Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-03-02

Movement

was taken that the Immigration from other coun-
tries has materially added to the wealth and pros
perity of this, and partisan sought to be
made of the fact says i: does not understand the
object of the American movement II he the pro-
hibtion of immigration. but that it seeks t, IA
fuse into American politics more of American
principles; To give more distinctiseness to the
American name and character 10 prevent abuses
in the naturalization laws, by amending those
laws; Ia stop the abuses of premscanns em
grafton; to prevent the importation int" this
country of foreign paufers and eenrict,. The
American rpformers make no war against heal
thy, honest emigration; but they protest against
making the United States either penal colony.
or a pauper establishments for the of foreign
nations. They believe that republican govern
ment can only be permanently established upon
an educational basis that the more Intelligence
you can bring to bear upon the ballot box and
the least ignorance, the better il will be for thu
country. They regard the elective franchise r.
the palladium Of their liberties that should OK.
press in every election the Intelligent will of the
country; and they believe that this cannot be
done the naturalization laws now ARE, "a there
are 50 many full grown voters coming into the
country every year from foreign lands, who are
wholly ignorant of it, history and the purposes
of its institutions They. therefore. very pro
perly require a longer probation. American
born citizens have Ia reach the age of twenty
years before they vote; in many of the
States they have TO pay taVin addition thereto.
Their children are nurtare1 in our plbhc schools
and other semnaries from their infancy: they are
instructed at the fresle N their duir L. cod and
their country; the spceshr> 4 pur goat states
men arc among their school decanali5ns, they
inhale tie principles q" Frrr Government IN the
very air they breathe; they uulr stand the prn=
ciplcs of Republieansm, and they give an intolli-
gent vote when they 60 10 the polls. l. it. there
fore, right that American Intelligence should be,
al every election day, smothercd UP o. neutral
lied by the foreign element which Is 50 rapidly
accommodating upon our shores and which has
been used year after year by demagogues on the
side aud priest craft on the other, to give the
one office, aud the other secular and ecclesiastical
power!
at i in nnr Judgment. n mere question II po-
licy, Of which il best for the country. the supre
macy of an intelligent American influence in all
our elections. or amxed half aud halt comproni-
sing with ignorance aud superstition. We d.
not mean 70 say that all of the foreign hny voters
are ignorant or superstitiuus nen-far from it.
Many ef the wisest in tho country, OF who
have been in the country FIRST saw the light Of
heaven IN foreign lands. But 1t cannot he denied
that there Is very great ignorance, Isl regard To-
onr institutions existing amonga very large pot
ton of the emigrants who are daily coming 10
these shores. We weula not punish them Tor
their ignorance nor despisc thel for,hrirpnver-
~; but We would protect the ballot box n it, pu-
rity and make it what 1t was intended 10 be
the exponent of the Intelligent AMERICAS VII.
This view at the case We believe L. hr Ito ON.
which now prevails in this country. II l. noi
confined formative born citizens; il is utmost the
universal sentiment among intelligent men with
out distinction Of birth rpositon. It's strong he-
4. - - I. al.
of prejudice and bigotry. but Of sense aud pntr.
otsm. 1t is opposed, chiefly, by ncn who have
hitherto regarded the foreign voters a. merchants
do their deposits in bank, to be checked upon when
needed, hut who are beginning 10 ind TINT they
have overdrawn their accounts.
1.-The American sentiment hats extended from
The shores of the Atlantic L. the Pacific. We
read of its triumph in the States of Mas saehuSetts
and California, aud in every state Of the niou,
and it will increase in volume and IN power he
cause il is founded IN justice, and hceuuso the
best interests of our country demand It's supre-
macy. II is an element of peace, prosperity
and nationality; not of oppression, excluslvcness
or blgotry,
The New York journal of Commerce also HAS
an able and impressive article on the subject of
immigration and naturalization, portion Of
which we transfer to our columns ~ worth being
perused by American citizens of all parties and
conditions, wings and democrats, native for
eign born. After giving statistics which show
that the arrival OF foreigners in this country had
up from 7O,o00 in ten years,at the beginning
Of this century. 10 l,Ils,s04 in three years and
three months since 1850, the Journal of Com
merce proceeds 10 remark
BY far the greatest body of these immigrants
have grown mp with the impression that objects
of cherished political aspiration must be obtained
by violence aud they fathom with difficulty, even
after a long residence in this country. the acqui-
escence of the minority in the will of the MAORI
ty. The number of immigrants who ara fitted
to participate in elections, after SO short resi-
dence in the United States as the present laws
provide is small compared with the great mass
who are almost wholly blind Il the nature of their
new civil and political relations
Americans who w.ta,ss - tGe poll, rom year
to year, the shameful spectacle ot htirr /, drum
ken, raypg alens deciding indrore, OF tepnties,
hundreds. thousands lae fate of elections, woull
not, however place the responsibility aud the re
probation whore il belongs, if they were to attri-
butte to them alone the evil and disorder they ere,
ate. They land on our shores with all their igno-
rance and superstition, corruption and inhdelity,
deserving pity rather than censuro. and demand
welcome, hospitality, patience, education for THEN
children, and home and support in the vast un-
explored regions with which nature has provided
us so beautifully. These it is our duty to bestow.
Instead of this they are seized upon by prohigato
dsmagogues, taught to consider themselves an
army of political invaders, enlisted either in in
fdel clubs,or under the banners of ambitious pre-
lates and willy priesthond and formed into II
vast floating condottieri between parties and can