The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-08-18

What Gave Rise to the American Party
and What docs It Propose to Do :
AT this late day, it would seem that every
| citizen must be able to answer the above ques
tons; yet there are hundreds and thousands
who can not, and who do not even now cor
rectly understand why the party came into ex.
%istence, or what its members really propose tc
do. This results from the fact that many have
not read for themselves, and have been misin.
formed and misled by the designing and dis
honest.
We therefore propose to answer briefly both
questions in their order and VIZ set out by
stating that the rapid influx Of foreigners into
this country, increasing from 5000 per year in
1900 to upwards of 100000 In 1852, many
Of them paupers and felons-their general
ignorance and illiteracy-their inability to ap-
preciate the laws, liberties and privileges of the
land, and their abuse Of the same by the barter
and sale Of their votes to corrupt and designing
men--the taking possession Of and driving from
the ballot-box American freemen, and the
frauds practiced in procuring naturalization
papers-their disposition to monopolize all the
ofices-their influence in controlling the cleo
tions in many of the cities, counties and States,
and the tendency to denationalize our %institu-
lions, laws, customs and manners, are among
the evils which presented themselves to those
who originated the American movement.
Nearly twenty years have elapsed since these
same evil consequences forced themselves upon
the minds Of a few sagacious and patriotic indi-
vidua]s, with whom originated the old Native
American movement but at that time, such
was the strife between the Wings and Demo-
Gratis, and the tightness with which party lines
were drawn, and such the effort on both sides
to secure the foreign vote, without which, even
in that early day, either party was always de-
feated, that this new party was crushed out and
put down. The death, however, of Clay and
Webster-the overwhelming defeat of Gen.
Scott for the Presidency-the settlement of the
great principles which divided the two parties,
and the disbanding of the Wing party, furnished
an opportunity to the American people of see
ing the corrupting influences which had been
wrought upon our laws, liberties, interests and
characteristics, and the tendency of the same,
by the emptying of the inmates of the prison
houses of Europe upon our shores, and the pour
ing in upon us annually of nearly a half million
Of the vicious, debased and ignorant of the old
world. Hence the origin Of the American
party, whose members seek to correct alone the
influences which they believe are calculated to
subvert our Government and the first move
ment they propose, is a repeal of the n%aturali-
cation laws, whereby all foreigners shall hereafter
be excluded from the elective franchise, or shall
be required to remain long enough in the coun-
try to familiarize them with our laws and in
stitutions before becoming voters, say twenty
one years--to exclude from political offices
hereafter all foreigners, and as q consequence
to eject none to office but native born Ameri-
cans, and have none other to represent our
country's interests at home or abroad and
they only who acknowledge no obligation SUI
perior to that of an oath to support the Con-
s~titution Of the United States.
These are the fundamental principles of the
American party, out of which so much misre-
presentation has been made by that party which
yet seeks the influence of foreigners. Proscrip-
ton Of foreigners, war upon the Catholics,
utilization with the Abolitionists, concealed
principles and secret meetings. are among the
hackneyed charges of the opposition. How far
these charges are true, we leave candid and in
telllgent men who have investigated the matter
to determine for themselves, but to those who
have not, we would remark that the first four
charges are false and groundless, and the secrecy
Of our meetings is nothing more than all polit-
ical or benevolent associations have.
With a candid statement of the reasons and
the causes which have called into existence the
American party, and the objects they seek to
accomplish, we ask how far the opposition are
sustained in the charges they make, and, at the
same time, we appeal to every candid reader
and lover of his country whether, in view of
the facts as stated, it is not his duty to join OR
support and sustain that party which seeks to
purge the councils of the nation of all impuri-
ties, to perpetuate the Union, and to hand
down to posterity u%nsullied that Constitution
under which we have lived and grown to be a
great and prosperous people.
RoBB1NG AND ABscoND1NG.-We regret to