The Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 18??-185?, 1855-07-06

or II is amusing to see TO what straits the
Snti-Amsricans ars driven. inerder - make
show OF HrRu-- s~s @gsanst W. It's g,avelJ
.sser.sd, by some. that ,h- A~.s'ioan party oar
: 'U'ning towards checking tho growth ol
foreign influence, because the Fed srah Constt.
sutton stands at right angles 10 It's course and
opposes an insuRerable barrier. And what is
ihis obstacle 2 Why, the Constitution declares
that, In the spPortionment of Representatives
and direct taxes, all FREQ white persons shall
be counted, and iaercE're. the foreigners can
not be exclr-lsd' and that SO long @Sq,ev are IN.
r''lded N the count, the number Of Represen.
,alives must be Ia a ratio with their numerical
sf'ens'h' This proposition no one has denied;
out the Inference drawn from IL does no, nsees.
sar'iy f6}low. To illusirate:-The Constitution
also requires that tbree-fhhs Of the slaves shall
be counted but widstNahis addition t. Inc Fed.
eral basis of representation increases the num-
Der OF Representatives Of the South, the slaves
DO not vote, and no peculiar viewso of theirs
oan influence the National legislation. So too,
II the foreigners be included in the count, but
excluded irem the polls, their influence will
cease to be felt, except In the increase Of North
cru representatives., and If these be true. hea rted
Americans, no evil c~an.grow out of the indirect
influence thus exerted, 1t is not ue numUt
Of Northern members of Congress that the
South or the Union snas TO fear. but the radical,
disorganiSin~s, anti slavery sentiments Trans.
mitted to Congress through theHmedium of the
ballot box. Cut off these sentiments by closing
the polls against thom, so far as they are of
foreign importation, restrict the right of suffrage
20 native Americans, and to the already natur.
allied citizens, and we have little to fear from
foreigners, beyond their ability by association Il,
10 ~ivitia,e the morals and bias the opinions Of
those natives who muy be preinclined, by ma
ture or The force OF circumstances, to adopt
wild and revolutionary political heresies. To
accomplish it's purposes, the American party
nsks no amendment Of the constitution ;--' the
co Institution as it Is" is their motto, and under
its provisions, are found all The powers n%eceF-
sary TO eradicate the evils of which the party
complains, and under which the country groaus.
But again, il is argued that the States have
che power to naturalize a%liens, and that the
repeal Of the naturalization laws, by Congress,
con afford no remedy [; therefore the remedy is
only TO be found In State legislation, and, Of
course any attempt to make this movement a
national one, Is all nummery. Not so fast,
gentlemen the doctrine that the States possess
authority over this subject, 80 far from being
settled, is positively repudlated by Kent and
Story in their Commentaries and both of these
distinguished %jurists explicitly declare that the
authority to naturalize aliens, Is vested exclu-
sively ia Congress. And to place the justice
Of their opinion beyond all cavil, they enume.
rate the dangers and inconvenience OF the
power TO nOturalize, as exercised by the sope-
rate States under the old Confederation, and
show, by reference to the Federslist and to the
notion of the trainers of the Constitution, that
those dangers and inconvenionces prompted he
surrender Of the exclusive power to Congress,
and thot without objection or debnte'. Then,
upon this high authority, we affirm that the
authority to pass a uniform rule of naturaliza'
iioa. is exclusively granted to Congress by the
constitution and can n power, Internationally
transferred still be a reserved power! Surely
not md we Opprehend that the unquestioned
right of a State to deter mine the qualifications
Of It's voters, has been mistaken for the powor
10 make cltizene Uy me process vi naturllza =
iion-two distinct powers, the one reserved, the
other clearly delegated; In confirmation Of
the fact that The power 10 naturalize is vested
exclusively in Congress, twenty eight States
admit none to the polls who are not citizens Of
the U. States, therby affirming the exclusive
Tlghl Of Congress to make citizens Of aliens.
We grant that it Is conceded, by some who
are entitled to much consideration, that a repeSl
Of the natuNOllzation laws will vest In tho
States oil the power granted to Congress, over
this ssbjcct but It Is clear, from theiT reas'
oningJ tha,tlfe decisions alluded to, are based
upon the supposition, that the Federal and State
g]oyernnenls have conc urrent jurisdiction over
the subject, On this point of concurrent au.
ihority, we cite Ibe opinioa In tho lease Of Prigg
W the Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania, 10 lS42.
The point under confederation 10 the c~onstltu-
~tionalty Of a State law that is in eanaict with
the Federal provisions for tho reclamation Of
]fugitivos from service, but the principle laid
down is a general one, and aPPlieStle 10 all
rNses involving tho question Of concurrent au-
ury. THE Augment here IS that there IL no