The Daily Nashville true Whig. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1851-1855, 1855-08-20

The following brief but conclusive srgn-
ment in vindication of the right of the Amer
lean people to confer Office exclusively upon
citizens of native birth, we quote from an able
and eloquent letter lately published by Hon.
JERE. CLEMENS, of Alabama.
Il is not denied that we have enough, and more
than enough competent Americans TO I'll every Of
fee we have to bestow, but it is urged that such
distinction is odieus and unjust to our foreign pop
ulation. How is it unjust? He has been deprived
of nothing by his emigration here In his own
land he did not even have the right Of suffrage
His property was never for an hour secure. His
personal liberty was constantly in danger. He
could not write or speak bis sentiments with mpu-
nity. He was ground down with taxes. press
gang might at any time tear him from the bosom of
his family, oppressive landlord turn that
family houseless upon the world. All this is chang.
&c. We have given him the right to vote. We
have given him peace. We have given him secu.
rty We have given him independence, and now.
because will not give him the right to make the
laws by which we are to be governed be forgets in
his arrogant ingrattude the hundred blessings we
have showered upon him, and repays the safety of
the altar By malignant aspersons of the ministers
to whom he owes his protection. 1t is deusion
TO talk about the rights of foreigners. PriuIeoes
is the proper word We were not bound to ex
tend 20 them tie right of suffrage. We we're not
bound to give them protection liberty, peace, in
dependence. All these were voluntary gifts II
was philanthropy in its broadcast sense Nor is
!here one of the millions who food the country
who would not have exchanged his own land for
ours even if the constitution had denied him the
privilege of voting II e other advantages he OBJ
sains would have been sufficient and more than
sufficient, TO have made him anxious for a shelter
beneath the wing Of the Eagle Where, then, is
the injustice! He has all he asked more, much
more than he would have been willing to take
But it is argue that exclusion from Office Fixes an
odious brand upon him. Without stopping to re.
mark upon the absurdity of such position it Is
sufficient TO Say that the brand is already fixed by
the constitution 1t is upon him now, and will
remain upon until that instrument is torn out from
the archives of the nation. The second section of
the first article prescribes that no one shall be a
Representative in Congress who has not been
seven years a citizen of the United States" He
may have been twenty or more years a resident Of
the country before his naturalization papers were
taken out, and yet he must remain seven years
longer before be can occupy the post of Repre-
sentative. Here is distinction aud broad one
II is idle to talk about degrees of iulamy. If ex-
clusiOn for life renders man infamous, exclusion
for a term OF years must have the same effect
Both alike presuppOse difference between the
native and the foreigner. Both have the same
operation, and both, whether justly or unlustiy,
give preference to native born citizens.
The third section of the same article prescribes
that no person shall be Senator who has not "been
nine years citizen of the United States" Here
the distinction is broader. AS the Office rises in
importance-as the danger arising from ignorance
or precenceived opinions becomes greater the mC re
careful the trainers of the constitution to Sc
cure the services OF native Citizens until in the
highest of all Offices, foreigners are excluded en-
tirely In the first section of the second article
the constitution declares that mo person except q
natural born citizen" shall be 'eligible 10 the
Office of President" and the twelfth amendments
declares that no foreigner shall be eligible TO the
Office of Vice President, Il thus appears that
foreigners absolutely prohibited by he coTasitU
ton from filling the Ouly two Offices hich emanate
directly from the whole people, whose ncumbents
are elected by the whole people, and who are in
an especial manner the guardians OF the rights of
the people.