Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1855-12-08
THE PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE
NATURALIZATION LAWS.

$3.50
tiply and replenish the earth, he meant
him to enjoy the same. But if this
were the Divine intention-and the Bible
says something marvellously like it
then it is quite certain that in many
countries the benevolent design has been
wofully defeated. Man has found out
many inventions;" but the worst of all
is that which has enabled one class to
seize upon the great common of Nature
and hold it to the exclusion of all their
brethren. In England, an island which,
under proper management, is capable of
maintaining literally its entire popula-
tion-one million of human beings live
in luxury, while sixteen millions scramble
for crumbs. There is no denying the
fact that, in that country, the rich are far
too rich, and the poor far too poor; and
that the laws which tend to create and
maintain such enormous inequality, must
sooner or later be greatly modified or re-
pcaled knowledge is removing the film
from mems eyes, and the time is approach
ing when the poets vision will be real
lied, and when it will be universally adj
mitted that, whatever may be his social
condition,
A mans a man for a. that.u
Admitting the existence of these social
evils to their fullest extent, emigration
becomes, under such circumstances, abb
selutely indispensable. When bees grow
too numerous for their hive, Che youthful
portion of the insect community seek
new one, and in like manner, that pru-
dent people, the Scotch, send forth swarms
of their young men to the East, West
and South the Irish follow their exam
pie; while the English alone still adhere
in beggary to the soil on which they
were born, and endure all evils rather
than forsake their native home Educa-
ton, however, has begun to open the
eyes of the lower classes even there
they find that their island is at present
too productive in three important things
Their machinery produces more goods
than they can find market for; their
authors more books than readers to pur-
chase them; and their ladies more sons
and daughters than the country can, as
things are, maintain. For each one of
these very serious evils, emigration is
found to be the readiest and most efficient
remedy.
Let it be here rccollected, that of those
whose necessities at home have driven
them to repatriation, the greater number
have removed to the United States in
preference to British America, with at
least equal benefit to themselves, though
much to the disadvantage of the mother
country; for her colonies being parts of
her empire, it is evident that all the
physical and moral strength thus added
to the United States is SO much subtract
ed from the former and gained by the
latter. By what arguments. therefore,
can the Infatuated dcclaimers against for
eign intrusion support their new-fangled
theories2 1t certainly cannot be said
that an enlightened love of country is
their ruling principle of action.
The British colonies being chiefly sup
piled with manufactures from the mother
country, every new settler in them in
creases the demand for labor at home
whereas every emigrant to the United
States diminishes such demand We have
seen a plain calculation showing very
clearly that by thirty thousand of her
subjects coming annually to the United
States for ten years; the loss to Great
Britain would be thirty millions of pounds
sterling at the end Of that period. This
AMOUNT would be made up of the sums
paid for passages in American ships,
money brought away by emigrants, and
the diminished demand for British fabrics.
1t is shown by the British custom-house
returns that every inhabitant of the coli
onies takes annually at least thirteen
dollars worth Of British goods, whereas
each individual in the United States re-
quires less than two dollars worth; the
difference being supplied principally by
home manufactures. These are weighty
considerations for those who are accus-
toned to rail against the naturalization
of foreigners.
We are by no means disposed to quar-
rel with any set of people for seeking to
ameliorate their institutions, and TO pre-
serve inviolable the privileges which
belong to them as free-born, native citi-
zens; still we cannot look upon the attempt
to exclude foreigners--no matter how
identified with the soil by long residence
or family onnexions-from all participa-
ton in the elective franchise, as exceed
=. II. .....-.o,,a ;,n,ol;fso and ffnitaf