The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-10-11
Interesting Correspondence-Letter O
Hon. John M Clayton


Interesting orrespondence-Letter Q
Hon. John M. Clayton
In July last, Mr.. ID. Rodney King, o
Pa, addressed to the Hon, John NJ
Clayton, of Del. letter, in which, "ol
the part of many citizens deeply impress
ed with the Importance of having all tbt
Offices under the general and state gov
ernments filled with able and intelligent
nen, free from the prejudice and ignor
ance IF our institutions which foreign
birth, education and influence are SO apt
to produce. and also feeling high res
pect for Mr.. Clayton's personal char
actcr. and admiring the ability displayed
by him in conducting the affairs of the
nation, whilst filing station but little
inferior in responsibility to that Of the
President Of the United States HIMSELF
he says he is encouraged to hope, from
some of Mr. Clayton's speeches and votes
in the Senate of the United States, that
he will coincide with then III scnti-
ment," and that hc "will cndeavor to
carry out their views, by consenting to
be their candidate for the highest office
within their gift The more fully to
ascertain his views however, he asks Mr..
Clayton to state whether if elected.
he will pledge himself to exclude from
all civil offices persons who do no. possess
the requisite constitutional qualifications
for filling the Offices Of President and
Vice President Of the United States.
except in the case of foreign diplomatic
or commercial agencies, or otherwise.
where the services of persons possessing
the above mentioned qualifications can
not be commended, without dctriment to
the public Interest,"
The letter concludes as follows
will merely add, that neither myself
nor those for whom act, are in any way
connected with any secret society or or
ganiza;ion, but are simply actuatcd by a
desire to introduce what we consider to
be very salutary and necessary reform
into every department of our govern.
ment. l am, very respectfully, Jour
friend.
.. RODNEY KING.
To this missivc Mr.. CLAYTON makes
tho following clear and able reply
WAsluNcroS. August s, 1854.
d Rodney King, Esq Ms dear Sir
-Protractcd and severe sickness since
the receipt of your letter Of the Sd
ultimo. has prevented me from keeping
up my correspondence. But for this,
your letter would havo received an i'm.
mediate answer. Let me begin then by
replying to your principal question. I
respond to that by declaring frankly
that | never was, am not now. and never
shall be a candidate for the Presidency
| havcsecn enough Of it to form n de-
cidcd opinion that for he there is no po
stion in this country less desirable /
shall be content with the scat in the
Senate of the United States, which the
kind parialty of friends in my native
state has assigned 20 me. Indeed, |
would not exchange it for any other un
der the government.
The year 1856 must decide momcn.
tous issue in this country. Are the A.
morican people prepared to share with
aliens the right of fgoverning this nation
at the ballot box, as soon as those aliens
eau make a declaration of intention
They may, and often do, make such
declaration within u week, or evon day,
after landing on our soil. Again, are
the American people prepared to share
with aliens, every blessing and benefit
conferred upon them as American citi
zcns, and even to give them a share of
the public domainl BY the Nebraska
Bill, Congress has conferred upon them
the right Of voting. md by the Home
stead Bill, which is still pending, and to
be decided upon next winter, they are to
have an cqua! share Of the public do
main, on the same terms with native and
naturalize6 citizens. Again the Amer
lean people must decide whether, other
circumstances being equal, the native cit.
izcn is or is not fairly entitled TO a pref.
crence in the distribution Of honors and
Offices in the country which gave them
birth,
The state of my health will not per.
init mo to discuss these questions in u
letter Our naturalization Jaws are un-
lucstionably defective, or our aims
houses would not now be filled with pau.
pers. OF the l3l 600 paupers in the
United States, 6S000 are foreigners and
66,000 natives. The annals of crime
have swelled as the jails of Europe have
havo poured their contents into the
country. aud the felon convict, reeking
from murder in Europe, or who has
had :hc fortune to escape punishment
for any other crime abroad, easily gains
naturalization here, by spending part
Of five years within the limits of the
United States. Our country has become
a Botany Bay, into which Europe nunu.
ally discharges her criminals of every
description.
l have no prcjudccs against the hon
est foreigners who come here to seek an
asylum from the tyranny of rulers n.
broad. All my sympathIes nro with
them, and when they become naturalized
will defend them, as American citizens,
on all their rights, as fully as those born
on the soil. would inculcatc and prac-
tice religious liberation. in its broadest
sense, but would sea to il that no men
of any sect whose creed teaches them TO
deny religious liberation to me and my
countrymen, should ever hold Office here.
or power Of any kind, to pcrsecate US for
our religious opinions. No man who