Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1847-08-25
Foreign IInigrati0n

.7
"But he, Wiling 20 g, jiastily himself, said
unto Jesas and-@ho Is my neighbor? And
IIess1s sansw werin said, "A certain man
s2snl from JsfssSal en- @ Jericho, and
lEh stfipped ,hiina ssel
fl dll6snt, and wss 726ed him, and. easi,,s 4,
him half dead And bsnee there came sa,5.s
down a certain niest that IL nd when
he saw him, he 7Fassed by en- fheot tlser side.
And likewise Levite, sshen he was at the
place, came and looked on him, and passed
by on the other side. But a certain
Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he
was, and when he saw him, he had com.
passion on him, and went to him and bound
up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine,
and set him on his beast, and brought him
to an inn, and took care Of him. And on
the morrow when he departed, he took out
two pence and gave them to the host, and
said unto him, take care of him; and what
soever thou spendest more, whom | come
again | will repay thee. Which now of
these three, thinkest thou, was the neighbor
unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that showed mercy on him
Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou
likewise.''
Why may not this beautiful passage
from the sacred Memoir of the Great
Teacher, be addressed 20 the State, as well
as to the individual? To us it seems elo-
quent of suggestion, in respect to the rela-
tions Of Nations-to the high ways of His
tory, rs we'll as the bride paths of Judea.
The migrant, from the, poverty and perse-
cution Of the whole world, may well appeal
to the spirit Of this touching parable -
Hitherto, in the annals of this free land,
the kind Offices Of the good Samaritan have
been promptly exercised, on the part of the
American people. We have not grudged
the freedom of our fathers-our wilderness
has been the home of the exile and the
stranger; and policy thus generous, and
consistent with the theory of our institu-
tions, has been justified by the patriotism of
those who thus sought and found the boon
of freedom and security.
We are we'll aware that migration is on
the increase. We admit that some incon-
veniences may be experienced from the
number of these arrivals, alien in language,
and reduced in circumstances as thousands
of them are. But we apprehend greater
evil from change Of policy in the above
respect, and the adoption ofa system of
exclusion or prescription. They may be
strangers by language as we'll as birth
they may differ from us in religious as well
as other opinions, but we cannot deny them
the asylum of q vacant continent and a
free constitution. Our duty as philanthro-
pists and citizens, is more consistent with
the dictates Of humanity. AS denizens,
they may be an element of danger;-as
they will strengthen the arm Of
the State, without hazard to its liberties
We cannot check their presence, but we
may render that presence a curse, by de-
parture from American principles in our
treatment of them.
Much Of the prejudice against our for
eign population, arises in the large towns of
the country. The reason of this is obvi-
Gus. They increase the competition of la
Dor far beyond its demands, and reduce the
standard of wages and living. 1t becomes
important to ascertain whether Government
cannot check, in some measure, this ten
dency, not only without the violation of
right, but in the true spirit Of national mag
nanimlty. Let the next Congress grant
the Freedom ofthe public lands, in small
quantities, and to actual settlers. Let the
N ative American Associations of our large
towns and the Liberty lodges of the coun-
try, be organized into societies for the re-
lief of the emigrant, and devote the energy
and expenditure now employed in political
agitation, to the humane work Of coloniz-
ing the uninhabted wastes Of the country,
with the landless and penniless foreigner.
Here, in Ohio, are lands Of the General
still unoccupied and irreclaim-
able at the minimum price. Why should
they not be made accessible and arabic by
the usufruct these national benefciaries?
L he practical effect would be to reduce,
within living limits, the number of those
employed in mechanical pursuits, and re-
move much of the prejudice now existing
between our native and foreign population,
and which we are constrained to regard as
unjust and unrepublican.
Our bourn is the Pacific In the pro.
ohetic language of Patrick Henry 1--WE
must become formidable to the w Westward.'
The pitiful driblets which the Land Office
may annually contribute to the Treasury,
IL q VI llOtlCC3 SOiilpIIC Will LtiC
lights Of labor, and the glorious destiny
which awaits free, happy and expansive
population. What is the barrier Of lam
guage, when the spirit Of freedom fuses the
hearts ofa people? Who will tremble for
his faith, as long as our institutions are a
shield to all, and weapon to none? Let
no one despair of the Republic. The d.
versities of Observation-Disclosures
are like the pillows Of the sea, rendering
more grand the national prospective, and
a healthy public sentiment by their
mutual action; while, under all, and safe
from all, swells the tide Of our Republican
Nationality. In the beautiful language of
NJ Montgomery, recently notorious in another
the union of the States and the
unity of our people will be ''distinct as the
pillows, but one as the sea-" May Heav-
en- protect US from those civil convulsions
which shall break up the foundation of the
great deep!-Mo,ni"g Signal.
~The following is the concluding
stanza Of the blind girls song Of "Wel-
come to the President on the occasion
of his visit to the Blind Asylum at N. York:
"Hark one united burst of joy,
By heart and tongue is woke,