Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-05-03

S,nrens Sunsror District or Cirent Court OF some OF
the stes of the Territories horh-west or s9un y s
river Ohio or circuit or district court OF me United
Ste three years least before his admission ws
5oaa fde his Intention to become ctzen OF me Uaieo
States aud 10 renonn;e forever al SIZE ar soyereenty
TO any foreign prince, potentnte stare OF so'
whaey err particularly the prince potentae STATE or
soveregLty whereof such alien may a. tne time &c GU
zen or sub ec SecondHe shall at the time Oh MS app
cation 10 hs admitted declare on OATH affirmation, be-
fore of the aforesaid ihat ne MSS
within The United States five years a. iea anu mr hs e
State or Territory where such court IS al Tue ie neid
one year al least that he will support the o.
the United States and that he doth aosoueiy anu ehey
forecn nrnce poentate State sovereignty whatever
and particularly by name the prince po.sne oa, VI
sovereignty whereof he before cl.en or suolect
which proceedings shall be recorded py ne CLERK u ne
conr Thrdihe court admitting such aliens shall be
satisfied that he has resided within the hns ana unoer
the jurisdiction OF the United states nse aud :. saa
further appear their satisfaction ihat curing INA uhe
he has behaved as nan good moral character ched
to the principles of the Constitution OF tne United States
and well disposed the good order ana happiness 'ne
same"
A very large proportion of the foreigners who
| were in the country during the continuance OF
| these two laws and large proportion OF those
who were emgrating and fleeing from oppression
in the Old world were naturally inclined to side with
the liberal or democratic party IN THIS country,
and against the Federal They were naturally IN
clined from the extreme oppression and rigor they
had experencedin their own country under kingly
and aristocratc forms OF government to favor that
party in this country which believed the people
| were capable of selceovernment and the true
source of all political power. Hence the Federal
party, which was headed by the elder Adams, con-
ceived the idea or policy OF proonging the time OF
naturalizing foreigners, which pohey resulted IN
the passage of law approved June the 18th, 1898,
by John Adams, extending the time to fourteen
wears. and also an act concerning aliens, approved
June 25tb. l79S which act conferred the power
on the President to remove all alien persons,
whom he might have reasonable ground to sus-
pect &c. from beyond the limits of any State
and thereby interfering with the rights and priyi-
| Iepes conferred by the State authorities upon
their own citizens, which gave rise to the adop-
ton of the Virginia resolutions of 1889 These
acts were denominated at the time the alien laws,
and their passage contributed in part to making
that one OF the memorable epochs of our coun-
, try's hi tory. The Republican party, headed by
Mr.. Jeffessou, came into power on the 4th Of
March, 1901 /; the people having repudiated the
elder Adams and all the Federal measures Of his
administration.
On the Nth Of April 1902 the democratic party
!, being in power, passed an act, repeating tAe act
. which had been passed under the elder Adamss ed
ministration, thereby restoring the act which had
been approved by Gen. Washington, which is as
above quoted.
, Gov. JOHNSON said, that the policy of the Fedora
psrty in reference to foreigners revived and
affirmed in the secret reasonable Hartford Conrsn
ton. which was assembled during the darkest Pc
Rod of the war between the United States and
. | Great Britain. In the sixth resolution adopted by
: that convention they most solemnly resolved:
"That no person who shall hereafter be q nauralzst
citizen Of STATES shall be eligible as amembe
States be capable of holding any civil office under the
= authority of the United States.
> In this resolution we see the policy of the Fed
eral party Swallowed forth and re affirmed
U The proposition now advocated by Federalism il
. its new guise is nothing more nor less than re
q turn to the alien law passed under the elder Adams
administration and the resolution Of the Hartford
o convention, with an extension of the time from
3 fourteen to twenty-one years as the probation
il through which foreigner must pass before he cal
o become a citizen of the United States.
!. Gov JOHNSON then said, this brings up to thu
i naked proposition Of extending the time from five
v to twenty .one years, the period Of time fixed by
il Washington, and to which it was restored by JEFF
n ferson. He said that he entertained very grea
doubts to the propriety of changing the law ma
# teriay from Whist it now stands. The length o
d time which was required by our naturalization law
% did not seem 10 him to be the most important re
q quisite to fit foreigner qualify him to become
IA citizen of the United States. foreigner mi gh
o come and remain here twenty-one years, and still
be wholly disqualified to enjoy the privileges thai
pertain to the citizens of the United States. He
:, might be man Of bad character and unfrendly tC
! the principles contained in the constitution and &c
r the wel-dong and good order and happiness of the
b same He said that it was not time that qualified
Q the foreigner in principle; 1t was upon the ascer
tannent OF two great facts: which facts were tc
i be made satisfactorily to appear to the court be-
fore whom application is made for the certificate
h naturalization. He asked what were these great
facts? they are distinctly and explicitly set forth il
# the section Of the law he had before referred to
$ and in this connection he again invited particular
o attention to them They are;
The court admitting such alien shall be satisfied tha
he has resided within the limits and under The jurisdiction
of the United States five years. and shall further appeal
their satisfaction that during that time dths hos tar
ed as a of good moral character attached to tie grin
cips of the Constitution Of the United States and reH DIS
posed TO the good order end happiness Of the same.
Gov Johnson said be was very strongly impress
ed With the opinion that as the law now stood, /
properly enforced by the courts OF the country ne
Y foreigner could become citizen OF the United
States but those that ought to become such. Tht
latter part of the clause contains the great iacl
: which are necessary to constitute an, native o.
I. foreign born good citizen of the United states
! Has he good moral character? Is be attached t
the principles Of the Constitution Of the United
States and well disposed to the good and hap
IS pness of the same? If he does not possess thest
qualifications he should not become citizen though
! he remained fifty instead Of twenty-one years. Ii
> on the other hard, the individual applying for
certificate of naturalization make it appear t
the court that he is of good moral character
attached to the principles of the constitution, ant
: all the institutions incident thereto, he was of thu
:, opinion that these were the qualities necessary t
make him good citizen, without particular refer
ence to the period of time Time mereq ues
ton of expediency about which persons might diff
fer; the other was question Of fact, to be ascer
tanned by the court One applicant might make
the facts appear in very short time, while anOth
+. err might require a much longer period of time.
D The question, then, arose whether the courts o.
the country could be trusted in the exercise of h:
? power. He thought they could. Courts which
now held in their hands the life, liberty, and prop
erty of the citizens, might be very safely trusted
with this power He believed that the courts
constituted as they are, and called by some the
sheet anchor of our liberty, would not admit any
foreigner or foreigners TO become citizens until such
foreigners had made it satisfactorily appear that
/ they were entitled to become citizens by the es-
Enlistment of the great facts already referred to.
Gov JOHNSON said be was moreover strongly in-
, clined TO the opinion that the sooner those who
were qualified and ought to become citizens of the
United States, were made citizens, the better for
, the country and themselves. The sooner they be-
came interested and enjoyed the franchise of the
citizens of the United States the sooner they would
be Amerjcanized and become part OF ourselves,
mnglng in and enjoying all the ordinary pursuits
| of hfe
| Tho notion be said which had obtained some adj