Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-04-23
The Privileses OF Aliens

The Privileges of Aliens.
For the purpose of correcting mlsapprohon-
sions which we know to exist III the minds ~
SOME persons, us TO the true operation and effect
of the American policy, in It's application to for
cigners, we quote from the Code of Virginia, tho
statutes relating 10 Aliens and defining the priv
lcges to which they are entitled under our laws.
T. l99, Title b. chap Is, 5 |, Any nlicn
being free white pcr,on,and not an enemy, who
shall before some court of record of this Stote
declare on oath that he intends to continue to re-
side therein, upon such declaration being entered
of record, if he be actually resident therein,
may inherit or purchase, and hold real estate AS
il he were u citizen OF this State.
81. Any such alien may convey or devise any
rra estate go held by him. and if he die intestac,
it shall descend To his heirs, md any such ali
ence deyisee heir, ,chefher citizen or an dien,
NAV take under such alienation, devise, or de-
scent, provided he shnll, if an alien, come or DO
in this State within five years after the alienation,
devise or descent, and before some court of re-
cord thereof declare oath TINT he intends to
reside therein.
,. If any alien being free white person,
having purchased, or contracted to purchase my
real estate, or holding or hevng tito thereto,
shall, before tho same is escheated by an Office
found. become citizen of tho United states,
or sell or devise the same or die seized or pos
sessed thereof before any proceedings instituted
for the purpose of escheaing the same, such per
son, himself in tho first case, and IN the second,
the purchaser, lessee, heir or deysee from him, if
n citizen Of the l.. States, shall hold the same
free and released from any right or claim of the
commonwealth the literary fund, by reason of
such person having been an alien.
4. Any woman. whose husband is citizen
of the United States, ind any person whose
father or mother at the time of the birth
citizen thereof, may take and hold estate, renl or
personal, by devise. purchase or critancc,not-
wiihstanding be or she may have been born out
of the United States.
;. Any alien the subject of friendly State,
may take and hold any personal property, except
chatteIs real, and any such alien being such sub
ject, if he reside within this State may take and
hold lands for the purpose of residence. or of
cupation by him or his servants, or for the pur-
pose of any business trade or manufacture, Tor
a term of years not exceeding twenty one years.
An alien taking and holding under this section
shall tnko aud hold fully and eifectually, and
with the Same rights remedies, exemptions,
privileges and capacities az if he were "A natural
horn citizen of the United States, srcept that he
shall not hare the night 10 rote at elections.
The effect of thcsc provisions is briefly this,
that any alien resident in Virginia, who shall, by
his oath in n court of record, give assurance
e a.. L.,
has all the rights of person and property, enjoy
ed by the ndiire naurulized citizen, except that
of suffrage. Any extension, therefore, of the
term of probation now required would be no de-
pryaton of any right or privilege now granted
to aiiens-but only postponcment Of the time
when they are permitted to take part in the affairs
of government. Naturalized citizens and for
ciguers who have already landed upon our shores
cannot object to this, because il ,cW not apply to
them, Tho citizens and subjects of foreign coun-
tries cannot object to it, because they have the
choice of not coming to his country at all Ma
tive born Americans cannot object toit, because
tho effect of the proposed change is only 10 quail
ifv foreigners better for the exercise of the re
sronsible privilege of suffrage, and test their
merit and increase their competency before they
are placed upon equal footing with those who are
born on the soil of the country, and reared under
its auspices and institutions. Where, then, is
the hardship of the proposed change What hu.
man being will be aggrieved by it What rea-
son is there in the olamor raised by the Anti
American party against it What justification
can they plead for their inaammatory appeals to
foreigners, and for the baseess pretension that
this movement will operate oppressivey and in
sultingly upon them! We deny ourselves the
right to vote, until we have lived beneath the laws
of the country twenty-one years; shall we re-
quire less probation of those who drank in a
sense of obedience TO kings and emperors with
their mothers milk, whose minds have never been
enlightened and liberalized by the generous teach
ings of protestant and republican precepts and
principles, and whose moral natures are mbued
with the abject sentiments of slaves. or the wild
| Righteousness of Red Republicans We leave
it to the calm judgment of thinking people to
! determine.
1.-THE proceeding by which iands sschested the
| Common wealth.
The Washington Sentinel has most doorous
article upon the progress and triumphs Of ''Sam."
| The editor certainly has the blues. He says