Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-06-02
10 THE CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON

political organization, the tendency Of which.
If not 80 designed, is 10 rend society asunder
by exciting contention and strife between the
native aud naturaiized citizen-the Catholic !
and the Protestant. This Organization is usu-
ally denominated the Know Nothings, and il
Is not denied that their object is prOsey1ptToMl
OF the Catholic and naturalized citizen to /
treat them as if they were aliens and enemies I
among us not TO suffer them to participate in |
the management of our Corporation. nsr to
allow them to hold any Office, however hum
6ies uneef the state or General Governments,
Il IN tnelr povertc prevent it. Such a course |
OF policy, II seems 10 me, would not ouIy he
unwise, but in contempt of the DerIa,ot;b, ofl
our Independence, and a bold defiance Of the
Constitution. One Of the causes proclaimed |
by our forefathers for separation from tbe
mother country was /" obstruc ing the laws for
naturalization Of foreigners, and the Consti. |
tuition Of the United States gives to Congress +
the "power to establish a uniform system /
Of naturalization That sacred instrument |
also expressly prohibits Congress from making |
any law respecting an establishment of re- |
Iigion or proh biting the free exercise thereof " |
Those whe made the Constitution had felt the
iron heel of oppression They knew that re-
Iigious persecution had driven the advoc ties
for the rights Of conscience from their native
land and the comforts of home, from kindred
and friends, to seek an asylum in this western
where they could worship God as they pleased.
without restraint or compulsion. The trainers
of the Constitution studied to provide against
all The evils that had been complained of. and
to secure all the means Of happiness, present
and prospective, that were adapted to our
country. The result of their labors was our
noble Constitution, which has stood the test
of human scrutiny and of time, and is now
| universally regarded as the model frame for
all republican forms OF government. 1t estab-
| fishes civil and religious liberty, and throws
wide open our arms to receive the prosecuted
| aud oppressed of the whole human family. The
proudest boast of our country has ever been
| that it is the asylum fer the oppressed of all
| nations and that to every man is secured the
inviolable right of worshipping God according
to his own convictions What American eli
zen native or naturalized, would not droop his
head in shame if the Constitution were amend
| ed so as to prohibit naturalization and extin-
guish religious freedom? | feel well assured
that the great mass of my cOuntrymen are ali
| right in reference to this matter. They ap-
preciate too highly the blessings resulting from
| palpable violation of its spirit or letter
| If by possibility the - Know Nothings,''
who are alleged to be banded together for the
| ssr0rn purpose of prescribing our Catholic and
naturaliZed fellow citizens, should succeed in
electing their candidates, can it be expected
| that they would harmonic with the authori-
ties of the General Government? How could
my lord Mayor, the representatives of the
| 90 Know NOthings." approach for some favor
| to our city the Chief Magistrate Of the country
who is sworn to support the Constitution, which
he and his friends had violated in spirit, If
not in letter, by prescribing a class Of our
fellow citizens (among whom is one of his own
Cabnet) for their religious opinion and for
the accidental circumstances of their birth
place having been in another instead Of this
country Could he go to the gallant and
gencrous-hearted Shields, of the Senate an
| Irishmsn by birth, and ask him to continue
his able and jealous report Of measures vitality
affecting the interests of the city, Would he
| venture to make q similar application to the
eloquent Chandler. of the House of Represen-
tatives, Roman Catholic in his religious
faith, whom We number among the bes friends
of our city, But his embarrassments with
the Government functionaries would be but
slight injury to our interests in comparison
/ with that deep determined feeling of resent
ment which would be kindled up throughout
the country among Catholic and natu rallied
citizens against our city, for an attempt to
deprive them of their just constitutional rights
and degrade them in the scale of citizensh hip
Of all places this city should be the very last
to enterta in narrow minded and prose riptiye
prejudice against Catholic and naturalized
citizens. Apart from the consideration that it
may react upon us through Congress, there
are associations with reference to that class of
our fellow citizens i'm the past history of tho
metropolis tina, should forbid the existence Of
any such state of feeling Among the original
proprietors of the soil were Motley Young and
Daniel Carroll, two gentlemen Of tho Rom an
Catholic faith, who periodically gave to the
Government one half of their land within the
city limits to enable it to erect public build
ings, open avenues, and provide such other
conveniences as are usual and necessary in a
city. The very ground on which the Capitol
stands belonged TO one Of those gentlemen
Pierre c. L Enfant, Frenchman, under the
direction of Gen. Washington, planned this
city. DIR. VIM. Thornton, the author of the
plan of the Capitol, was born a British subject
and SO were George Hadfeld, the frst archi-
tee. of that building and James Hoban the
architect of the President House Washing
| ton and his compatriots had no unworthy pre-
judice against man because of his religion
or place Of nativity. In making appointments
10 office they looked exclusively to oualifica-
tons and character, which should be, at all
times and under all circumstances the only
passports to public employment
| Alexander Hamilton, Albert Gallatin, and
Alexander J. Dallas, all of foreign birth, eac b
neid the responsible position of Secretary of
Treasury respectively under the Adminslra-
tons of Washington Jefferson, and Madison
Lad the selfish, illiberal, and anti-American
spirit of know-Nothing. sm preVaiie in those
days. it would have been clamorous for the ex-
pulsion Of those patriotic founders O.. the Re-
public from the chair Of State, for heir want
of love of country in appreciating the abilities
of citizens OF foreign birth, and appointing
them to situations where the Government could
derive the benefit of their services
copjure my fellow citizens not t. lend any
favor or cOuntenance to this factious move
mem. 1t was the spirit engendered by it th at
put the torch to the Ursuline Convent at Bos
ton, and unfeeliRgly turned women and chill
dren out Of house and home in the darkness of
midnight, The same spirit burnt the churches
in Philadelphia, and was the occasion of ciyi.
strife, kloodshed, and death in that hitherto
quiet and peaceable city. We should take
warming from the past, and not permit our
selves to be involved in any faction which
contenplates war upon the rights, civil OF
religious, of any Of our fellow citizens of what
ever sect and wherever born We have seen
| he consequences in other cities and we should
beware lest they fail upon ours. The copfia-
grafton of a church, the death of single
citizen. resulting from the fanatic spirit of
| Know Nothism, would be such stigma upon
the metropolis Of the nation and the glorious
name it bears that the whole country would
turn from it with feelings Of inexpressible and
unappeasable disgust
doubtless number Of worthy citizens have
Joined the "knew-Nothings' without due or
even any consideration, being attracted by It's
novelty. To all such would earnestly sug-