Washington telegraph., 1855-08-22
Hon. John J. Crittenden


The Frankfort tKy-l Commonwealth c;vos ~.
substance oia great speech In favor ., ~ me
lcan party delivered by Mr. Crit,ende, =, g..
place on the 9th inst. We lake the f.,,iau.;n,.
extract: 'o' ing
In ITS origin the American order was small oh
Se"ie d'ii weak, out scarcely did a summer clo,d
aiise and oveTSpTead the sky more rsi,idlv ,b
II osersIiEead tie whole country. /. was ,,,aN.
remarkable pnenomenon-the history of nart;es
shoWet. nothing ike IT. It proved that the NH
nc uiini had every where been drawn to tn. -o,
temptation of common Danger and that r,st
volume OF American feeling had acc,rnp,ate, IN
the popular heart and needed only tn. eIec,-;
tnUch which the new order gave To L,rs+ ,a.tt :;
tremendous explosion. OF that eynIos;on the
american party was generated
MI T. demonstrated tie necessity for the Am
erigan patty to DO what the old parties-efiete
aif, id'iiiiS 70 pieces as they were-would not
ana could not do. He paid glowing and inst
tribute to the material of the American na rtv~s
party whicn had sprung from humble pris ate cit
iZens; not from politicians and the members of
Whlcn were ali native sons of the soi!-men born
IN the land who had had here the homes OF their
Childhood and the graves oi their fathers-whose
love of their country was in5ori, pure and strong
and IN whose hands. if anywhere the destiny of
the country would be safe
MI T. then took up the slavery question and
demanded what more any man-even the most
uitra pTo-siayeTy man-couid ask. than the posi-
could be more national, more safe, more peace
inlf There is TO be no more action on the SUBJ
Ject IN congress: the people of the slave States
are permitted TO go into any OF the Territories
with their slaves. and when the Territory is ready
Tor admission State. she is TO come into the
Union with or without slavery. as her own people
may determine. The charge of Free-Soi ism or
AboiItioHIsm made against the party in the iace
OF such platform. established faLsetooH and
neiincr deserved nor required any argurnent to be
used against IL.
Upon the Catholic question, Mr.. c. declared
that he was utterly hostile to i'm posing anv pen
altles prescription disability upon any man on
account OF his religion. He had. farther the full
lest confidence IN our native Catholics He ielt
sure they acknowledged no allegiance TO the Pope
that was superior to their country or equal TO IL
But there Were men. accredited teachers in IN.
church as Mr. Brownson, for example who
taught that Catholics did owe supreme allegiance
to the Pope IN things temporal as well as reIig-
io'is. ana while be would trust native Kentuc
to reputIate such doctrines, he could not saw IS
much Tor the European Catholics who were COM
Ing here IN such immense numbers UDon this
whole Catholic aspect of the question the Dosi-
ton OF the American party was simply this: They
wouid not vote for any man who acknowledged
divided allegiance between his country and anv
foreign power civil or ecclesiasticaI or who ac-
know ledge any aliegian ance TO such power st-
peTiOT 10 his allegiance to his country Beyond
this he would not CO. nor did the order reorirs
any body 10 90 beyond it. He was not bound to
refuse to vote for native Catholic Tor Office un-
less ne knew had reason to believe that he held
TO such foreign allegiance. Who could say
there was any prescription in th>a
Mr. C. next passed to the subject of reform o {
the naturalization laws. He showed the immense
increase oi Immigration; that as many had arriv-
ed recently IN oDe year. came in the whole of
the hT>t thirty years OF OuT national existence and
that the present rate was enough to ill I'D State
p1pulOus Kentucky every Two wears He
showe,. the; had already passed he yona the
limits OF cUr ability t. asSimuiate and Americanize
them as they came; that they were now accurnu-
lating IN groups. and clans and counties and al
most States-perpetUailng their foreign ha bits
anI language and pre,udices. and that thus the
process o: AInericanizing them, which was ex-
pected to he accomplished in FIVE years was no.
even commenced They had already come at
the rate o! klli a million in year: at the same
rate at increase they would soon come by millions:
and he impressed it upon his audience with an
eiO9re1ce and power OF argument which we can
not describe. tina: uess the present rapid process
OF con'erring citizenship upon these immigrants
was arrested The sons of the soil would soon be
the r,ts1 and not the r,t!ers in their oyy land and
the glorIoaIs trust OF empire and freedom which
we had received from fathers and our God
would pass into the hands OF those who know not
how TO administer it. Upon this subject MI c.
was especially eloquent and powerful but " ant OF
room compe!s uis to break of even this imperfect
sketch o! his remarks.