Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-05-17
Extract from Goy. johasen's Speech
KNOW NOTH1NG,SM.

ly as State, nor Indirectly through |
the National government, to interfere
with the internal regulations of New
York OF any other State Of the con-
federacy, nor has New York or any
other State the right to interfere
with the internaland domestic regu-
lations of Tennessee. Tennessee has
the authority, as We have already
shown, in the event that any popula.
ton, foreign or native, shall be
thrown within her borders, that are
iuimical to her institutions, to reject
and eject them beyond her sovereign
limits. This is power that is now
in practical operation under law now
upon our Statute Book, which law
excludes free persons of color, under
a heavy penalty, from coming within
the limits Of the State, aud the law
can aud will be SO extended, If it
should ever become necessary to do
so, as to embrace criminals and pau
Ipers and all other persons who are
idisturbsrs Of the peace, and un--
friendly to the we'll being Of the
State.
1t must now be clear to all that
this question is not a national one,
and the power is one that should not
be exercised by the Federal govern
ment, but by the States, as circum-
stances may require.
The question being stripped Of all
its nationality, and shown to be local
and State in its character, ,he enqui-
ry very naturally arises as to the ex-
tent of the existence of the evil
within the borders of our own State.
| Has the ballot-box been corrupted or
abused by foreign population? Have
there been criminals and paupers
/ thrown by foreign governments with
lin our borders? If these evils exist.
We have the remedy in our OWE
hands, and should apply ii to the
case. If they do not exist, the
clamor which has been raised by this
new Order, in reference to foreigners
and paupers, has no foundation in re.
atty. He would ask how many for.
eigners there were in The State oI
Tennessee? The whole number, &C.
cording to the census Of 1850, was
fre thousand sic hundred and thirty.
eight. He asked, was this any great
cause of such alarm? Fire thousand
sir hundred and Mirty-eisht foreigners
dispersed through seven hundred
and Gty-six thousand eight bundled
!, and thirty six, the white population
} Of the State; which shows that there
, are one hundred and Mirty:four natir'
|, born citizens to ONE foreigner. Til:
, lis the great cause of alarm, ant
, constitutes in part the foundation
of the know nothing party! Ill
would now ask bow many foreigner!
there we're holding Office in thisState'
He did not know of but one WHIT
was holding an office of any impor
lance, and that was one Of the Judges
of the Supreme Court, the Hon. r
u. MCKINNEY, and he would ask wht
it was that put him in Office, if it wal
not the people themselves; and who
had a right to condemn them for wha,
they did at the ballot box7 The people
have right to elect and select whom
they pleased as their agents or pub.
lie servants, and no one he held
had a right to arraign or question
their action in appointing or electing
their public servants.
But the watch-word or the Syren
song now sung by this Order is, that
Americans must rule America Gov.
]. said that he was not only for Amer
leans ruling Americans, but he was
for Americans ruling foreigners also.
He had been taught to understand
tina. in this government the people
ruled, and that in filing the Offices
which they had created in the lorna.
ton Of their Constitution, and the
laws passed in conformity there
to, they were merely appointing
agents or servants to transact and
perform the duties which they had
prescribed in the Constitution and
laws, and in the selection Of these
agents, they had a right to elect
those that they deemed most efficient
and faithful to the law and the Con-
stitution, whether native or foreign
born. This he considered was Amer
cans ruling America; OF, in other
words, the people controlling the ac-
ton Of their government according
to their own will and judgment.
Governor johnson then took up
the pretendedopposition of the know
nothings to Catholicism, and contend