Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1854-12-06
Mr.. CIaytun's Letter.

general concurrence IN the purposes OF the A
) merican party. So far as they coIhside with
J the opinions we have heretofore expressed, we
{ cannot forbear to reterate sentiments, which
i are so we'll stated:
COMPENDIUM OF PRINCIPLES
| have said that never was member o.
the Native American party in this country. and
that am not and never have been a member
of the Know n othing Society or any other Sc.
) cret society. Opposed to all prescription Of
men for the sake of their religions opinions, !
have freely avowed my determination not to
support for public Office, any man who shoud
evince a determination to deny to others the
right to worship God according to the dictates
their own conciences; and referring 20 for.
eigners who have never been naturalzedI have
repeatedly said that before their naturalization,
they should not be permitted 10 govern this
country by their votes They do not announce
their allegiance to the Princes or Potentates of
their native country when declaring their inten-
ton, nor at any time until they are naturalized
in obedience to the act of Congress To re.
ceive their votes on a mere declaration of in
tention. is in no degree less objectionable than
it wosld he to receive them in Ireland or Ger.
MANY, for thew are still hound nv their alleqi.
ance to the So vereign of their native countries.
Mr.. CLAYTON would not absolutely exclude
foreigners from office, but would when their
qualifications are far superior to natives, pre-
fer them.
| concur also in the sentiments expressed nv
Gen. WASHINGTON, that at is contrary to the
policy OF this Government to appoint foreigners
to Office to heexclnsion of native born citizens"
| do not mean bv this that foreigner shnnld
never he appointed to office. I mean that
other circumstances being equal, the American
ouqht to he preferred, and that was the opinion
! of WASHINGTON. But there are many foreign.
ers in this country for whom would not hest
tate to votes and to illustrate my meaning 7
| now take leave to say that MS the Senatorial
! term of JAMES SHIELDS of Illinois. is about to
expire, if 7 had hundred votes to cast in the
election ofthe Senator Of that State, | wouIi
throw them all for JAMES SHIELDS. such is nv
opinion of that man. But if another JAMES
SHIELDS, equally wnrihv, patriotic and able,
were to present himself rs his opponent, born
in American on the soil here, l would prefer
him 10 the foreigner though naturaliznd citi
zen If anv man differs from that opinion he
is at perfect liberty to do so, but do not envy
him in his claims to true American and pairi
otto feelings. | shall not enlarge upon this
suhipct, for nv sentiments lave before been
publicly expressed
Limitation upon Foreign Suffrage.
Iopposed their right of suffrage in 1895 IN
the Senate of the United States. in conjunction
with all other Wing members of that body. ]
made the motion to strike the alien clauSe out
of the Constitution of MICHIGAN. Joined with
Mr.. CALHOUN in opposing the alien clause in
the ComnromiSe hill of IS49. But We were
comneled to su limit to the will of the majority,
who opposed us and overrulpd MS. No great
COMPROMISE made without a sacrifice |
on the part Of those who made it. The Con !
stituton itself which was a Compromise. was
one in reference to which it was often truly said,
that there was not member of the Convention
that framed it. who had not stronq objections to
some parts Of it. On this principal it was that !
Mr.. CALHOUN and myself, as have heretofore
publicly evnlained in nv place in the Senate.
voted for the Compromise of lSi9,whIe strong
" PROTESTING AGAINST this Who'll, alien clause. /
which still honed in some way to exclude |
from the bill before it should become a law
As chairman uf rhp C-ammiuse on The Judiciary |
in the Senate, reported the first law which
established Territorial Government over Wis
cnnsin cnmnosed of I'll territories nf the present \
States of Iowa and Wisconsin. In that care
fully protected the rights Of American citizen
ship, AMI excluded the suffrarps Of foreigners,
without naturalization. Last winter 7 moved |
to strike the alien clauSe out Of the Nebraska
Hill. Int unsnccossrully. and foreigners nv that
bill are allowed to vote in the Territories with
out naturalization. Foreigners have also been
allwpd tn vote without naturalization in the
States Of Illinois. Wisconsin and Michigan. as
well aG in several of the Territories besides Kan
sas and Nebraska. ] cannot now, without an
utter sacrifice Of principle. devae from the
doctrine that none hut American citizens shonld
enjoy the right of suffrage. / cannot and/will
not. at nv period of life. hoping and wishing
nothing from any political party. and fearing
none. depart from n principle which has GOV
erned me ever since / entered public life
When we were Defeated on this question in
1896, ] took nv hat nd loft the Senate in dis
gust. and every Wing in that chamber followed
me. all of ms considering that the Constitution
had been trampled under foot by the party op,
posed to us.
Mr. CLAYTON argues that the American can
not he a sectional party. 1t condemns a for
nation of a sectional party on the question of
slavery.
A party formed on these principles must
necessarily he thoroughly national, and not
sectional in its character. 1t can have no re-
OCraphlca' divisions. No parallel Of latitude
or longitude can divide it into diScordant frag
ments TO form the elements of future separa-
ton and civil war Ignoring the Slavery ones
ton as a proper element of party organizlt ion,
and as utterly unified for partv combinations, it
would refuse to test the suitableness of any men
for public Office, but the question whether he
was for or AGAINST the mere extention of Slave
~ in some Territory of the United States, al
ways content TO leave that as well as every
other domestic question. to the people of that
Territory, who alone ought to have the right to
decide II. as soon as sufficient members have
settled there to form a respectable common
wealth. Non Intervention is the principle now
professed nv the Democratic party itself, but it
is not the principle on which they have acted
Their practice and their profession have never
agreed on this subject. True non Intervention
would have left the peope of Nebraska and
Kansas, after a suitable number of people had
emigrated to those Territories, to have elected
their own Governor, as well as their Legisla-
ture, and would have left the question of slavery
in the meantime-that is The question whether,
under the Constitution and existing laws and
Treaties. a Shareholder could safely carry his
Slaves to those territories us question to he
decided solely by the Courts of the United
States. and not by a Legislature elected only by