Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1854-10-07
ID. ROONEY KING.
WASHINGTON, August s, 1854.


-Prolracled and severe sickness since
the receipt of your letter of the 81 ulnmo,
has prevented me from keeping up my
correspondence. But io! this, your let
ter would have received All immediate an
swer. Let me begin then 10y replying to
your principal question. | respond to
that by declaring frankly, that | never was,
am not now, and never shall be, candl-
date for the Presidency. | have seen E.
nough Of it TO form a decided oPlnIon, that
for me- there is no position in Tins codn-
try less desirable. shall be content
with the seat in The Senate of the United
States, which the kind partiaIity of friends
in my native State has assigned 10 me.
Indeed, would not exchange 1t Tor any
under the government.
The year 1856 must decide a momen'
tOus issue in this country. Are the A
merican people prepared TO share with
aliens the right of governing tins nation
at the ballot box, as soon as those aliens
can make a declaration of intention =
They may, and oll,n do, make such
declaration, within week. or even day
after landing on our soil. Again, are the
American people prepared TO share with
aliens, every blessing and benefit confer
red upon them as American citizens and
even to give them share of the public
domain! By The Nebras ka bill, Congress
has conferred upon them The right OF vo-
ting, and by the Homestead bill, which is
still pending, and to be decided upon next
winter, they are to have all equal share
of thespubIlc domain on the same terms
with native and naluralized citizens. A
gain, the American people must decide
whether other circumstances being equal
the native citizen is not fairly entitled to
a preference in the distribution OF honors
and officers in the country which gave
them birth.
The state of my health will not permit
me 10 discuss these questions IN letter
Our naturalization laws are unques'lona.
blv defective, or our alms-houses would
not now be filled with pauPers. vi the
$4,000 paupers in the United States, 6s,-
600 are foreigners and $4,000 natives.
The annals of crime have swelled as the
ials of Europe have poured Ihelrcontents
into the country, and the ielon convict
rocking from a murder i'll Europe, or who
has had the fortune to escape punishment
for any other crime abroad, easily gains
NATURALIZATION here, by spending part OF
FIVE years within the limits of the United
States. Our country has become Bot
any Bay,into whiOh Europe annually DIS
charges her criminals Of every dlscrlp
ton.
have no prcjudices against the homes
foreigners who come here to seek an aSy'
lum from the tyranny of rulers abroad
All nv sympalhles are with them, ant
when they become naluraIlzed | will de
fend them, as American citIzenS, IN al
their rights, as fully as those born IN TIT
soil. | would jnculcate and pracuce re
ligious liberation in It's broadest sense
but would see TO il that no men oil an.
sect, whose creed teaches item TO den!
religious federation To nc and my county
men. should ever hold Office here, O
power of any kind 10 prosecute us Tor on
religious opinions. No man who ack
nowledges allegiance to any foreign po
trnlare or power, or who holds himself un
der obligation to obey the edicts of an,
slch po,entate or power, shall be by IN,
vote placed in any post or office undc
the American government | would de
fend The rights Of men of all religions L
the full extent to which those rights ar
guaranteed by tie American Constitution