Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1854-11-29

u and here he was allowed to become nat
:, uralized, and to that end required to re
e nounce and abjure all allegiance and tidel
: ity to the King of Prussia, and to swear
0 allegiance and fidelity to the Uniled States
: The King of Prussia now claims no lega
| forfeiture from him-he Furnishes him fol
:. no crime-he claims of him no legal debt
! he claims alone that very allegiance
and fidelity which we required the man
to abiure and rcnounce. Not only so, but
he hinders the man from returning to the
; United States, and from discharging the
!. allegiance and fidelity we required him to
swear to the United States. The King of
Prussia says he should do him service for
seven years, for this was what he was
born to perform; his obligations were due
TO him first, and his laws were first bind =
ing him. The United States say, true he
was born under your laws, but he had a
right to expatrate himself; he owed allie
glance first to you, but he had right to
torswear it and to swear allegiance8to US;
your laws first applied, but this is of po-
I1ical obligation, not of legal; it is not for
any crime OF debt you claim TO bind him,
but for allegiance; and the claim you set
up to his services on the ground of his po-
Iitical obligation, his allegiance to you
which we allowed him to abjure and re
nOUnce, is inconsistent with lis political
obligation, his allegiance which we le-
1uired him to swear 10 the United States;
he has sworn fidelity to US, and we have,
by our laws, plcdged protection to him.
Such is the issue. Now, with which will
he KnowNothings take sides? With
thc King Of Prussia against our naturali
zed citizen and against America, or with
America and our naLur.,ized citizen ?
Mark, now, KnowNothingism is opposed
80 nlI Foreign nauence-against Ameri-
can Institutions. The King of Prussia is
:. pretty potent Foreign influence he was
one Of the Holy Alliance cf Crowned
tIea,!s. VIII they take part with him,
and not protect the citizen? Then they
will al! Foreign influence against our
laws. viii hey take sides with our nat
uralized citizen Ii SO, then upoa e0Aat
groMals? Now, they must have good
cttusc Of in.crpoaition to justify us against
al the received dogma6 OF European dcs-
poti=m.
Don't they see, can't they perceive, tina.
;hoy have 40 other grounds than those
have urg lie is our citizen, mHioU-
0lizecl, owing us ale lance aud we owing
him protection. And if we owe him pro-
tcct!0n abroad, because Of his sworn ale
glance TO us as Il natura!Zed citizen, what
ihcA can deprive him Of his privileges at
home among Us when he returns? If he
be a citizen at ali, he must be allowed the
privileges of citizenship, or he will not be
the equal Of his fellow citizens. And
must not -Nothjngism strike at the
very equality Of citizenship, or allow him
TO enjoy all his lawful privileges? II Ca
tho!lcs and na!uralzed citizens are to be
citizens and yet prescribed from cflice,
Ithey must be rated as an inferior class
an excluded class Of citizvus. Will it be
said that the law will not make this dis
Liuctivn ? Thea are we to understand
that Know NotEings would no. make them
unequal by law? Ii not by LAW, ,oIy can
,!Ivy pretend 10 make them unequal by
ttIcjr srcrc; order, without law and agaiurt
law? ? For thcm, by secret cnmbnuton,
10 mat9 them u1cquai, to impose bur
then or restriction upon their privileges
which .thc law does not, is to set them
selves up above the law, and TO supercvdc
by private and secret authority, the rule
OF public, political right. Indeed, is this
not Tie very essence of the Higher Law
doctrine Itcannot be said to be legri-
mate public sentiment and the action Of
its authority.
Public sentiment, proper, is a concur
renee OF the common mind in some con
cluSlon, conviction, taste, or action in res
pect to persons or things subject to lis
public notice. 1t will, and it must control
the minds and actions of men, by public
and conventional opinion. Count Mole
) said that in France it was Stronger than
statutes. 1t is so here. That i! is which
ShOull decide at the poles OF = rcpub-
lie. But, here is ii secret sentiment, which
may be SO organized as 10 contradict
public sentiment. Candidate \. may be
native and Protestant, and may con
cur with the community, ii ii bera Know
Nothing community, ou every other sub
, jcct, except that OF pros cribing Catholics
and naturalizcd citizens and candidate
i. may concur with the community
on the subject of this prescription alone,
and upon no other subject; and, vet, the
:, hnOw-Nothjn9s might elect b. by their Sc,
cret sentiment against the public senti-
meut. Thus it attacks not only Amer
ican doctrines of exPauiation, allegiance
and protection, but the equality Of CITIZEN
ship, and the authority of public senti
! mcnt.
In the affair Of Kosz;a, how did our blood
rush to his rescue? Did the Know Moth
ings side with him and Mr.. Marcy, OF
: with IuIseman and Austria? ? If with
hoszta, why? Let them ask themselves
for the rationale, and see ifit can abide
: with their orders. There is no middle
ground in respect 70 naturalization. VIZ
= must either have naturalization laws anC
. let foreigners become citizens, on equa
j terms OF capacities and privoleges or w,
= must exclude thEan altogether. If VI
S Eahoiish naturalization laws. We return Il