Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1849-01-18

ooIH cltiZenS, ana o! course as native
born citizens in any portion Of the State.
What will be thought Of your boasted re-
gard addressing the other side Of the
chamber, for this class of our citizens?
What have they done to merit this act of
disiranchisemeht at your hands? Is your
regard for them TO be graduated by their
votes? If they vote with you, they are to
be welcomed with open arms, if against
you, they are to be repealed as s:vagabonds
and outlaws" If this be so, II is time it
were known. Yes, desire to ask again,
what will the worthy foreigner, for whom
you have prolessed so much regard, and
who has been taught to look to our coun-
try as land Of freedom and of equal rights,
an asylum for the oppressed of every
tongue and nation, think when he shall
learn from over the water that in the land
of Washington, of Adams, of Jefferson and
of Henry, in the land Of the declaration of
independence, in one of the States of the
American Union, by an edict of that party
which calls itself democratic" some two
thousand of his fellows, either for the ex-
ercise of the elective franchise or for wor-
shipping God according TO the dictates of
their own consciences, are disfranchised
and cast out of the pale of government and
Of law--deprived Of the common rights of
protection and of citizenship-of the law
of marriage, of descent, and of the convey
ance of real estate? What will he think?
What will the oppressed millions Of the
old world think and say, whose eyes have
been accustomed to turn from the cheer
less prospect which surrounds them, to
the United States as the star Of their hope,
'the land of the free and the home of the
brave" their refuge from tyranny and OPP
pression-when they shall learn the as
founding truth? Sir, l trust its tidings
may never reach them. l trust for the
honor of the State and country, this mea-
sure will be arrested here.
But to return. | propose to glance for
moment at the history of the Latter Day
Saints. And here l wish it to be under
stood that | am neither their apologist nor
panegyrist. Nor as apprehend do they
require that should be either. have
had no intercourse with them-and know
but little about them, except from sources
open to all. / have the charity to believe
however, that they are, like other COM
munities, composed Of some good, some
bad, ard some Indifferent. In their new
home, in this State, they have been, so far
as | know as abiding as any other
class of our citizens. We first hear of
them in the western part Of our State, a.
bout the time of the adoption of our con-
stitution,to which event understand they
contributed by their votes, and to whose
exercise Of the right of suffrage at that
time believe no objection was interposed.
They were, no doubt marvellous proper
people then. We heard nothing then of
the rejection Of votes-nohing Of the de-
| liberate destruction OF their returns-noth-
ing OF that other process Of defeating the
expressed will Of the people, called by
some the process Of ''Cutlerization. -
Since that time they have opened roads,
constructed bridges, and reduced the
prairies to cultivation. They are the
pioneers to your western border. They
have fought the battles of your country
When the tocsin of war saluted our ears
and the declaration came from the Presi-
dent of the United States that American
blood had been shed upon American soil,
who more cheerfully and readily than they
rushed to the standard Of our country
and who more nobly and gallantly than they
sustained the honor oft the stars ndstripes
in the shock Of battle? It may be said of
them that they ''left the plow in the UNI
/ H~., 4 fo
instances destitute of the comforts Of life;
and contributed greater number of fight
ing men to the service Of the country in
the late war than any other class of people.
| And now when the war is over, those of
them who have survived it, return to their
families and homes but to find-whal?-
The reward the brave have right to ex-
pect from their country? No-butto find
themselves by fell stroke of party mad
ness, reduced to punishment, exile and
| anarchy--stripped of their civil, and po-
li,ical rights. In a country where the de-
claraton ofindependence was adopted-in
State where our bill of rights was adopt
ed, they are to be denied the protection Of
our laws, and cast out as outlaws from So
ciety. Sir far better the fate of the sun
returning brave"
The Senator from Davis and Appanoose,
| (Mr Selman, the President the Senate.
the other day when the bill to establish a
fifth judicial district, was before the Sem
ate, made sweeping charge of corruption
against the voters of this county, as the
reason why they had changed their politi-
cal sentiments, Charges of this kind, like
all others are more easily made than sus-
tanned. Without stopping to notice this
charge farther than to pronounce it, so far
as the party to which have the honor of
belonging is concerned, unmixed calumny
as destitute of truth as it is incapable OF
proof--I will beg to ask whether this peo-
pie had not good grounds to repudiate their
political association? And in answering it
/ shall not attempt to deny that the accred-
tied organs of the wing party did seek to
convince them of the error of their politi-
cal ways by arguments addressed to their
judgement and their reason. l believe |
was honored with the perusal of every
document addressed to them-a | de-
clare to you sir, that SO far from DISPOSE
ton to suppress line or word in either
of them, | should be glad to see them all