The true Democrat., 1854-08-23
John Mitchel's Reply to
 Brownson.

Salter DOOts, ana pocket to put her wages m.
 John Mitchels Reply to Brownson.
 Dr. BRowNsoN:-In your Quarterly Review, and the current number thereof, you think fit to nickname me Radical" (page 346.)- Hereupon l shall have some remarks to make presently; but, in the meantime, I apply my self to the extraordinary article in which that nickname is applied, entitled "Native Ame- ricanism."
 When you, Doctor, take up Native Ameri- canlsm, or anything else, you "run it into the ground" When you were a Radical" you preached, as yourself with contrition admit preached, in the name of the gospel, the most damnable radicalism." (See your Review, an. 194O, p. 1O3.) At the time when you were Quaker, you must have been the most exagge- rated of Broadbrims. When you were Bab- tist you thought man must be saved hydro pathlcally by plunging the whole world into cold water; you undoubtedly seeded from the Mormons, Gf l err in enumerating your antece- dent rehglons, you can set me right,) because Joseph Smith did not go far enough; and, now that you are Catholic you are better Catho- lie than your own Bishop and out pontiff the Pope of Rome.
 Native Am.rlcans, also, now you have fairly embarked ID that cause, you drive to romantic lengths, after very peculiar fashion, and it is certain, in your hands to grow into a philoso- phy, almost into religion, and to wear such strange aspect, and affect so deep significance, that the knowingest Know Nothing in the land will not know it when he sees it.
 At the first glance, indeed, it will seem to every know-N othing reader that you are ex- pounding precisely his principle, and that so broad and clear as to leave no shade of doubt on your genuine Nativeism
 You say
 " For foreigners to claim, as natural right, to be placed on an equal footing with natural born citizens, IS entirely to misinterpret Ame- rican republicanism and to assert that abom- inable doctrine of the solidarity of peoples. maintained by the infamous revolutionists of Europe"
 Again
 So it is with nation, when, from hospita- lity, it opens its doors to foreigners. It will never be pleased to find them forgetting that they are It's guests, assuming tue oirs of natural born citizens, and proceeding at once to take the management of its affairs upon themselves, or even voluntee,1ng Meir advice.'
 * "We do not, and cannot easily bring ourselves to feel that they have the same right to interfere in our national or political affairs that is possessed by natural born citizens"
 do not know, indeed, that any foreigner ever claimed naturalization " as a natural rlght,' not even an infamous revolutionst." Neither have been informed what are those " airs'' becoming in native citizen, which ano- ther citizen may not assume. When have |" fo- reigners'' by which term you mean adopted citizens) taken the management of your affairs? Or wherein IS the advice of one citizen adms- sable and the advice of another not?--unless, indeed, the one citizen have more sense or knowledge than the other-a distinction which is not perhaps universally in favor of the na- tive.
 You do not however, stop with general and vague Know Nothing observations of this sort You undertake to define (what, unfor- tunately, the laws of your country have left casus omaissus,) the precise powers and pri- vileges which naturalized citizen is to exer- else:
 "They may vote at elections freely, accord ing to their own honest convictonss but they may not make themselves violent partizans, and enter with ardor into the heated action and en- venomed contests of political parties. They may be voters, but not c0nvassers.'
 A calm, sweet, and philosophic serenity it seems, you prescribe to mere adopted citizens; they are to wait in their own houses to be can- vassed:-if they have an opinion on any public question, they are not to presume to whisper; but having selected their !" ticket" they are to exercise their franchise "with certain mode ration and prudent reserve, {" holding themselves aloof from heated action, keeping themselves cool, leaving all the cheering, all the grooming, all the foul names and envenomed contests'' to you, Doctor, and your brother natives.
 Moreover, if any public servant misbehave himself in his office, the privilege of censuring him is for natives only, according to your doc trine. It is true, the interests of adopted citi- zens are equally concerned in the case:-it is true, they have by their. votes, (given with extreme reserve and charming modesty), help ed to place him in the office he has misused - it is true, their money helps to pay him his salary: still he is not to "censure'' or inter l fere" er o r,,R .l4
 You say
 "A man may scold his own wife, for she is his, and it is all in the family; but let stran. ger attemp the same thing, and the husband, if half man, will knock him down." ... By "a stranger'' you mean one who, after { residence of five years, after duly renouncins all allegiance to kings and queens, and afte taking upon him all the responsibilities of his new condition, has become by the operation o the laws an American citizen, as fully and ab l uo1,,+ol,, oo x,o,, nr Oroo%o,