Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-09-20
COMM N.CAlIGNs.
For Mc ER1Nirc.
lpF ne l.Hfh"'S'
FORElGNERS-NATIVE. AMERICAN
Ssn1I,.u,II~S

Til. Wings, alarmed a, the effects which their
course towards foreigners Is producing, nave a.
last been driven into an attempt 10 shield them
selves from The Indignation U: those whose Only
crime has been, 10 be born beyond the limits oi
The United States. Now, That the Enquirer Is 70
he published daily, allow mc TO occupy portion
Of 4 column Tor six or eight days, III proving, III
The frs, place lha, Mr.. Clay and the Wing par
" entertain feelings hostile 10 our adopted citizens,
and ,ha, Mr. Clay is, in fact, TIC vel: author OF
The Societies now sprngnS up IN our cona'ry,
called Native Americans and in the second
place. 10 prove that the Democratic party, have
no conncxion or Sympa;hieS with these proScfip.
tive. prosecuting Anti-Amcrican. allen law
Societies. and that they have been uniformly
friendly 10 those who have chosen this country, III
preference to the home Of their fathers.
In the first place, in proof OF iny assertions |
will ouoc from speech Oh Henry Clay, in The
Senate of The United States six years ago tin 1889
10 show his aniipathy 10 foreigners generally
IL ,ba year "a proposition was beior. The Senate,
introduced bv Mr. Merrcl:, Il Wing Senator from
MARYLAND, 70 prevent foreigners not naluralized
from enjoying the RICH, OF presumption TO the pub
lie lands Although German Gnght have come
10 this country. penetrated The western iorcsi Sc
lec,ei him a ia I'm n land which had not come
into marhe;-clcars and fences and puts up his
buildings. and resides on il for four years, yet be-
cau>e he is not naluralizcd, Mr. Clay voted tina,
he should not have the same rights IS cXleaoco
10 other souat;es but that the hearle>s Spectator
might purchase his farm from under E;m, rob ham
ot his improvements, and turn his family again
into the wilderness. And although this German
might be the grandson OF soldier who had She'd
his blood in the revolution Mr.. Clays vote
woull cut him off But read the following ex;rac,
from Mr.. Claws speech on that question. lie
said:
This domain vas the pablo propcrv-the
property of the whole people OF the u. States
and he thanked the Senator from Maryland Tor
introducing proposition Tor comforting TIE boni-
IS OF The Government on OUR OWN RACE,
instead Of holding GU; 4 general invitation 10 ali
the PAuPERS Of all the European Govern
menis,o come here and compete with our own
honest poor
Here thcn in this speech OF air. Clay, deli
y.rcd six wears ago, in Tic L. ) Senate, We have
The seeds oil preference FOR our own race. ana oi
hostility 10 foreign panpers Is lsc calls the emf
grants, from which have sprung The Native Anne
,;cap party, and the consequent riots and murders
in Philadelphia. During the last few years. thesc
societies have been formed and increasing. ana
he Wigs have received the benefit OF their or
saniza,ion-whic many otthc leading Wing pa
pers have encouraged and Ge.ehGcd them
For the last ten ycars--indccj, | might say for
The last lolty vcars-cve since the passage OF the
Alien law under Old John Adams (the father Of
The present particular iavorie ot the Wings oi
Richmo..3. John Quincy AdamS.) have the De
mocratic party been warning against those who,
like Mr.. Archer, the representative OF the Wing
nartv OF Virginia in the Senate Of the I. States,
would exclude every foreigner from or country
,yho would not come here 10 stand as degraded
man-anains, tia, party who have al last pushed
their opposition So TAR 10 avaw their Intention
10 exclude foreigners. 50 soon Is they shall get
the power from the right OF votln" until thci Shall
arrive al the are OF trcntg-om@ pears, ana 10 de-
p-iye them OF many other essential privileges, OF
which the Wings aid Native Americans maze
The aaodeN'u and H5e?ai,t9 TO claim monopoly ior
themselves have before ne, 4 poccs OF the
Hoa James buchanan delivered in Lancaster
y, NOR. than four wears goo in winch tc al
lu,es "a the uniform op: oSiI;o:. oi The " h,S par
~ 10 foreigners, aS follows:
The devotion Of the Wing party 10 tn inter-
cs.s OF the poor mar (said Mr. Buchanan VIII
further appear from their uniform hostility 10
wards foreigners ! re.oice that the party IL
which am proud 10 belong has ever done JUS
tice TO the oppressed OF Other lands WHO have
come To our shores in the pursuit of !ite:fy ana
Happiness WhaI is the reason that the " hig
parry have ever been opposed 10 ioIe'sneN
will tell YOU Most ot these laea IL from The
oppression of Kings ana A:;>;ocfai> IL ,aer ma
live couutrv; AMI upon reaching or spores. "
: natural instinct; the, Join The Democratic parry.
