The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-10-06
The wisdom of our Ancestors.

The Hon. John M. Berrien, of Georgia
one of the few remaining statesmen OF the days
in which there we're giants-ht,s, written q lu-
minous and unanswerable letter in favor of the
principles of the American party. In the
course of his communication, Mr.. Berrien states
that prior to the year 1890, the ANIMAL foreign
immigration was not over 5000. In 1877.
when the Federal Constitution WIS formed.
the Sages who assisted in framing that instru-
ment deemed it their duty to introduce therein
certain native American features. They pro-
vided, for instance:
1st. That the President OF tie Unit, d States should
be a l.at;ve-boIn citizen. 'qE
I'd. That the Army OF tic United States should be
in his native-burn American fiants. ,
Sd. That the Navy of the United States should be
under native-DG!n American e%olltro.
4th. That Treaties s!pllld lie organized and made
by a nativebcrn citizen. - H. .I.g lba|
9th. That Federal appointments Gnd patronage
should come from this natirc-hs,rn American source.
9th. That the militia OF tie several States, when
called into the service III the United States, should lie
under the Presidents natiye-hayn command.
18th. That only a natiye-born citizen should have
the Federal veto power.
sSth. That the Vice President of the United States
should be Il native. tu4 G.Y. .I..
three branches of the Legislature (Which makes
Treaties and confirms Federal appointments, should
have o native to preside over it.
10th. That, in case of q tie cote in the Senate, u
native only should have the casting vote.
18th. That Congress and the President should
make uniform naturalization laws,-that President q
native.
18th. That to he a Senator in Congress che must
have been naturalized 8 years.
18th. That to be q Representative one must have
been naturalized I years.
These restrictive clauses were placed in the
| CnpctJtution of n tIyno u,hny, fn,r:cr, s,G,,.o,
| might have appeared a mere chmera-when
The annual immigration to the United States
was one-hnndredth part of what it now is, and
when, in the eyes of thousands Of rejecting and
intelligent citizens, it was thought utterly i'm
possible that the increase of the alien popula-
ton could ever become q source of real appre.
hension. And yet our fathers, with that almost
supcrhuman prescience which marked them,
hehcld the danger looming from aIar, and en-.
deavored in some degree to avert it, by %vestine
in the natives of the soil exclusively the highest
and most august ~prerogatives Of political
power. If, in 1857, such restraints were
deemed necessary, are they not a hundredth-fo,d
more necessary now, that immigration has
swollen from an annual increase of 5000 to an
annual increase of 100000?
ln those days we Lad no foreign paujers and
criminals landing on our shores-wc had nc
foreig n associations and military companies or
gained in our midst-we had no bullying and
fighting at the polls no infamous PIaquemin-
AIDES to record in the annals of our elections
no riots in our cities, nor shooting down Of un-
armed Americans none of those examples el
the pernicions influence of political excitement
on the minds of ignorant and prejudIced stran-
gers,-and yet our fathers thought ii wise and
prudent to divest foreigners Of certain high and
important attributes, and to confer Others less
important only after a protractcd probation,
How infinitely more essential is it, now tina
the evils scarcely dreamed of then heve fallen
Npon lis, that we should guard our liberties
and franchises with jealous care, and admit
none to share them, save those who have given
ample proofs of their ability to understand our
Huvernmellt, and Of their entire devotion 10
lis principles and welfare! TEce.