this session. in the passage of the bill "to
provide further remedial justice in the courts of the
United States and the principles on which it passed,
to wit transfer criminal causes, from the highest
to the lowest in which aliens were concerned, from
I he ,te tn he E,up
alarmed at this stretch of Federal power and with
regard To whom this seIch OF jurisdiction was to he
applied. There Other reasons, which could
he stated for asking leave to introduce his bill The
number of aliens arriving here and proceeding to the
Wes was greater than II ever was in any former time
Every steamboat was crowded with enigran,s who
were going ihere Tor tie purl ose OF becoming
farmers. Whole townships in Illinois were filled
with aliens VINO had purchased lands and plaee their
families upon them, and were DESTROYS of becoming CT
tizens Two of the STATES of the Northwest gave to
allie the right of coming forward and vo ing at the
polls and this had been sanctioned by the highest
judicial tribunals of those States. And why not
these aliens Just as well entitled to citizenship at the
end of as five yearsl The founders and trainers
of the Constitution thought that term of residence to
be sufficiently long but 1t changed by the alien
law of '9S He had another reason for asking leave
introduce this bill In OF war; bot yesterday
threatened there three hundred thousn nd
aliens the United Sia,es-he most of them residing
the from ers of the Northeast, and whose allegl-
ance it they should not be naturallzed, might be
claimed Ivy foreign power and treated as they were
prioI heir emigration. In of war, 1t would be
peculiarly proper that this class of people should be
diminished, and this could be done in the manner
now proposed He rejoiced to such large mum
bers OF foreigners landing on our happy SOIL He
held out to them the hand of welcome Did not
perceive in England, effort made to divert the |
llde of emigration to Canada and Australia, in |
stead of to the United States They told that,
by colonlzng, their citizenship would merely be trans
terred from place To another whereas, if they |
came to this country, they would be compelled to wait
five years before they could become naturalzed He
desired, he repeated The wave of emgra ion to roll in
this direction, ADD was anxious to extend popula
ton to the Pacific For all these reasons, he was in
fayo of bringing back the naturalization law to what
it was during the Administration of General w ash |
ington
MIR. ARCHER remarked that he had asked the
Senator from Mississippi not To persist in hi motion
and he now desired to say, without any personal dis
respect that he would far as he could prevent up
tins subject general discussion. he thought |
that the reasons which existed the organization of
the Government for confnng the terms of naturailza
ton to two years, very just but the reasons
which then existed do not Apply To the present state
of things. The arguments OF the Sena relation !
the law OF that PERIOD di-provrn 10y himself fo
our ancestors themselves departed from IT, They |
far to extend the term of naura lzation to
fourteen years; however, they calne to ntermedi
ate term and, in his opinion, the proper The
Senator seemed 10 think that the denial to naturalIze
fore gners before they shall have dci in he
try five years denial of the Inequalities of our
soil. But had they here and had the full !
benefits of oar laws ? And nigh, lnry 90 in
their respective pur,u IS and acquire property, that
they might have when they became naturaiiZed !
He desired that foreigners should come TO this coun
try, but Immediately enjoy political rights as well
as civil. 1t reasonable that they should
do so. He doubted whether good man could dis
gorge from his bosom his superior attachment to the
soil which he born and he sorry to hear
this dsavowed For one, he repudiated the doctrine
OF the bill altogether Aud now, without any disre-
spect to the Senator, he would, for the purpose of
stigmatlzing as well as rejecting the proposition and
precluding discussion, move to lay the question of
leave upon the table
Mr. w Al kER asked for the yeas and nays Wh Oh