Washington telegraph., 1855-11-07
QUESTIONS.

!
We would invite the attention Of cur nat
uralized citizens to the following from the
n o. Bee:
y few pertinent queries to the inteli-
gent portion of the naturalzed citizens of
New Orleans. viii hardly be considered out
Dpf place. We would ask Of them, first.
whether they 90 not agree with us that 6 re-
form of the naturalization law is greatly
needed Consider it for a moment dispas-
sionately. You come here honestly and in
good faith to get q home for yourselves and
families. After due probation, you acquire
fairly and justly the rights and privileges of
citizenship. You must value that tide as
precious preroeatiye otherwise you would
not have sought to obtain it, Are you de-
sirous Of cheapening it, until It's worth is
greatly impaired -! Are you disposed 10
see it conferred upon thousands who not on
iy acquire it by fraud and perjury, but claim
it simply as q means OF enabling them 10
throw their political influence in the scale
of that party which offers the highest bid
You have been made citizens by legal and
Just process-are yoa willing to see the laws
violated and evaded, under the existing
faulty and inefficient legislation in order
that right conceded to you after FIVE full
years of residence, should be indiscrimin-
ately bestowed upon others. who either
iraudulently or ignorantly, are converted IN
10 American citizens long before they have
established their claim TO the privileges ,
Are you not, as patriotic men, as law, ,abid-
ing citizens, opposed to the further n.aiu-
tenaucc of any system whereby the highest
civil and political prerogatiye is q mere
question OF sale and barter?
Again, if you reflect you cannot but be
aware that the natives of the soil are most
competent for the government Of the coun-
try. You are well aware that many of the
foreign population do not fully comprehend
the genius Of our institutions, and would be
sadly misplaced in the halls of legislation,
or in Offices requiring an accurate acquan-
tance with the machinery Of the State or
General Administration. Is It then either
strange or an arrogant assumption Am
orleans should claim tie right Of ruling
America, seeing that our Government is a
complex one. not easily understood, and on
ly to be thoroughly mastered by diligent
study. and constant familiarity ! Further
more. large proportion Of you are Irish
men, who abandoned Ireland because it
was subjected to the domination of Great
Britain, and that the cry of Ireland for the
Irish, proved hopeless and despairing wall
Others are Italians who have fed from the
ruthless despotiSm Of Austria: others again
are Germans, who have vainly sought for
German unity. Is rot the principle that a
people should govern themselves, and not
be governed by others mainstay Of liberty
as well as an instinct of patriotism How
can you nationally object to it, when you
know that Americans are far more likely to
govern America web, than foreigners could
possibly do?
And yet again. supposing that as sorei gn-
ers You cannot bear the idea that you should
be excluded from political station, your sous
born in the United States. and their chill
dren after them will be native Americans.
Think you they would willingly surrender
the attributes of their birih-right to straa-
gers Believe it not Thousands upon
thousands Of members Of the American par
ty are the sons of foreigners They first
beheld the light of Heaven in America
They have been nursed in the lap Of liber
ty, and they viii never agree to yield to the
clamor of others the inestimable advantages
accruing to them from their birth place
AS parents you should cheerfully cooperate
with the American party to secure to your
children in perpetuity an Inheritance far
more precious than houses and lands.
One more question Suppose half mil
lion Of Americans were annually TO eni-
CRATE to England. become powerful in the
realm, and attempt to control the Legislation
Of that Kingdom-perchance to change its
form of government, what, think you, would
En- nglishmen do :: Would they not forth
with protect themselves, and most probably
punish the interlopers by decree Of pro-
scription ? 1Eutato aaOnsi7se, dc te .fabuIG
7sqrr0tlsr.