The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-07

sovereignty over South Caroline, even against her
consent, when che can present claim to ndepend-
once but tho right Of conquest. not achieved by her
self alone but by the force Of all the thirteen States
whose claim. by the act Of secession, peaceable
and admitted, will cease' The State will then be
in the case of the prodigal son. who, having
tried the sweets of freedom from the restraints of
a monarchy, will once more seek the protection of
her parent sovereign. Thus the subjects of gland
will not be disturbed but just return to their native
allegiance. except the exiled Irishman. who will
have TO seek security in what will be left
of the Republic. The same fate awaits every citi
zen of Virginia or any other non seeding State.
The president of the South Carolina college would
be alien, no more capable of Office than any other
foreigner-certainly of office requiring citizen
ship. Now, strip Charleston, Columbia, and in
fact the whole State, of every citizen not native to
this State; let them CO. and, by going in time, be
able to take their property or it's proceeds; and
what resources would be left to fill the army and
navy Of the State, and pay its debts of millions,
besides its current expenses? These thoughts lay
heavily upon the bosoms both of our adopted and
our native citizens. The one dislikes to sacrifice
their 6xed property, to break up their domestic
circle, and migrate out of State, subject to the
reclamation Of England. into the United States.
The native citizens, who have any thing to lose by
heavy taxation and stagnated trade, are unwilling
to assume the extensive claims to ownership of
a property rendered thus prccarious. Besides,
many Of them have traditionary prejudices against
becoming the subjects Of British monarch. The
only parties who will feel no repugnanco at the
change will be those whose ancestral "reminiscences
have been associated with repugnance to the suc-
cessfu ssue of q conflict in which their loyalty to
their king proved hsstlity to their State. The day
Of retribution will come, when the old allegiance
Of their fathers will entitle them to their reward
and England never fOrgets acts of devotion to her
government. But have heard that all these fear
full consequences will be avoided by the native
cedcrs vouchsafng to their unfortunate fellow
citizens sort OF amnesty or pardon for not being
native born, and grant them, nero mot1, and of
free grace, tho same equality of rights they now
enjoy, and swallow in one mass, by general act
of adoption, the whole body of aliens now in her
understanding, of course, all obnoxious char
acters, such pestilent Yankees, who will share
the fate of tho fishermen who frat discovered to the
citizens Of Winyaw the fact that shad had, from
time out of mind, run up Waccamaw river, and
were rewarded by being warned off from supply
ing Charleston market with fresh fab, to whom
'the largest liberty" was accorded Of running just
where they choose.
But TO whom must our adopted citizens be CRATE
full for this grace? To those who now claim, by
'the insolent prerogativc of BIRTH" the absolute
ownership of the entire State; and if they may ac
cord, - they may deny this equality. This leads
to the inquiry into the title Of the natives to tho
exclusive ownership in of secession. This leads
us back to the title. Certainly the descendants of
those who took sides with England-as many good
and worthy people did-have no exclusive claims
to emancipatcd, free, and sovereign South Caro-
lima in exclusion OF the descendants of the people
of Virginia, Maryland, and other States, who ac-
quired the State itself by force Of arms This ex-
clusion will still diminish the number Of the
" lords paramount who can admit the resident
aliens to an equal footing But this too, is subject
to another difficulty. If England puts in her claim
A. former owner, dsforced and put out by such
high handed marauders as Green and his asso-
ciates, the tables will be turned. and the children
Of the men who fought and suffered for indepen
denco will be the postery of rebels and their acts
will be nuliified. So at las. England must decide
what portion Of, alien French, German, Irish, and
citizens Of the twenty nine States left shall enjoy
the rights of loyal subjects, and the terms, too.
Such are the serious doubts which perplex pro-
perty holders not natives, to the effect of the
State disuniting her destines alone from the rcst
Of the States. II leads them to prepare for start,
to postpone further outlay in fixed property to feel
about for more secure deposit for their capital;
and, above all, for government where simple ma
tivity does not constitute higher and moro ex
allied race Men accustomed to freedom require
perfect, practicable equality. The right in one
class to sport feather, however light, denied to
others, constitutes privileged order, and is nto
cradle to free spirit. The noble quality of our
institutions that accords to every citizen of the Re-
public the proud prerogative Of equality, whether
born in Europe here, that enables him to wander
from East to West, with no limits but the "big
waters" of the that waah our shores, makes
his bosom swell with pride no Roman citizen
ever exceeded. If all this is to be forfeited, and
~pent-up Utica" is to bound US hereafter, let us
look we'll before the irrevocablc deed is consum-
mated. A NATIVE CITIZEN.