The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1854-12-08
Making for the current ten
years, the astounding aggre-


gate of 5O5 ,00O
"The correctness of this calculation is self
apparent. 1t shows that during the first five
years of this decimal period there will be
thrown upon the shores Of the United States
swarm, from Heterogeneous sources OF q
100000 human beings-almost e.ractly equal
to The entire immigration Of the last sirty years.
| have shown also that the foreign immigra.
ton for this decade will, in all reasonable ex-
pectation be one and half times as great rs
the whole population at the beginning of the
revolutionary war;
"Estimating the rate Of immigration prior
to the Revolution upon the basis of the re-
turns for the twenty years succeeding the
adoption of the Constitution, we find that, for
the forty. five years preceding the Declaration
of Independence, the number of immigrants
that arrived in the Colonies was not far from
7O,O0O-liale more than halt as many as rloio
land in our SedportS in Sir months! We were,
therefore, at that time a homogeneous people.
All of our three millions except two or three
hundred thousand, who were nearly all Tories
were born upon the soil, were Americans,
native to the manor, with souls to dare and
hands to execute the mighty plans necessary
to nations redemption"
Here the whole case is presented The
argument is begun and ended. The admis-
sion of foreigners to unlimited political priv
iepes is not consistent with the interests of
society, with good government, or the public
peace. And the facts stated sufficiently show
why that policy in respect to foreign resi-
dents which was perhaps not nnadvisable up
to recent period, has become intolerable,
and demands complete reformation. We
do not mean to admit that the necessity for
such change of policy has now for the first
time arisen, but the evils for which remedy
is demanded have been rendered too fragrant
for endurance by the events of the last four
teen years, and particularly by those of the
last eight years.
The Native American sentiment first at
tained activity in this city some twenty years
ago, at time when the foreign population
formed but a small element in the community,
either socially or politically. But the griev-
ance had not then reached a height which
gave permanency to public feeling against
foreign interference in our political affairs
In lS4O, however, the Native American party
became somewhat formidable, because the
immigration of the preceding ten years had
exceeded by nearly four hundred per cent.
that of any similar term before it. This or
ranization contributed to the defeat of Mr..
Van Buren. In lS44, when immigration had
reached 100000 year, when Bishop Hughes
had begun to preach politico-religious SER
mons against the common school system, and
when under his counsels the Irish were sep
arately organized, as religious sect, to vote
on that aud other questions, against the body
Of our native citizens, the excitement became
uncomfortable; and excesses in neighboriDg
city were among the results Of the feeling
produced by this state of things. In 1876
commenced the Irish exodus and immigration
rose to 100000 per annum, and now by the