Democratic banner., 1845-02-22
TBgEI Es a N *.
wednesday, February. IS, Es}a.
l. LAW.

more importance than the attempt SO 10
oIter the naturalization law, as to re-
ouire a residence of twenty-ons years,
before one becomes a qualified voter
Thi, clearly amounts TO a virtual repeal
Of the whole naturalization law, because
a foreigner coming after he has arrived
at q middle age, will not go through oil
The forms and ceremonies which the law
REQUIRES for the remnant of his days,
which in nine cases out OF ten, you'd
not extend beyond the required twenty
onc-infanls, it is true, might avai
themselves of this law. This whole
onestion seemed 10 have slumbered In
embryo, until recently.
1t is true that such 4 thing ns a Ma
tive American party has existed Ia the
United States. and in cur w State for
several years; but as all will admit II
was a sickly, puny and abortive thing
until the recent defeat Of the "Great
Embodiment" Of Whigery, it now as
sumes a portentious aspect, n threat
10 marshall under It's formidable ban
ner all the odd ends and factions of
which the whig party IS composed.
Since the glorious defeat of the Ash
land Hero, numerous whig papers have
nailed to their masthead the colors OF
Nativeism. If we are not deceived IN
u calculations, the battle of eighteen
hundred and forty-eight, will be fought
principally upon this Issue.
The evident tendency Of this law will
be TO exclude from u shores all Of
that foreign population which could a.
lone bo Of use and benefit 20 US. Men
IF intelligence, men of education those
who love liberty for liber;y'S sake, viii
never leave their homes. their friends,
their all. and brave the stormy deep 10
seek protection and liberty among apeo-
ple unwilling to acknowledge them as
their equals. 0 nthe contrary, The evils
Of which we now complain, will be
greatly increased, az we shall then have
the pauper population Of the old world
alone, enigrating TO our country. The
respectable portion Of Europe will be
prevented from emigrating, and the
worthless induced to colne for they arc
willing and ready TO be considered here
as they were there, as serts and inteFl-
ors; this will be the inevitable result OF
such 4 law.
They say that the swarm Of foreign
ers migrating to our shores, are actually
~endangering the safety of the govern
ment, that they will soon become too
powerful fer our own people. Sup
pose for argument sake, this position to
be true, it is not proposed to stop emf
grafton entirely. Now if they continue
10 come among us, are not our institu-
lions jeoparded much more by irritating
those foreigners, by depriving them of
those rights which we say are inherent
in all men," and if they possess the dis
position, and if they become physically
stronger than The natives, what will pre-
vent them from overturning and distrOy-
ing the fabric of our government? Ac-
cording to this doctrine, it is iinpolitic
of itself; but we have ever looked up
on such assertions as improbabiliiies.
If our institutions stand until they
are subvertcG by such means, time will
grow gray and hoary, before she looks
upon the ruins; the elements Of dis
truction lie concealed in our midst, and
we should correct and purify them, be-
fore we look abroad. This doctrine of
excluding men from the privilege of vo-
ting, simply because their destiny may
have been cast in England, Ireland, or
Poland, over whom the destroying an
gel has so long brooded, seems TO us to
strike at the very ROOT of our govern
men,. We set out upon the principle
that all men are born free and equal, and
yet this supremely selfish party say all
men are not born equal, unless they
should chance to be born in the United
States.
The whole doctrine is a burlesque or
rather a bitter mockery of all that we
have been taught Of the genius Of our
government. Is heaven so partial in her
fayors, that she ha. endowed man with