Washington telegraph., 1854-10-25
Letter from John NJ. Clayton.


r, allowing letter from the Hon JoHN M.
Ton to D. Rooney KING, Esq, we find IN
Philadelphia Inqu1rer of Tuesday As the
Ersneaks fof Itself. we shall OFFER no comments
,rsry body will read it:
WAsuIxGroN, Aug. sth, 1874.
u Rodney KJNG, ESQ
y n, Rsa- SIR Protractcd and severe sickness
20 t6e receipt of your letter OF the 3d ulilmo,
s..,rsvented me from keeping up my cores
DSt,9,e. But for this yogr letter would have
s"G;.sI an immediate answer. Let me begin
r.. bv replying to your principal question.
',.-,ri to that by declaring frankly, that never
I'! am not now. and never shall be, candidate
H1ba Presidency. | have seen enough of it TO
nun decided opinion, that for me, there is no
"' ton less desirable | shall be content with a
Fst in the Senate cf the United StateS which the
s..I nartality OF friends in my native State have
A.[ med to me- Indeed, | would not exchange it
- :. 9ny under the government.
q,ba wear 1886 must decide a momentous issue
- t5is country. Are the American people pre-
D.,@I 70 share with aliens the right OF governing
Es nation. at the ballot box, as soon as these al
.os ran make a declaration of intention? They
Ia o,, and often do make such declaration. with
!, :; week. or even a day, after landing on our
.,S Again. are the American people prepared
:, sbare. with aliens, every blessing and benefit
srred upon them as American citizens. and
,.sp 10 give them share of the public domain?
~ r-Ae Nebraska bill. Congress has conferred up
=! Them the right of voting, and by the Home
,.s,i Bill, which is still pending, and to be decd
! mon next winter, they are to have an equal
hare of the public domain, on the same terms
nth native and naturaEized citizens. Again, the
ynprican people must decide whether, other CIR
instances being equal, the native citizen is or is
MT fairly entitled to preference il the distribu
4or Of honors and Offices in the country which
ave him bTtn- - -,
rs,uss these questions in a letter. Our naturali-
-,+ion laws are unqueStonably defective, or cur
.Iosbonses would not now be filled with paupers
ftbe 1914 .00O paupers in the United States, S.
07a ale foreigners and 66,000 natives. The an
nails of crime have swelled as the iais of Europe
have poured their contents into the country, and
tbe bton convict, reeking from murder in Eu-
r,De or who has had the fortune to escape punish
maut for any other crime abroad, easily gains ma
Inhalation here, by spending part Of five years
within the limits OF the United States Our coun-
+rv has become Botany Bay, into which Europe
annually discharges her criminals of every des-
crpton.
have no preiudices against the honest foreign
er who comes here TO seek an asylum from the
tyranny OF rulers abroad. All my sympathies are
with them, and when they become naturallzed,
wldeend them, as American citizens, in all their
4r!fs. as fully as those born on the soil. would
ncuIcate and practice religious tole ration in its
broadest sense, but would see to it that no III en-
ofanT sect, whose creed teaches them to deny
religions liberation to me and my countrymen.
shoad ever hold office here. or power of any kind
10 opersecute us tor our religious opinions. No
man who acknowledges allegiance to any foreign
roteatate or power, or who holds himself under
obligations to obey the edicts of any such poten-
tate or power, shall be by my vote placed IN any
post or office under the American government. |
would defend the right of men of all religions to
the full extent to which those rights are guaran-
tael by the American Constitution But while |
would advise every American citizen to defend
the religious rights of all Others, even at the haz-
ard of his life, l would at the same time advise
him to peril his life not less freely in defence of
lis own.
DO not undertake to enter into the subject how
far foreigners. who are not naturaiiZed In this
country. should be permitted to hold office You
will find that you can lay down no general rule
upon tlis subject. to which there viii not neces-
aniy be exceptions. 1t is Sufficient for nv par
pose, standing as | do without the power. and
without the wish to have the power. to confer of
ices upon others, to say, that in nay judgment, a
native American citizen, under equal circumSfan-
ces OF qualifications and merit. is better entitled to
the h0noTs and Offices of the country than for
egner. whether naturaiiZed or not And now.
seeking, no office from YOU or your friends OF any
5o5y else. have the honor to subscribe myself,
very sincerely and respectfully. vour friend
JOHN VI. CLAYTON.
D. RODNEY KING, Esq, phiadephia.