The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1855-08-25
For the opelousas Patriot.
The American Party.

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more and more the al-cxciting topic. I had hoped
that the electioneering tricks of the former political
parties had followed them to the grave. Alas. o po-
litical hyena-the Anti-K now-Nothings-ha sprung
into existence and robbed the sepulcher of all its cor
ruptions. NstA +F .AAA@2i @&4 tfn%ta rs
Letter.writing is the order of the day the Anti
Know-Nothings are busy extracting from their polit-
ical leaders written opinions on the principles advo-
Gated by the American party. It is useless to add
that these opinions contain objections heaped upon
objections. It Becomes us, as members of the Amer
lean party, to consider, whence these objections ema-
nate, and what they are. Thus far, the objections
urged against the American party, have proceeded
from one Of two classes of Naturalization old po-
litical leaders, men who had grown corrupt in politi-
cal harness, men whose ambition made them foster
the foreign vote-they would not exchange what they
considered a certain chance Of advancement, to
join q party doubtful of success. Besides, how could
they ?-they were already the representatives Of the
subjects of foreign potentates; they stood the chance
Of being constituted Ministers Plenipotentiary, al
though American subjects, of her Christian Majesty,
of his Highness the Emperor Louis Napoleon, etc,
ito the American Government. They were destined
10 be great political panaceas.
The second class of individuals, by far the most
respectable, who have raised objections to the Amer
lean party, are prominent members Of the old politi.
cal parties, who from their birth are excluded from
the organization, such as the Hon. P. Benjamin,
Judge Rost and Others. The objections raised, from
these two sources, against the American party, are
l, its secrecy 2, the principle which advocates an
amendment of our Naturalization laws, and which pro.
c1ai1nc that An,arinnpc c1,o,,1J rox,or Ap,or:oo M,
third and last objection urged against the party, and
that upon which claim a special privilege to speak,
being q Roman Catholic, and strange to say, a mem.
Der Of the American party, is what our opponents
term religious prescription
First Objectionable secrecy: The orum which
had been fructiied under the veil of secrecy had now
given birth to what the Anti Americans acknowl.
edged to be an infant Hercules. To crush it before it
grew to be a powerful giant was their only hope
Hence their repeated assaults against the secrecy of
the party. They knew that upon This principle de-
pended the strength of their sag-Nicht associations ;
they knew that the American party had once before
been crushed in its infancy for having openly avowed
its principles. Unfortunately for them, when the
veil was Withdrawn, the infant giant had grown
to he an unconquerable monster. Americans arc
now proud of being Americans they are determined
not to be destitute Of that innate feeling of pride,
that laudable ambition, common not only to mankind,
but to the brute creation-the ambition of selcgov-
eminent. They avow to the world that Americans
ought to govern, and shall govern, America.
In further reply to the objections raised against the
secrecy with which the American party yelled itself
during its period of incubation, l refer those who
are not convinced of the propriety of this step, to the
mastery Address which precedcs the American plat
form of Louisiana.
Second objection. The next plank in the platform
of the American party, upon which the Anti-Ameri-
cans are afraid to risk their precious liues, is that
which advocates an amendment Of our naturaliza-
ton laws-whichp roclaims the principle that Amer
leans shall govern America. It'll useless to add that
the sense of the resolutions has been perverted byour
enemies. Dependent as they are upon the foreign
vote, it is obvious that they would spare nothing to
excite the prejudices of the foreign population and
make them not only the deadly enemies of the Amer.
lean party, but of the country. Hence, we zee the
demagogues of the A~nti-American party endeavor to
make their partisans, the foreigners, believe that the
aim OF the American party is to deprive the natu-
ralized citizen of his civil and religious rigllts-to
withhold the protection of the laws to his person and
property.
1--WE oppose any interference in the vested rights
OF all persons, whether they be of natire or .fore;g,
birth" are the words of the third article Of the Amer.
lean platform. Can any thing be more emphatically
enunciated2 Does this look like d~epriving the nat
uralized citizen of his civil and religious rights? I
emphatically deny it.
In order to obviate the unequivocal position of the
American party, a postprandial gentlemanhas said !:
" we DO not know whether to believe that platform,
there may be some secret oath which binds the party
to a different course" AS it has already been prop-
efiy remarked, " this gentleman is too conscious of
the nigh social position of the leaders of the Ameri-
can party, to question their honor and intepritv.'
the gentleman who has made this assertion strike
at the door of his own conscience and if will re-ccbo
the sentiments of the American party on this subject
If he has not previously taken a dose of foreign
enxlr. We are really sorry to see him so ambitious
OF foreign honors we expected something better from
MS late manly course. Is it because Pierce's admin
lstration has been ungrateful to him?
The Anti-Americans go so far as to accuse us Of
being violators of the Constitution, because we re.
fuse to vote for and elevate to Offices of trust and
honor, citizens of foreign birth. We're Wings viola.
tors of the Constitution because they would not vote
LOT Democrats, and rice-versa NV are guilty of
an odlous prescription because VIC wish to restrict
political power to native born Americans. Do ENG
rule France? Do Frcnchmen rule spainY
1t is prescription to restrict the Government of orr
to native born citizens, the Constitution of
me United States is guilty of prescription, for this
instrument declares that none but native born citizens
'hall be elegible to the Offices of President and Vice
of the United States.
why should Americans surrender to foreigners the
Administration of the Offices of their country AThe
is unjust-unnatural. the onnonents
Of the American party to lay this question fairly be-
lore the naturalized citizen, I have no doubt that
many would approve the principle. am aware that
it has met the sympathies of many intelligent, nm
foreigners they look upon it as an hon.
'rabie partisan sentiments an ineradicable instinct
Of the human heart. If the mass are hostile to if. if