which they know - Be The fricnCs OF liberty ana
equal rights Hence. foreigners have ever been
The o5,ccis OF jealousy 10 our political opponents
Daring The reign Of terror under lhe elder Adams.
The term Of their residence in lhi> country. before
they couli h na,uralzei was extended from !
iyc to fourteen years. Under this Ubiquitous /
law, they were compelled 10 pass almost
halt a lieiitn" amongst Us, before they could |
enior the privilege ot citizens. Soon after
The Democratic party came into power under
Jefferson. this odiouS law was repealed, and
he term of residence before naturalization was
again reduced TO FIVE years, a> j! had been e>'a-
blished uuGer the administration OF Washington.
We all recoeci he Alien act which oEce dis
erlccd our statute book. and which was one great
..anSc of The defeat Of the elder Adams.
And via! does this country owe 10 these per-
eecui"d foreigners Was there single battle
fought during the Revolutionary War, IN which
nev did rot freely she'd their blood in defence Oh
their liberties? We owe deb; OF gratitude winch
we can never cancel, 10 the brave irish and Ger
mans who assisted us i'll that glorious struggle
The names of Montgomery and Dehalo, and
host oil oher foreign patriots, ought ever 70 DC
cmbalmcd in the grateful memory OF American
Ffeemcn Whence then, the deadly and per-
.-everns hate OF the Wing Party 10 foreigners
The same spirit Of prescription against ihem
which existed during the reign ot the elder Adams,
still continues ~ actua,e our political opponents
This is rendered manifest by q proceeding in the
Senate of the United States, 20 late Is The month
ii January, 1898
Il, has been the policy of our laws 10 afford 10
all foreigners before they were narralizcd, the
same opportunity % purchasing the public lands
a though they were native citizens We fur
nishcd them an asylum and home in the lar
West upon the same terms with Cur own people.
Il has been equally tic policy of the Govern
!ncn,. for number OF years. To confer upon poor
men, who went into the wilderness on our FROM
tier and endured all the perils and hanGships Of
tirst settlers the privilege OF purchasing the small
tracts OF land Oh which they had erected their log
cabins, and were rearing their families, in pre-
ference to all other persons. This privilege how
ever, strange as i, may seem, has always been re-
sisted by the modern log cabin party. The qucs-
ton has always been, whether the SPECTATOR
should be permitted IL purchase these small tracts
of improved land from the Government, over lie
heads OF the actual settler; and the Wing party,
true 10 lis principles. has always espouscl The
cause of the Spectator.
"One Of these presumption bills in favor Of the
settler was before The Senate on the ooh Janua-
~. 1898 when Mr.. AIcrrick. the Wing Sena-
Tor from Maryland. (and Is 4 private citizen
most ainiahle and excellent MAUI moved ~ make
I'M olious distinction between foreigners and cti-
zenS BY excluding the foreigner from hc bcnc-
fits OF the law The question was debated al
length and on the final vote. c:cry w hiS present,
with single exception, voted IN favor 81 ihis Iis-
elimination. whilst every Democrat voted against
il. The effect OF the amendment, had itprevaiied,
would have been 10 turn every poor foreigner,
who had settled on the public lands under the
faith of our past legislation, out OF house and
home, and 10 transfer his li,c property 10 the
land sharks, who are already prowlinS about the
frontiers in search of the most valuable spots
which they can find No matter whether the
poor foreigner had declared his intention TO be-
come citizen orno,; nay, he might even have been
naturalized at the date of the passage of the act,
bu, if this had not been done previous 10 the Isl
December 1887, he would have forfeited his pre-
,mp,ion right, had the amendment prevailed
This penalty was 10 be inflicted upon these 10