Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1852-07-26

l
may have been hardy possible. that some
one indiv dual. amongst his ~hole audience.
might have belle. ed him. To compensate him.
self Tor this great act Of liberslify towards
man. whose deeis.in times gone BY. have ca"s-
ed glow OF pride in the heart Of every man
with a spark Of American feeling. and whose
name i. enrolled among those Of the greatest
Captains Of this or any other age. by the unan-
imous voice of the civilized world. he has IN
dulged in strain Of stale and vulgar abuse
and misrepresentation. Of ~hich, the vcr'eei
party hack in the country should be ashamed.
1t is usrlers TO Gull the beauties Of this trade.
As sample Of his logic. ii is only necessary
to .tate that at ore time he uses SCOTS letter
to show his incapactity-at ano,her iime he
charges its authorship upon Seward. AT Que
time it is the production ffa soldier. utterly
| ignorant Of law or Constitution. and " hi. h en-
tangles its IS ri,er iii an inextricallc net of -tu-
pid hlundcrs-tliep il is "snotler gull trap"
the syrcn song proceeding fom the ''forked
tongue" of wire worker
But two OF the richest ideas contained IN this
rare specimen of ora,ory. in which new beau
ties open al every step" to use the language OF
its aulhor-src. first: that the resolution :. f the
Wing Platform in regard TO the Fugitive slave
law is but a plagiarism from the Democratic
Platform; srco.,d: that Gen. SCOTS proposition
in regard to naturalization is unconstitutional
The frs, is referred to the Democratic Press
for dig-s,ion; the second only will now be
iiced
| Senator Douglas is III loss "a know whe,h.
er Gen. Scott proposes an addition to the ma
iuralizafion laws. or a substitute for the whole
laws. Senator Douglas is lawyer and has
Leen Judge. His acute mind therefore comes
to the inc, liable conc fusion. thar SCOTS propo
! sltion is to he substitute aud not an addition.
| For he need not tell this audience that tie
on-iiIu'ion Of the United States gives Com
.rrss the power 10 pass an uniform l",o of ma
turali<a'ion and P 'wer to pass M other" He
therefore argues that the pr.;asition AS an ad-
l,ion To the present laws would be uncon-
,,itn,iona, impossible. and absolutely absurd.
Did he forget thai he was speaking in city
where Wy,he and Marshall had presided. and
Wyckham and Leigh reasoned. and imagu-
for the moment, that he was speaking t"an as
! ~emblage of Suckers" in some baekwood
| 'diggings" OF i,linoisl His constitutional argu-
mrni is Fl, sc,Inel to lis acts,and his flowers OF
( rhetoric. The clause of the Constitution 10
" hich he refers is This: 4th clause. S. ar.
''To ssiabli-il uniform ruiz. of naturalization
and uniform laws on the subject of bankrupt
,:ies ihroag hout the United States"
| There is similar reIui,it".n Of uniformity
! c obtained in the l.; rnuse. snme etc. in these
| ,soris-''bui all duties. imposts. and exciscs
shall lie uniform throughout the United States. "
| Does Senator D.m.la imagine for mo
nient. that the c institution requires 'hat every
individual foreigner seeking the rights of cit
i. enship. must he SUI CT To the same restrc-
lions with every o'hrr-and that the same duty
or impost must be- laid every piece of
goods or article of Propcrty-iha' yard Of
ce.,,"n cloth must pay the same duty rs yard
Of French .k-a yard Of llnsey tie sane a
| yard of broad clo,ii-or horse the same tax as
slavrl
1t has been pretty generally nndrr-t'od that
| the object ofthe clause in question Was To pre-
ven, different rules Of naturalization from being
adopted in diff; rent States; SO that Iinois
might not allow fnrcigr er'o be naturaiihed
in that State after six mouths residence, while
Virginia required FIVE years. No reasonable
man ever supposed that Congress might not
place individuals. differently situated. under
Ia Il
lid not Apply TO localtrs. A. the law now
stands. an alien cannot be- admitted to the
rights of citizenship. unless it appear TO the
Court admitting him, that he bias behaved .as
II man Of good moral character. attached to the
principles of the Constitution ofthe United
States. and well Disposed tn The good order
and happiness ofihc same" And no alien.
who is a native or ciixen ola country. at war
ith the United States ran he admitted TO the
rights If ei'izenship during The continuance of
Xar. " haicvrr may br III. character and de-
pertinent, and how ever long his term OF resi-
,lence may have been. A minor u no, before
urivin5 at the age Of twenty One. resides
three Years in the United States. is entitled to
De naturalizcd. with ut any previous d.clar-
alton. upon the expiration nt his FIVE wears;
~ld!e an adul, las To make prs.ious d-clar.
ati IN. two ears beforehand. of his intention
10 become a citizen. A minor it'll father.
is made citizen by the naturalization Of his
father, without any sc' If his own. while al
orphan minor has tn be naturaliz.d. TheS
are the Provisions Of the Uniform lo,es Of that
very Congress. Of " hch Senator Dou.la is a
me mbcr. Now If Congress can max. dit:
fercncc between an alien of good chara. ,.r
AMI one Of bad-betwcrn an ulien " ho is ia
i've Of a State with " hich the United States is
at peace, and one who is native of Stnfe
with which we are atwar-hciwpen adults md
minors; and between an alien v 10 happens to
have father and one " no is an orphan. can
1t not make difference between an alien who
sif,naizcs his devotion to the nation and to
liberty by fighting the battles Of the county,
and one who resides in the country FIVE years
~ahout doing any ser. icei Is not one year
OF faithful and honorable service ia war, a.
good evidence of the good moral character ard
Iev otion to the U. Sta,rspf an ali, n. as Eve
years residence. which arc devoted 10 the pur
| ~, 4 a. - r.