Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-05-11
For the Herald.
OUR ALIEN LAWS. ~,

weapon OF self defence, 10 Deprive h'h OF Ills
more atrociors mayhem than to cut of his
right arm, or pull 90. his eye tooth. Despo.
ism says, Life, Liberty and Property belong
to the monarch; he alone has The right to dis,
pose of Them Republicanism says, these
rights belong to every human being;' Of course.
every man is entitled to voice in making the
laws which control these rights. Some vain.
I " imagine they can arrest the progress Of en-
igra,on by imposing on foreigners political
liabilities. Bot the hand Of Providence is
working behind the scenes. and pushing for.
ward the mighty wave from tie Old to the
New world Since Colun,bus 6fslfouud the
way, unnumbered thousands impelled BY free
will, have followed in his track. and the Old
Hive is not depop ula,ed yet. The starving
masses of Europe come here TO seek bread
political rights are an inferior consideration.
Come they will, and we have neither the pow.
er or right TO stop them. for she earth was
made for man. We never eould see any lauda.
BILE objec. to be attained by depriviug any class
of citizens of the right Of suffrage. We may
thus succeed in creating caste, degraded
class who will hate us with perfect hatred.
Persecution will render them vicious and ig.
noran,; but aye they rub of on. US, the slime
oftheir moral pollution. Ii is the lnexorable
law of Providence; that they who trampls upon
the rights Of man, must themselves sink 70 the
mire. Such are The invisible links which bind
men together in civil society. tina. If any class
be Systematically prescribed and degraded. it
drags down its oppres sors TO the same igno-
minious perdision. All history u.iers its SOL
emn remonsirance against privilege and pro-
sciption. When will Governments lessn thai
their only Legitimate purpose, is, to project
their cisizens in the enjoymrnt OF their natural
rights, and when they swerve from this pur-
pose, men will wage war agains. them. Cea-
sar and Nero were executed because they
drew the sword Of civil power not in favor Of
man, but agains. his rights. Until men are
differently constituted, Governments never
can. as Sparta boosted she had done. surround
themselves with wall of human hearts, IN.
less they guarantee TO their citizens, without
distinction, a participation in the law-making
power; the defence Of all other rights. Pro-
scrip,ion will not arrest the immigration Of any
class. or race of men to the United States, or
our Territory. II will create a Government.
hating class among ourselves, but is this very
desirable! Designing politicians have decsiv-
ed foreigners by constituting the suspension Of
The RICH. of suffrage, required by our law. into
an extinction of that right. Absalem is the
frs, Office seeker Of whose tricks history gives
US any account. He would take his fathers
suffers aside, and exclaim. 20 tina, l were
king in Israel. then would do every man JUS
iice." Hypocritical demagogues use the
same language now. The tender hearted vote
hunter wept over the hardships of the foreign
er. "S.ick by me, and Ill have those oppres.
sive laws altered" The ar.less foreigner, I'M
used to his tricks. know not ,ha, his tears were
all for "Buhkum;' .ha. these professions wers
empty os soap bubbles. The foreigner will be
the s,aunches. friend of our Naturalization
Laws as soon as he understands their true 10.
tent. 1t is our present purpose to vindicate
their Justice and policy. Our laws require
Ave years. residence in the United States, one
years residence in the State or Territory Of
which the foreigner desires to be a citizen, and
the oath Of allegiance; to transform an alien
into citizen. European nations have no gen.
eral provi siops for the naturalization of foreign
ers. Tine omnipo.en, powers Of Parliament
must bs put into .equisision TO manufacture a
British subject ont Of foreign material; and
when invested with all the rights a Bri,on
dare call his own, he has but half the rights
lha, belong to humanity. The American cit
izeu applies to England to be naturalized. is
rhaven like Sing Sing convic, TO sui, the
taste Of his royal owner; meagre are the rights
which even the native Of Europe enjoy. Nat
uraliza,ion with Us means something; il be-
slows someihing-is is the coronation Of a
king; i, gives to the foreigner the scep,re Of
legislation and invests hi N with coequal sove-
reigniy over the land. European na,uraliza-
,iOn confers. 10 general. bot the paltry immu-
nifty of purchasing real estate. The treatment
of foreigners is az accurate gauge of eiviliza-
ton. Lord Murray, sucject of Queen VIC
ioria, is permitted TO lag OF Gran, County in
: TO feadal msnors, while an American cannot
own foo, of English soil Without the consent
Of Parliament. The obvious necessity of re.