Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-04-25


may all be bestowed upon the alien by
Shs State authorities, without regard being
had to the naturalization laws. The
power to refuse residence to the immigrant
population appropriately belongs to The
State governments. The power Of the
Federal Government to sxpel any proper.
ton of the alien population, whose resi-
dSnce is permitted by the State Govern
nlent. was indignantly repealed By the
Republican party in 1898. The celebra-
ted alien Law provided for the expulsion
Of a portion Of the residents aliens. Both
Virginia and Kentucky denounced the
Law as an unconstitutional usurpat;on.-
In the address to the people of Virginia
accompanying the resolutions Of 1898, it
is emphaticslly declared that there is
nothing in the Constitution distinguishing
between the power Of State to permit
the residence Of natives and aliens. tits.
therefore, q right originally possessed and
never surrendered BY the respective States
and which is rendered dear and valuable
TO Virginia, because it is assaiIed through
the bosom Of the Constitution, and be.
cause her peculiar situation renders the
easy admission Of artizans aRd laborers
an interest Of vast Importance to her,
The fourth Kentucky Resolution Of 1898
---drAWn by Mr.. JeGerson-asser!s "that
alien friends are under the jurisdiction
And protection Of the laws OF the State
wherein they are that no power over
them has been delegated to the United
States. nor prohibited to the indiVid-
ual States. distinct from their power over
citizens" Mr.. Madison's Report Of 1899
maintains similar positions, 1t is pre-
,sumed that this exposition Of the Consti-
tuIiOnal powers of the State and Federal
Governments, over this subject, will not
be questioned in Virginia at this day
Each State has the exclusive right to de-
termine for itself. to what extent the resi-
dencs Of alien immigrants in its limits
shall be permitted. The Governments Of
the respective States alone have the right
to refuse residence TO snch Of the immi-
grant population as may be considered
Objectionable by them. While some OF
the advocates OF a latitudinarian construc-
ton Of the Federal authority contend that
the power of the States over the admission
Of aliens is limited, in certain respects, by
the power OF the General Government 10
regulate commerce, the absolute power OF
the States to exclude alien paup0rs and
convicts is universally conceded. The
power 10 permit or refuse resilen,e TO
Questionable aliens belonging thus APP
propriately to the States. the subject is
beyond the control Of tho Federal Gov
eminent, and affords no legitimate 0bjec!
for the organization Of Il national party.
The right TO acquire and hold real
tate. and the ght Of suffrage. are equally
subject to State authority. The powers
ofths States over those subjects have been
too often exercised and too generally al
mitted to need any discussion at this time
Probably AL the States permit resident
aliens to acquire and hold real estate pri-
or to naturalization, Virginia certainly
does. Some OF the States sonfer the right
Of suffrage upol aliens who have declared
their intention to become citizens, while
others require them to be fully naturalizs d
before they are allowed to vote. The
whole subject Of suffrage is exclusively
regulated by the State constitutions. 1t
may be confined to native-born citizens,
OF. it may be extended to all resident
aliens. at the sole discretion of the State
sovereigntieS. The naturalization laws.
affect the subject only so far as the S ate
constitutions may direct. II is wholly i'm
practicable for the Federal Government to
control the right of suffrage through any
laws which it could enact.
Those who seek te curtaIl the privileges
enjoyed by the immigrant population, can
accomplish no essential object through
the Sgvncy Of The Federal Government
So long as the alien enjoys. under the
State government. the right Of residence
the right Of suffrage, he can experience
but little Inconvenience from the want oil
the fe" additional; privileges which full
and formal citizenship would confer
The only appropriate theatre for the ope.
raIions OF n party, organized to effect the
proIessed objects OF Know Nothingism. is
to be found in the States where the immi
grant population aboundS, and where the
RlIedged evils of Foreignism may exist
Those evils are essentially local, and can
be properly remedied only by The local
authorities. They afford the appropriate
subject for municipal aud police regula.
tiOns. Five-aixths Of the foreign born pc
pulation of the United States are resident
in the non-slaveholding states, and even
there nearly one-half Of it is accumulated
in the sities. The whole of this popula.
lion in the United States numbers g, 224,
648. OF that number, only 43, 53l arc in
the Southern States, with u native pupu.
lHtioa Of 2. 342. 1855, and lO5. 1876 in the
Southwestern States, with a native white
population of 1913. 53I. A considerable
proportion Of this class Of our population
in the slaveholding, as in the non-slave-
holding States. are eougregated in the CT
ties. These facts strongly display how
singularly local must be the alleged evils
of forsiSnism. A full investigation, per-
maps. might show that the real evils iii
such there ART are confined to the cities.
which. according to the census returns.
contain nearly one half Of all the foraipn-