Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-04-22
EVENING STAR.
WASHINGTON:
FRIDAY, APRIL %, 1853.
IMPORTED CAPITAL,

our readers the ridiculous ngure cut Dy
Americans in aping the fashions, customs
and artistic exhibitions of foreigners. We
have held up the superior claims of our own
artists, scholars, statesmen and heroes, whose
careers present sufficient inducements to
our young men to aspire to the greatest per-
sonal worth and the highest earthly distinc-
tons.
In all this, the sentiment we seek to inspire
in the bosoms of all our countrymen, wheth-
er born or adopted citizens, is that contained
in the lines of the gifted bard
Breathes there man with soul 50 Dead
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native land?''
This universal sentiment of love of coun-
try we hold to be one of the most honorable,
as it is one of the most vital, that can ami
mate the human breast Would that it's
living spirit more thoroughly permeated
every class Of our American society!
But the great point to which we wish to
direct public attention to-day is that implied
tion Of Foreign Capital.
We do not know how this subject is gen.
orally regarded by cur countrymen, but we
confess that to us it seems to be fraught
with many difficulties and dangers We
acknowledge that we partake largely of
that jealous spirit in this respect which ap-
peared to control the great heart of our
beloved father, WASHINGTON. In his i'm
mortal Farewell Address the illustrious pa
triot said: "Against the L1asidious Wiles of
Foreign Influence Il conjure you to believe
me, my countrymen,) the Jealousy of Free
People ought evsr to be aaoake''
We are pro1d to say that we partake
fully of that American jealousy. 1t is our
opinion that there can be no true love of
country or kind without certain portion
of honorable jealousy. The Almighty him
self is represented as being ga jealous COP"
Jealous of His rights, His power, and the
worship of his intelligent creatures. The
same is livingly true of every American pa
triot, from one end of our beloved country
to the other.
1t was in this spirit that Cowper sang,
over a just deed of his countrymen:
"That's noble, and bespeaks nation proud
And jealous of its blessings"
We will not deny that We experience the
full force of this patriotic jealousy, in view
of the fact that so much foreign money is
being invested in Government securities,
public works, and private stocks in this
country. We had much rather 60 without
these $50 called) improvements" than to
have them owned by foreigners; and es-
pecially such foreigners as manage the
Governments Of despotic or monarchical
nations.
With US it is fact of startling import,
that the great commercial rival of America
is very large holder of American bonds
We do not at all relish the fling of the Lon
don Times, that ''the English Government aoill
hardly be likely to lombard Ne,O York, because
the English capitalists hare such heavy mort
cages on the best property Of the city"'
This is a cutting reproach Of the Thun-
derer; and it is high time that our people
begun to think of it far more than they do.
These remarks will apply with equal
force to the investments being made in
Washington. We again call attention to
the fact that many of these investments are
made by non-residents, who have little or no
personal interest in promoting the general
welfare Of the city, except so far as it may
advance the value of their own property.
Let it be kept before the people that there
are many things that need to be done here,
which the resident citizen alone are quail
fed to do. The improvement of the chan
Rel of the river, the cleaning of the canal,
the establishment of manufac lures, the
bringing of water, especially for extin-
gushing fires, the increase of light in
different streets, are all necessary things,
which every good citizen of Washington is
personally interested in securing at once.
We are willing to see foreign capital i'm
ported into our country, and its capital
city; but we are determined, so far as we