The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-03-31


Upon the highest principles Of patriotism and
common sense, in order to secure the country
from the frequent convulsions and periods. OF
bankruptcy which have occurred during the last
three or four administrations. Our treasury
and financial system requires examination and
amendment in all its details, and the special
working of its machinery.
Our land system has also been equally in
error and thrown into q state Of confusion by
private and personal schemes to get possession
| of.the. finest portions Of that noble inheritance
left us by our ancestors.
Not only does the internal policy Of the gen
eral Government require the magic, hand OF
statesmen adequate to the age, but our foreign
policy (if it can be said that we have any, de-
mands in on eminent degree the attention Of
the highest intellect in order to recover it from
the state Of degradation into which it has fall
len. The truth is, the frame work of our par
ties and our Government, has felt the delete
rious influence Of the times, has allen into dis
order and wants repair, renovation or reyolp-
ton. bad er Il
This country was originally founded by emf
grafton from the Old World. The revolutions
and consequent prosecutions of the sixteenth
century drove the settlers from their homes in
the Old World to seek civil and religious free
domin the wilds of the New. The Puritans
who landed at Plymouth Rock-the Lutberans
who settled on Manhattan Island-the Catho-
lies who sought an asylum on the shores Of
Chesapeake Bay-the Cavaliers who landed at
james river, Virginia, and the Huguenots at
Charleston, South Carolina-were all pilgrims
forced by the same prosecutions and revolutions
c,a,, Ar MA 1JrartI m ean1y n hn,nn IN fhn
New, for the exercise and enjoyment Of politi-
cal rights and freedom regulated by morality
and religion. In leaving the Old World and
their old homes, they left the prejudices and
passions Of that land, and brought with them
to this new cline only the ideas and principles
to which that great revolutionary age gave
birth. From their first landing, q new society
and a new civilization took deep root in the land,
and generated the revolution Of the last century,
ending in the establishment Of our present re
public. We then became q country and a
polity Of a new growth, which may be fifty
called American in every sense Of the term.
In constructing the present Constitution, the
trainers Of that great instrument, remembering
the origin Of their ancestors, left q memorial Of
their sympathy for all the oppressed in the Old
World, by authorizing Congress to pass natu-
ralization laws Of q liberal and generous len,
dency. But while inserting such a generous
provision in the Constitution as would admit, on
brief periods Of probation, the oppressed ofother
countries to the privileges Of this land, it was
expected and believed that all emigrants there
after admitted, would follow the example of the
first pilgrims by abandoning the prejudices and
passions of the Old World, and become merged
in the great body of thcnew American civiliza-
ton. This great principle, with such an under
standing, has been carried out for two centuries,
and Il is only Of recent date that corrupt men
and mere demagogues have e~ndeayored to band
together citizens of foreign birth, according to
their national or religious creeds, thus prevent
ing them from following the noble example Of
the first pilgrims, by mixing with American
citizens, and blending themselves with the man
ners and -customso of the new dispensation. All
religions and all sects of Christians are alike
protected under the .Egis of the American Con
s~titution. But when the highe& clergy of any
sect attempts either to monopolize the political
power Of their tocks or the pecuniary means of
their congregations, it is time for the people of
this country to take warning by the terrible ex-
amples such clerical usurpations have produced
in other lands and other times.
La thho iHiPOftdHt loiuI VI TSiOTH, lueIe HIVE
been strong manifestations of late, in different
parts Of the country. Ten years ago, efforts be-
gan to be made to correct the errors and purify
the corruptions of the two old parties, and to
give q high tone, American and national feeling
to the action Of a new and energetic organiza-
ton OF the popular masses. The efforts origina-
ting in New York and Pennsylvania, and radi-
ating to various States within the circle Of
their influence and example, was, after a bricf
struggle LaHerMlelmed -hN- the -enrgInt pnliti-
clans and the concentrated exertions Of the two
opposing parties. But the evils Of that time
and the necessity of reform have grown with
our growth and strengthened with our strength,
until the American heart can stand flo longer
in silence and see their country disorgaanized
and disgraced by the corrupt and demoralizing
spoils system, enforced by a degenerate race Of
men. During the past year the American peo-
pie have been waking from a deep sleep. They
are bursting on all the hands and in every
quarter, the manacles with which noble intel
lects and free minds were bound, and no doubt
seems to exist, from the progress with which
the new revolution has advanced, that it will
end IN as glorious a triumph as that set in mo-
tion by the Declaration of Independence itself.
ms great movement has done my heart good.
and it will spread the same sentiment through
out the country, to sec the noble old State of
Pennsylvania taking one of the first great steps
towards q consummation of the revolution to
which American sentiment and American patri-
otlsm points so clearly. In the old Revolution
your noble State, marching under the command
OF the immortal Washington, rallied under the
motto Of Virtue, Liberty and Independence.
The same sentiment, l have no doubt, will ami
mate your present struggle until. victory is pro
from the sources of the susqaehanna
to the shores of the Atlantic ard Pacific.
1 am, gentlemen, your obedient servant,
m GEORGE Law.
prospsftns of CHI 0pslousas Slutriut.